Last Sunday, city officials, Mayor Kris Wyatt, and numerous organizations converged on Bristow Public Schools’ Chuck West Field House for the first ever Bristow C.A.R.E.S. Fest. For reference, C.A.R.E.S. stands for Community Alliance for Resources, Education, and Support.
The event ran from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and reportedly involved more than 20 organizations. With the focus of addressing substance abuse, addiction, and safety concerns, Bristow C.A.R.E.S. Fest was free to attend and offered something for everyone with inflatables for children, free haircuts and food for all ages, and valuable connections with people and helpful resources.
Psychological health and substance abuse/recovery, anger management, educational and occupational needs, domestic and sexual violence, family and relational wellness, spiritual guidance, financial and food security, in-home medication safety, and other needs could all be addressed through connections with people and organizations in attendance.
Representatives of two organizations noted their gratitude for the opportunity to connect with the community and, hopefully, share the information of hope and help with the people who could most benefit. They also chuckled and noted the presence of a “sea of purple” present at the event. It turned out that the vast majority of that sea was comprised of Cornerstone Church members, according to several attendees.
Cornerstone Church served at the event to spread messages of hope, help direct and connect people, and to pray with anyone seeking spiritual guidance. Church members were easily spotted wearing purple tees that read “We Love Bristow” on the front with large red hearts. Other churches and members of the Bristow Ministerial Alliance also attended the event.
Some attendees expressed appreciation for the unified tees, making it easy to identify organizations and volunteers.They also expressed hope that future events might see more providers and volunteers wear unified shirts for easier identification.
Additionally, while most organizations in attendance offered connection and information, many also offered free giveaways with messages of hope, contacts, medication lockboxes, Narcan kits, diapers, Fentanyl test strips and more.
While no one with whom I spoke knew the total number of attendees, all suggested the event was well attended both by those facilitating connection and offering services and those hoping to learn more and connect. However, many on social media later expressed that they would have attended if they had known the event was happening, igniting a debate about whether or not the event was publicized.
Event organizers shared flyers, created a social media event page, spoke on Tulsa news broadcasts, and advertised online throughout social media; moreover, the Bristow C.A.R.E.S. Fest was announced in an article in this very paper prior to the event, but with more people turning to online only services to get their information, the announcement was missed. The biggest problem, it seems, stems from algorithms set by social media companies, internet providers, and search engines that dictate when, where, to whom, and how information is made available, emphasizing the importance of local newspapers, libraries, and bulletin boards, where information can easily be found and shared.
The online debate only reiterated the positive effect and intended purpose of the event: to connect people and address some of the community’s greatest struggles and needs. People who complained that they missed out were only doing so out of disappointment because they saw value in the event. There is so much hope in knowing that more people desire to receive help and to help others.The value placed on those desires and in that hope proves paramount in addressing community needs.
Further, for those unable to attend Bristow C.A.R.E.S. Fest, Bristow C.A.R.E.S. will continue to assist community residents beyond the event. The alliance plans to compile all information and connections from the event and make it publicly available. For more information about Bristow C.A.R.E.S., check out its Facebook page of the same name.