Darlington County Services Forum set for Sept. 11

The Darlington County Coordinating Council, in partnership with the Byerly Foundation, will host a Darlington County Services Forum on Thursday, Sept. 11, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Lakeview Baptist Church in Hartsville.
The annual forum provides a very rare opportunity for all community groups, service agencies, faith organizations and others who provide services to individuals in need in Darlington County to sit down with one another and share what service they provide and how it is provided.
"The plan is to bring all of us together that meet specific needs in Darlington County into one room, hear what each other have to say, and hopefully come away with tangible ideas to improve communication and collaboration," said Todd Shifflet, chair of the Darlington County Coordinating Council. "The coordinating council is founded on the idea that communication and real collaboration can help solve some of our most chronic problems - those problems that our clients, patients and students face every day - education, health care, employment, housing and others."
The forum is designed to serve as a springboard for future collaboration among the various groups and organizations providing services to Darlington County residents, according to Dick Puffer, executive director of the Byerly Foundation.
"The Byerly Founda-tion supports the Dar-lington County Coordi-nating Council's efforts here because the services forum has the potential to strengthen the capacity of our community," Puffer said. "The coordinating council is a boundary-spanning organization that has the ability, through sustainable activities like the services forum, to make real change happen
in our communities. Participating organizations can, and should, continue to participate in conversations that result in a cohesion of human services that sustains itself over time."
Over the years, the Darlington County Coordinating Council has sponsored and organized similar service forum events. The council, with assistance from the Byerly Foundation, has now made the services forum an annual opportunity for Darlington County service providers. Over the past year, with the help of the foundation and dedicated volunteers, the council has hired part-time staff, holds monthly working meetings in rotation between Darlington and Hartsville, developed a web presence and has helped, through joint communication and collaboration, to solve problems for individual clients and the community.
"The forum has become the coordinating council's signature event," said Kathy Baxley, executive director of the Free Medical Clinic of Darlington County and treasurer of the Darling-ton County Coordinating Council. "Having a good understanding of the many different kinds and levels of services provided in the county makes meeting the needs of our clients that much easier and more effective. We want to keep the communication and collaboration going, and the
forum helps us shine a light on where we are and where we need to be going."
Through the Services Forum, the coordinating council hopes to improve communication, minimize duplication and create stronger collaborations among agencies and community organizations providing services to Darlington County residents, organizers said.
Results of the forum will include an updated and on-going Darlington County Resource Direc-tory and the tangible opportunity to work with other groups on common priorities.
Each of the organizations will be provided a few minutes to share the specific services it provides. There will also be tables available to display and share brochures about services in Darlington County.
The format of the program will also allow organization representatives to sit down with those who serve similar clients and explore opportunities for better communication and collaboration.
A continental breakfast and late morning snack will be served for participants.
For more information about the Darlington County Services Forum, contact Jackie Anderson at 307- 5383 or Todd Shifflet at 857-0111.