Holt Community Day Festival
April 5, 2010
Last week, our team had the pleasure of participating in the Holt Community Day Festival hosted by the Holt Community Partnership. The event was held to provide a day of fun for children in the area while raising awareness of the need for improvement within the school system.
At the event, our team set up a booth with various activities centered around The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. We painted a white picket fence, had frog jumping contests (i.e. sack races), made pirate hats and more. I think our team had as much fun as the children. One of the best parts was giving away our promotional materials and special edition books. Everyone was eager to win a prize and the children were so excited to receive the books. Participating in this event gave us the opportunity to see how this campaign truly makes a difference in the lives of some people. It gave us an opportunity to share the services of the public library with people who will take advantage of the resources they offer. It also gave us the opportunity to share a classic American story and to provide resources for people to learn more.
As an individual on our team who coordinates collegiate and community outreach, the Holt Community Day Festival introduced me to a new approach. This approach was participating in an event planned by another organization. When trying to plan and execute outreach activities, it often takes a lot of time to get everything prepared to execute successfully. Partnering with other organizations and events allows you to get your message out without a lot of logistical planning. My advice to someone trying to outreach to the community or a certain demographic is to look into options for partnerships. By partnering with other organizations, you are able to reach a group of people through one connection. Participating in another organizations events allows you to contribute to their events success and allows you to outreach to others with limited effort. Partnerships create advancement for multiple purposes and allow growth for all teams involved.
by Amanda Burton
