Resource Fair for special needs coming

The former Lorain County Special Needs Resource Day is getting a new name, a new venue and even more information for even more people in need. The newly minted Lorain County Resource Fair will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., March 12, at the John A. Spitzer Conference Center at Lorain County Community College, 1005 N. Abbe Road in Elyria. This year’s fair is presented by Connecting for Kids and Leadership Lorain County and will feature free shuttle services from various locations, free on-site Spanish translators and a free pasta dinner, according to a news release. The fair is expected to bring 70 exhibitors to the conference center offering services for anxiety, ADHD, electronic addiction, communication/speech issues, behavior problems and social skills deficits. And unlike years past, this year’s event will focus on individuals from birth to 22 years old, according to the release. Joellen Podoll, profes- sional and school liaison for Connecting for Kids, said her organization started providing services in Lorain County in 2017. “We have built up relationships with more than 70 Lorain County programs, services, camps and different organizations that provide services to families or their children,” Podoll said. “We contacted Leadership Lorain County to help grow their event because we knew we had these relationships and would be able to get more organizations at a resource fair for families.” The free shuttle bus, which is provided by Ready Set Go, will pick up participants at Wilkes Villa in Elyria, Colonial Oaks in Elyria, Westview Terrace in Lorain and Leavitt Homes in Lorain, according to the release. Some of the exhibitors at the fair include: adapted recreation programs and camps; alternative schools; counselors and mental health providers; educational advocates; grant/financial aid providers; music therapy programs; occupational and physical therapists; respite providers; speech-language pathologists; social skills programs; transition, job training and housing providers; and tutors and learning disability programs.