BRATTLEBORO — In December, a group of local activists, organizers, and concerned citizens decided to form the Windham County Action Network (WeCAN), a centralized resource to find out about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities among Windham County's social and environmental justice organizations.
They have since created a Facebook group, a website, a weekly mailing list and, on Sunday, March 19, from noon to 4 p.m., they will host an action fair at the Winston Prouty Center campus.
The event, WeCAN: Spring Into Action Fair, will have tabling from many local social and environmental justice organizations, panel discussions on themed topics, activities for kids, a keynote address by State Senate Majority Leader Becca Balint, D-Windham, art, live music by Vermont Shakedown, food (Anon's and Tito's Tacos), and will be accessible for all.
The organizers - Curtiss Reed of the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity, Julie Cunningham of Families First, Ann Braden of Gun Sense Vermont, State Rep. Mike Mrowicki, D-Putney, Robin MacArthur, Erika Korb, Ann Golob, Ezlerh Oreste, and Emilie Kornheiser - say they envision this event as a way for people to connect to their passions, tap into their skills sets, and find the organizations that are the best fit for them.
They also see it as a way for organizers to learn more about each others' initiatives and strategize ways of working together.
The event, which takes place at Vermont Hall on the Winston Prouty Campus (the building behind the tallest building on the former Austine School Campus), will be family-friendly, with puppet shows, art-making, food trucks, live music, and more.