Explore, find answers and connect during first Royal Oak resource fair

ROYAL OAK — Royal Oak will be having its first Royal Oak Community Resource Fair & Food Truck Rally from 4 to 8 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Royal Oak Farmers Market, 316 E. 11 Mile Road.

The community engagement advisory board in conjunction with the Inter-Club Council created this event where residents can explore interests, find answers and make connections, according to romi.gov.

The event will feature food trucks, music, a kids zone, crafts and giveaways. The main attraction is the opportunity to learn about and interact with different community resources and local organizations.

The Inter-Club Council consists of multiple clubs, nonprofits and groups in Royal Oak, according to Amy Murphy, president of the council.

“It’s a real collaborating type of meeting once a month,” Murphy said.

Murphy said that the idea for the resource fair came about when the club’s brand-new board was tasked with finding out what exactly the club’s members wanted to gain from the Inter-Club Council.

To find this out, the new board members took a survey.

“We got the survey results back and one of the things they really wanted was collaboration with the city,” she said. “We wanted to do a community fair, a way that people could find out about all the groups that are available, because they felt like people didn’t know they existed.”

Judy Davids, community engagement specialist for the city of Royal Oak, heard the club’s opinions and began the process of starting up the resource fair.

“It’s going to be like a one-stop shop for people that live in Royal Oak to walk through and find out what kind of service clubs are available to them,” Murphy said. “They can find out what volunteer opportunities that exist and directly benefit our community.”

Some examples of clubs or organizations that will be in attendance include the Royal Oak Historical Society, the Police and Fire departments, the Royal Oak Woman’s Club, and more.

Ted Page, chairperson of the community engagement board and president of the Royal Oak Beverly Hills Improvement Association, said that he is excited to put on this event and spread the word on different organizations available to the community.

“From my standpoint, I am promoting more neighborhoods to get organized,” Page said.

Murphy is also the communications specialist for Royal Oak Schools and said that she is hoping Royal Oak Schools families are going to be attending the event.

Although she is not doing this project representing Royal Oak Schools, there will be a booth set up at the event for Royal Oak Schools.

“The school district is super excited to be there,” Murphy said. “We are really excited to have our families find out about all of the support that’s available to them.”

Murphy also said that there are a good number of Inter-Club Council members signing up, ready to share their missions with the community.

“Getting involved in the community is a rewarding way to meet like-minded people and strengthen community connections,” Murphy said. “We would love to see you there!”

For more information on the Royal Oak Community Resource Fair & Food Truck Rally, visit romi.gov/calendar.