Collaborative needs more input
The Indian Valley Collaborative could use a few more people to step up and take their place at the table.
If this October’s meeting was any indication — the once robust monthly meeting of school, social services and non-profit representatives in Indian Valley, is now back to a handful of entities.
Still the information shared is vital in a community that doesn’t necessarily share all of its information electronically or with flyers. Word of mouth still reigns supreme in the valley.
Marj Goosey of the local American Legion Post chairs the meeting, which takes place at Roundhouse Council every first Wednesday of the month at 10 a.m., and is open to the public.
In addition to the American Legion and Roundhouse Council, Greenville Principal Traci Cockerill, Indian Valley Recreation and Parks District, Indian Valley YOUth Summit, the local United Methodist churches and Indian Valley Academy were also represented.
A big function of the meetings is to share event calendars with each organization to see how best to mutually support each other.
Sometimes new to the community, representatives take the opportunity to meet people they might be working with later on in the year.
At each collaborative meeting, a spontaneous discussion begins usually in the direction of current events or issues in the community.
October’s topic was vaping and the increasing popularity of vaping with Indian Valley youth and what can be done to stop what they see as an epidemic. How to get kids to see they are being targeted by tobacco companies? How to be on the lookout for it?
The idea here is discussion that leads to solutions and hears different approaches for solving the issue.
Both existing agencies that have come to the meetings before and ones new to the meetings are welcomed.