GEORGE — The first Resource Fair held at the George Library was a success, said Librarian Jeana Rushton. 

“We had 17 participants,” Rushton said. “I was estimating 10-20, so it came in right where I thought it would. And since it’s the first time we’ve had a resource fair like this in George, we really weren’t sure what to expect in terms of turnout.” 

The fair featured representatives from the Department of Social and Health Services, the Department of Licensing, Renew Mental Health and the Grant County Health District. The purpose was to enable George residents to take care of paperwork — renewing driver’s licenses and vehicle tabs, applying for benefits and so on — that otherwise would require a drive to Ephrata or Moses Lake. 

The DOL and DSHS mobile units were the primary draw, Rushton said.  

“(They) both had participants that came specifically for those services,” she said. “But Renew and the Grant County Health programs were able to talk to everybody who came, for the most part.” 

Because this was the inaugural program, there were a few lessons learned, Rushton said. She had told the Columbia Basin Herald that North Central Washington Libraries hoped to hold another in the fall. 

“I think next time we host an event like this, we’ll focus on morning hours rather than having it be all day, because we did have more participation earlier on than in the afternoon,” she said. 

    Renew, Grant County’s mental health service, was one of the agencies present at the George Resource Fair Monday.
  

    Representatives from the Grant County Health District offered a variety information at the George Resource Fair Monday. They had several resources to provide, including pamphlets for parents to use to facilitate conversations with their children about staying away from nicotine, alcohol and drugs.