By Joe Andrew

The Human Services Club, Psychology Club, and Black and Women’s History Committee presented the Annual Human Services and Women’s Resource Fair in the lobby of the STEM building on March 12.

Attending organizations included Values Into Action, ChesPenn Health Services, DCCC Wellness, Family Support Line, Delaware County Suicide Prevention & Awareness Task Force, and more.

The event, which was attended by about 50 people, with many more onlookers, gave local organizations a chance to provide more information on their respective missions. These organizations provide services to benefit women’s health, offer social and emotional support, improve mental health, and meet other human services needs.

“It’s a great way to bring awareness to our college about the different resources our community has to offer,” said Danielle Wiegand, a Human Service Club leader. “Also, it’s a great way for our students to network.”

One of the organizations was the Family Support Line, which focuses on the prevention and treatment of damages caused by child sexual abuse. The organization hopes to not only benefit children, but also families and professionals alike by teaching them how to cope with the trauma associated with sexual abuse.

They also work closely with law enforcement to ensure proper repercussions for offenders. Students can visit FamilySupportLine.org for more information.

Children and Youth Services of Delaware County, which investigates abuse and neglect reports of children also attended the fair. They provide services to victims and youth at risk to hurt themselves or their parents.

Some services they offer are case management and counseling. For example, in some severe cases, if it is not safe for the child to be at home, they attempt to find placement outside of the home with caregivers that are deemed a best fit for the child.

Interested persons may call toll free to their Upper Darby office at 610-713-2000 or visit their webpage on Delaware County Pennsylvania’s site, under the Human Services Department, to arrange counseling and other support.

Another organization at the fair was the Delaware County Suicide Prevention & Awareness Task Force. Founded by close friends of a victim of suicide, this organization hopes to increase the understanding of the nature of suicidal behavior. They aim to “reduce the loss and suffering caused by suicide” by way of prevention, intervention, and post-intervention. DCSPATF’s mission is to give support to decrease the occurrence of suicide, and to change the negative stigma attached to the issue.

“Suicide is a community-wide, preventable health problem,” is not only their slogan, but also a mission statement. They reported that more than 64 confirmed suicides occur every year in Delaware County. Students may go to delcosuicideprevention.org for more information on this service, and for a detailed list of events they are hosting.

Students seemed receptive to what the fair had to offer. The fair “was a fun day for all,” and an “all around excellent learning opportunity,” said Grace Tolvaisa, president in training for the Human Services Club.

“The fair gave students a chance to connect with a wide variety of local organizations that they may have not even known existed,” said Samantha Newman, co-president of the Human Services Club. “Those organizations were able to reach out even more by giving information, making connections, and building foundations for possible future relationships with the people of Delaware County.”