Building Our Future with Every Voice! [Part 2]

Editor's Note: DeSoto County Ahead is a result of many months of trust-building through purposeful and meaningful facilitated conversations. During these conversations, eight themes and twelve aspirational actions to uplift the community were identified. The goal is to move from merely recognizing aspirations to taking actionable steps.

 

The Patterson Foundation (TPF) hosted the DeSoto County Ahead Community Update Dinner and Resource Fair on January 8, 2025 — it was quite a production made possible with the hands of many people.

Exhibitors 
With leadership from Alicia Exantus and Lyndsey Smith, this year’s community event attracted 67 exhibitors, each stepping up to showcase their presence and impact in the community. As part of the evolution of this event, this year’s program also included special awards for exhibitors who went above and beyond in these categories:

• Best Exhibitor Booth Design & Presentation
• Most Interactive Exhibitor Booth
• Best Newcomer Exhibitor Booth
• Best “Takeaway” Resource Exhibitor Booth

This special touch honored those who added a bit of sparkle to make their booths shine and encouraged those planning to participate next year by giving them something to strive for.

Without the exhibitors, there would be no resource fair, which is why we greatly appreciate the time and effort each put into creating a meaningful experience for attendees.

Volunteers  
Similarly to last year, TPFers and community members within DeSoto County were encouraged to help support the community event in the following areas: registration, food concierge, photography, videography, and more. About 40 volunteers had signed up, and although ultimately not everyone could make it, we still had a dedicated group of volunteers willing to lend a hand wherever it was needed.

Notably, half of the volunteer force were students from JROTC and Links2Success—it was amazing to see their faces in the group and hear their voices being included as we work toward Building Our Future with Every Voice! Each student was paired with an adult lead. As we waited for attendees to start to come, I saw the students and adults engaged in conversations about their experiences and aspirations — a testament to how easy it can be to build connections, especially when you’re in the same room together. 

The efforts of our mighty group of volunteers — whether on the stage announcing, in the front greeting, in the lobby checking in, taking photos, taking videos, handing out totes and passports, handing out water bottles, throwing out the trash, serving food and drinks, ushering food lines, or being willing to be called upon to do whatever was needed at the moment — were instrumental in creating a meaningful experience for everyone involved.

TPFers  
One of The Patterson Foundation’s values is that we believe meaningful change requires commitment and persistence and encourage this by undertaking philanthropic work in ways others are not doing, cannot do, or will not do. Since this was the second year TPF hosted this event, we could have easily done exactly what we had done last year. 

But would that reflect TPF’s collaborative philosophy when it comes to its approach to philanthropy? 

Rather than stick to what was done, we used what was learned and shared from last year to evolve, even exploring new possibilities! How so?

• The Resource Fair now included more exhibitors.
• The Resource Fair time was extended to give attendees more time to connect and learn about services available in the community.
• Training was provided to resource fair organizations to strengthen the visual appeal of their booths and their ability to communicate what they do.
• More volunteers were recruited to support the various facets of the event.
• TPF’s thematic cookies returned, and along with them were flashlights featuring the new DeSoto County Ahead theme.

With all hands on deck, the DeSoto County community update allowed participants to focus on the people and the community they deeply care about.