MARYSVILLE Several Snohomish County agencies will be on hand to offer one-stop shopping for help during the Marysville Community Coalitions Oct. 24 meeting.
The usual gratis grub (i.e., free dinner) will be offered, along with complimentary child care, but this months program features about 14 or more agencies hawking their services and offering their help. Representatives from the YMCA, Compass Health, Cocoon House, the Everett Clinic and many others will join the Snohomish Health District to discuss the need for people to live healthier lives. The Marysville School District will teach folks new to our shores about their options; teacher Staci Tuck is the maven for students with English as a Second Language, and she will tell parents what the district has for them. Rick Prebernow of Compass Health will speak on how to get kids to achieve in school.
The Coalition has enlisted the help of Mayor Dennis Kendall, who said the goal is to connect the service providers with those who need the help. That can be an awkward gap to bridge, he noted; many folks who need help wont ask for it, or they arent aware of whats available to them.
Dont be afraid to ask for help, dont be bashful, dont be shy, is the message from Kendall.
The meeting is focused on health because Marysville is participating in the Snohomish County Healthy Communities initiative, tasked with assessing how locals are doing health-wise and recommending changes in diet and activities. Kendall said many people arent feeling that well because of bad habits that result from stress; stress causes other problems, and the results of improper diet and couch-intensive lifestyles snowball to create more problems.
Unfortunately its a vicious circle, Kendall said.
The program will focus on stress and how people deal with it, or more to the point, how they should. A lot of family crises manifest themselves in school, and much of the help available will focus on how to deal with stress in the classroom and on the school playground. More than a dozen agencies put their heads together and the coalition hopes having everything available in one place will encourage people to show up.
I think they were trying to find a better way to help, Kendall said, adding that interesting things can happen when people come together. The main topic is how to help your child succeed at school. This provides the opportunities for agencies to be there to offer their help. Were not getting out the information the way we hoped.
The Marysville Community Coalition Community Resource Fair will be held Tuesday, Oct. 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Cedarcrest Middle School, 6400 88th St. NE. Free dinner, childcare and youth activities will be offered; dinner is at 6 and the speaking programs will be at 7. To RSVP call 360-653-0899.