For the past five years, Youth Services Bureau of Monroe County and Building a Thriving Compassionate Community have engaged community members annually for the Monroe County Childhood Conditions Summit. They will revisit their original theme of “what surrounds us shapes us” and focus on moving from ideas to action. This theme is grounded in the understanding that children are shaped by the relationships they have, the neighborhoods they live in, the places they learn and play, and the community organizations that serve them. In order to continue building thriving compassionate communities, there must be a focus from individual youth and families to the conditions that frame our lives. This organization believes that every child is our child, therefore, the community must share a collective interest in children’s futures. Attend this event for practical tools and strategies that will build positive childhood conditions in Monroe County.

Join the Community Voices for Health project for an evening of food, conversation, and fun prize drawings. The event will bring community members together with decision-makers to talk about how our community makes decisions that affect health. That can mean housing, parks, food, medical care, etc. The goal is to join voices to find ways to be sure many perspectives are heard and considered. An in-person session will take place on August 29th from 3 to 5 pm at the Monroe County Public Library. To register, please email [email protected]. Accommodations, including childcare and transportation, are available to eliminate any barriers to participation.

Richard Lewis and concert regulars Anna Singer, Robert Chafin and Michael Borowitz are back to present lots of questionable personal choices set to tunes by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Johann Strauss, Verdi and more. The mad, sad characters indulge in bad behavior in Parisian nightclubs, a Salzburg nunnery and a Spanish fortress. This event seeks to benefit the Literacy and Arts Integration programs at Bloomington’s Fairview Elementary School.

Sign up at 5 pm, Host band does the first set, then guests join