More than 50 people learned about making the most of 2-1-1 Brevard’s resources during the “Maximize Community Connections” workshop on Oct. 3 in Viera.
“Part of our core mission is about making connections among people in need and organizations that may have resources to meet those needs,” said Executive Director Libby Donoghue. “People know they can reach us by dialing 2-1-1, but they don’t know about other routes for accessing information.”
Response to a survey after the workshop was excellent.
“Raising awareness of this collection of local agencies and sites gives more people the opportunity to access the information 2-1-1 has,” one respondent wrote. “It is a valuable resource tool that we can utilize to assist other people with their needs.”
Organizations represented at the workshop included:
• Aging Matters in Brevard
• American Red Cross
• Brevard County Sheriff’s Office
• Early Learning Coalition of Brevard
• Brevard Association for Advancement of the Blind
• Brevard Drop-In Center
• Brevard Public Schools
• Brevard Workforce
• Circles of Care
• Coalition for the Housing and Homeless of Brevard
• Cocoa Police Department
• Community Blue for Veterans (Community Foundation for Brevard)
• Family Counseling Centers of Brevard
• Florida Department of Children and Families
• Florida Department of Corrections
• Grace United Methodist Church
• Health First
• Housing Authority of Brevard County/Melbourne Housing Authority
• Palm Bay Police Department
• Parrish Medical Center
• R.E.A.L. Church
• Rockledge Church of the Nazarene
• Satellite Beach Fire and Police Departments
Donoghue and Lekesha McLaughlin, community resource coordinator, talked about the how the online database is structured and how to best to use it. Donoghue also talked about a mobile database “app” available free for iPhone users.
Belinda Stewart, communications manager, talked about how 2-1-1 Brevard’s website, newsletter and social media all are about making connections, too.
“Because we serve as a ‘connector’ between people in need and resources and services, it’s in our best interest to make sure that those resources and services are as healthy as they can be,” Stewart said. “Supporting one another in spreading information helps all of us.”
