2-1-1 Information Meeting Scheduled
Eleven years ago if you dialed 2-1-1 on your phone chances are a dating service would have answered. Today, 2-1-1 is the number to call when trying to find basic health and human resources in your community easily and quickly.
This year, 2-1-1 celebrates its 11th anniversary of connecting East Tennesseans to vitally needed services. The 2-1-1 network takes away the confusion for people searching for financial assistance, food or shelter by connecting them with the right volunteer and donor agency to address their needs.
The Advisory Board of East Tennessee Information and Referral is hosting a lunch hour information session on 2-1-1 on Feb. 11, noon–1:30 p.m. at the Cokesbury Center on Kingston Pike.
Senator Jamie Woodson will open the session. Ben Landers, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Knoxville, will moderate a panel discussion featuring East Tennessee Information and Referral board members Gary Young and Charley Gray and the 2-1-1 Program Director Sara Mary Wallace.
Knoxville was the third 2-1-1 information and referral organization in the country. Now, 80 percent of the nation has 2-1-1 coverage. Anyone with access to a telephone, including mobile phones, can easily connect with a certified specialist to help them locate the services they need simply by dialing 2-1-1. The service is free and available 24/7.
Reservations for the information session are open to local service providers, social workers, case managers, city and county government officials, churches and other groups or individuals interested in learning more about how to connect and find resources in their community.
Call 865-541-4500 before 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10 to reserve a place at the event or for more information.
Published February 8, 2011