By Harold Reutter
harold.reutter@theindependent.com

Howard Principal Kris Burling was worried early Thursday afternoon that the day's mixture of rain and snow would hold down the crowd who might attend the event.

But she knows the long-term trend.

"Last year, we had 42 businesses and agencies," Burling said. "This year, we have 59 businesses and agencies."

Burling said the goal of the Community Services Fair in its first year was to provide any information it could on services that might benefit families whose children attended Howard Elementary.

Howard has many immigrant families, but Burling noted that the fair also benefits anybody who might be a newcomer to Grand Island, even if that person just moved from another town in Nebraska.

Since its beginning, the Community Services Fair has expanded its scope, inviting families from other schools to attend.

Burling said the school has put out sign-up sheets the previous two years and discovered that families from almost all the community's elementary schools, as well as its middle schools and high schools, have attended.

"We've had families from Stolley Park, Engleman, Lincoln and Jefferson," Burling said.

She noted that the district social workers have been a big help in getting information out to families in various schools who might benefit from services available in Grand Island.

As for Howard Elementary, Burling said, some families attend the Community Services Fair year after year. She said the school tries to make it easy for Howard families to attend by starting the fair at 3 p.m., right when school dismisses for the day.

Burling said agency heads have talked to each other about the Community Services Fair, and as a result, she keeps getting calls from more agencies and more businesses that want to participate.

Even as a school principal, Burling said, she has not been aware of all the agencies and services they provide in Grand Island.

The Grand Island Public Library may not seem to need any additional publicity, with a large building in the center of town along one of Grand Island's most heavily traveled streets.

But Library Director Steve Fosselman said the library "wants to be a very welcoming place and the best place to welcome people is often close to where they live or at a place where they go."

Fosselman noted that people may go to the Community Services Fair because they are looking for one kind of information, then discover the city library has a display at the fair.

He noted that even people who go to the library may not be aware of all the services it offers. Fosselman said people may not know about all the services for children and parents, as well as teenagers.

Fosselman said people may not be aware of the library's audio-visual materials, including DVDs. Or people may not know about the library's large-print books, he said.

That ability to do a proactive outreach program where people can ask questions and get answers is what attracts not only the library but probably the other 58 agencies and businesses to the fair.

Burling said the Community Services Fair is held in the school gym. But with new agencies being added every year and with people attending the fair from all over the community, the gym is running out of space.

"It's outgrowing our venue," she said.

As a result, Burling said, there has been some preliminary thought about moving the Community Services Fair to a new location. She said perhaps a middle school could be used and noted that Grand Island Senior High would offer more space.

Burling said the fair simply needs to keep going. When it comes to both agencies and school families, people "rely on it every year."