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Council member Dan Dunn urges a Liberty Lake volunteer/service expo to connect residents with local groups
Summary
Dan Dunn, a city council member and mayor pro tem, proposed a pilot volunteer/service expo in June to link residents with local nonprofit and volunteer groups. Staff will recruit participants, test turnout at farmers market outreach and aim to pin a date after confirming venue and partners.
Dan Dunn, a member of the Liberty Lake City Council and mayor pro tem, proposed at the commission’s April 15 meeting that the city host a volunteer/service expo to help residents connect with local nonprofit and volunteer groups.
Dunn said the idea was modeled on a Maple Valley event that places tables for volunteer organizations in one outdoor pavilion so residents can learn about opportunities in one place. "There is in our midst a ton of people who want to get involved, who want to get engaged, but they don't know that the organization exists," Dunn said, urging the commission to help recruit and promote participants.
City staff and commissioners discussed possible dates in June (Dunn cited June 9 among options) and a small pilot approach. The Rotary Room was identified as an available indoor site; staff said they would contact potential participants and circulate a working list that includes civic and volunteer groups such as Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, Friends of the Library, PTO/PTSA groups, booster clubs, Friends of the Centennial Trail, the Police Foundation and local conservancy groups.
Commissioners recommended beginning with a modest footprint, testing attendance and how many volunteer leads organizations obtain before scaling up. They suggested using farmers market face-to-face outreach and school contacts (guidance counselors, teen programs) to involve students who need community-service hours.
Next steps: staff committed to confirm a date and venue, make targeted outreach to organizations on a working list, and return to the commission with confirmed participants and promotional materials. Commissioners volunteered to share the event with their networks and to sign up for booth shifts once the schedule is circulated.
The commission also discussed success metrics—attendance of residents and organizations, number of volunteer leads created—and agreed to start small and repeat or expand the event in the fall if turnout is limited.
