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Mouna Hakim

Community members eat dinner under the pavilion at Heberlig Palmer Park. Families who visited every organization's table at the event received free hot dogs.

Filled with the sweet smell of food, loud music booming in the background , and children running around and playing with each other in the play area, Taking It to The Streets, an event hosted at Heberlig Palmer Park on September 22, was a community event that was served as a safe, child-friendly event for safe event for families to meet others in the area, and get acquainted with local organizations.

This annual event was held at 5 N Orange Street, Carlisle, PA 17013, at approximately 5pm. It was organized by the United Way to provide support for families around Carlisle and to promote relationship within the community and the different types of organizations. The volunteers Carl Lemmon and Lynn Everhart  were very welcoming with their smiles.

Brenda Keeler-Landis, the Director of the United Way, explained her hope that the event would unite the community and encourage people to get involved.

“The event itself has a series of non profit organizations that benefits a wide array of people,” said Keeler-Landis. “[P]eople come because it connects them with different services in the community but also […] connects community so [the United Way] brings all these things together but not in a boring way. It’s fun and lively and educational and it’s not a drag to walk around and talk to all the different places because they make everything as well as what they present very interesting as well, so that’s why people want to come and be a part of the event.”

Keeler-Landis also explained the role of the United Way in explaining the event. “ I play one part but what’s nice is that United Way pays for the music and things like that, as well as the activities available for the kids to play and also get entertained and get to meet new people.”

Carl Lemmon, another volunteer for the United Way, further elaborated on the Volunteers from the United Way, who helped man booths for different community organizations, introduced consumers to these agencies, and provided information on how their agency works, the purpose of events hosted by the groups, and reasons why said events could benefit the community.

“We’re a non profit agency that provides support and social services to agencies in Carlisle. We don’t  have customers; we have people that we help,” said Lemmon.

Damielle Parson, a guest of Taking It To The Streets, found the event to be beneficial to her children and herself.

“It’s very interesting, it’s great for the little ones, [and] very informational with Carlisle events in the area,” said Parson. “I didn’t know know half the things in the area like Sadler, and other events found in the community.”

Keeler-Landis, who often is at the helm of different events in Carlisle, said that she always focuses on putting herself in the positions of the people, and creating reasons why people might want to come to events, whenever she plans activities like Taking it to The Streets.

“I love having people talk to each other,” said Keeler-Landis.  “We live on devices all the time, and so when you get to go out and meet new people, it doesn’t matter that you don’t work in the same place, or you don’t have the same views on the same thing, but it’s a place to hang out without the fear of being judged […] it really brings people together.”

Those interested in helping out with future United Way events should check out their website, CarlisleUnitedWay.org.