It hasn’t captured the hearts of the people who develop Hallmark cards, but it’s near and dear to those of us who support 2-1-1.
Today is 2-1-1 Day, celebrated annually and appropriately on Feb. 11 or “2/11.”
Consider:
- 2-1-1’s in the United States answered almost 16 million calls in 2012, the most recent year for which annual statistics are available.
- That same year, 2-1-1’s in Florida answered more than 1 million calls from people who needed help.
“For us, every day is a 2-1-1 day because we’re answering the phones 24/7,” said Libby Donoghue, 2-1-1 Brevard executive director. “But 2-1-1 Day was created to draw attention to the value of 2-1-1 nationwide.”
“2-1-1 Brevard’s piece of that number was almost 40,000,” Donoghue said. “And that doesn’t include the thousands who turned to our online database for information.”
The city of Melbourne and Brevard County are issuing proclamations for 2-1-1 Day. Both are financial supporters of 2-1-1 Brevard.
At the Jan. 28 city council meeting, Mayor Kathy Meehan read: “I … hereby proclaim February 11, 2014, as ‘2-1-1 Day’ in the City of Melbourne and encourage all of our residents to become aware of the services provided by 2-1-1 Brevard Inc.”
A proclamation was issued Feb. 4 by the Brevard County Commission.
On Feb. 11, 2-1-1 Brevard and other 2-1-1 providers in Florida and beyond turned to social media to spread the message that anyone can dial 2-1-1.
You can become a fan of 2-1-1 Brevard at www.facebook.com/211brevard or follow on Twitter at @211Brevard.
“Even when we’re not promoting 2-1-1 Day, we’re active on Facebook and Twitter to share our own good news and to spread information about serious issues such as mental illness, suicide, hunger and poverty,” said Belinda Stewart, 2-1-1 Brevard communications manager.
“2-1-1 is all about information and all about finding and offering support for people in need.”