NEWBERRY – Residents and community leaders of Newberry County are invited to a forum on Wednesday that will continue the focus on working together to address pressing social and economic challenges.

The second session of “Cultivating CommUnity” is born from participant’s enthusiastic response to their first gathering this past August, and is from 10 a.m. to noon at Community Hall, 1209 Caldwell St.

Facilitated by Charles Weathers of The Weathers Group, a consulting firm headquartered in Columbia, attendees will continue to be engaged in a dialogue on how to enhance the quality of life for Newberry residents.

“Community is more a sense of belonging than a physical space, so it’s important that local leaders understand how to maximize their community engagement efforts,” states Weathers. “We work, live and worship within the same proximity – why not come together to have a conversation on how to more effectively advance the common good…together.”

The Newberry County Coalition on Underage Drinking, the lead sponsor of the event, offers the program as their ongoing gift to the community.

“We recognize that in order to address substance abuse there are other concerns that must be dealt with as well.” states Tom Perry, CAST coordinator at Westview Behavioral Health Services. “Issues such as teen pregnancy, substance abuse, domestic violence and unemployment all have an impact on each other so they can’t be fixed in a vacuum.”

Other community collaborators include representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, the Newberry School District, Westview Behavioral Health Center, WKDK Radio, Newberry Observer, and local businesses.

For more information or to register for this event, please contact Tom Perry at tperry@westviewbehavioral.org or 276-5690. Registration deadline is Nov. 13.