By VERNON ROBISON
The Progress
The annual Moapa Valley Community Resources Fair brought dozens of service organizations, agencies, companies and groups to connect with the public on Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Clark County Fairgrounds. The Fair, which this year was held in coordination with the Pomegranate Arts Festival drew a crowd to learn of the many services made available to area residents.
“I am very happy with the turnout,” said Community Resources Fair founder and organizer Larry Griffiths. “There are a variety of organizations here both returning from past years and coming for the first time. Many of these are eager to provide service to rural communities like ours. This has been a way in for them.”
There were many organizations in attendance focusing on mental health.
Representatives from the Nevada Office of Suicide Prevention were in attendance. Their booth provided attendees with suggested alternatives to screen time for young and old alike. These included puzzles, games, reading material and other activities. This booth was also holding a raffle to win a full-sized gun safe.
Also in attendance was Logandale resident Kim Witter with Ascend Counseling and Wellness. Witter has recently opened office hours to provide counseling services in both Moapa Valley and Mesquite. She provides marriage and family therapy which includes counseling services for couples, families, children, adults and more.
Witter cited statistics that estimate that 25 percent of the American population suffers from anxiety/depression. “That means in a small town like ours, there are probably more people than we might think who need help,” she said. “I always encourage people who are struggling to just try counseling one time and try working through some of the issues that might be there. It might be a first step in living a more happy life and enjoying each moment.”
Witter also offers a free Grief Support Group for adults on the first and third Thursday of every month at 6 pm at Brooke’s Good Deeds at 3475 N. Moapa Valley Blvd in Logandale. For more information call Witter at 702-907-7305.
Mesa View Home Care and Hospice were also vendors at the Resources Fair. Their booth was decked with all kinds of beautiful fall colors. This locally owned company offers home medical care, hospice service and physical therapy to patients in Moapa Valley, Mesquite and the Arizona Strip.
“In providing our services we really care about our community because our providers actually live in the communities,” said Brenda Hibbetts of Mesa View Hospice. “That really makes a big difference, compared to companies that may be sending providers in from somewhere else.”
Another vendor in attendance was the Nevada Medicare Assistance Program (MAP). MaryAnn Kelly of MAP explained that their mission is to help people in navigating the complex world of Medicare.
The organization provides consultative services from volunteers who have been extensively trained on Medicare products and procedures.
“Our people are not getting a commission for their services and they aren’t trying to sell anything,” Kelly said. “They are just there to help navigate through Medicare and prevent identity theft and fraud. We also can coordinate with state and federal programs if people are eligible for those. That is something that the salespeople are not able to do.”
There were many other organizations and agencies in attendance allowing people to take home a wealth of information about services available to rural residents.
Now in its fourth year, the management of the Resources Fair is changing hands. Larry Griffiths is preparing to move away from the community to be closer to family in northern Utah. But he said that he has left management of the Resources Fair in very able hands.
In coming years, the Resources Fair will be taken over by Shanna and Gary McPheters of Brooke’s Good Deeds organization.
“It has been a great event and we are pleased with the turnout this year,” said Shanna McPheters. “But we see opportunity for it to grow even more from here.”
McPheters expressed appreciation to the Moapa Valley Art Guild for allowing the Resources Fair to piggy-back on the popular event.
“We benefit a lot from this arrangement because it gives quite a bit of foot traffic to the various service agencies and providers here,” McPheters said. “There are so many resources and services available to people who need them. A lot of them no one really knows about. We just have to connect these services in to the community members that need them. That is what we are committed to doing.”
