First-term Carleton Place councilor Sarah Cavanagh held a non-profit summit on Wednesday April 12 at the St James Parish Hall to gather representatives a wide variety of non-profit, charitable, and community service organizations for a discussion among like-minded volunteers looking to provide support for those in need. The afternoon meeting was well attended by members of 100 Women Who Care of Lanark, Rotary, Kiwanis, Cornerstone Landing, Civitan, Planet Youth Lanark County, Lanark County Interval House, Carleton Place and District Youth Centre, Zion Memorial Church Hungry Lunch, and the Lanark County Food Bank among others.

Cavanagh told Hometown News, she believed it would be a great opportunity for different organizations to learn about each other and provide opportunities to discover any overlaps of services as well as gaping needs in the community. She hopes to hold such meetings 4 times a year. Almost all of the groups she invited made it in person and those that didn’t sent along information on their efforts.

She noted the discussions were energetic and focused on how to make the biggest differences with the resources available. While the groups were known to each other, information on evolving mandates and new projects were gladly exchanged and provided opportunities to examine common intersections of how needs could be met. She pointed, as an example, to the common complaint of finding space for events and meetings among the groups and the productive discussion that ensued on communicating with churches to help fill that need. They also discussed the need for a quick-reaction system to deal with emergencies through a communication system to connect those in need with the right resources in a timely manner.

Cavanagh said she will capture the day’s events and discussions in an information sheet to be shared with the participants and their organizations which can be used as a data resource.

Article by Brain Turner