Thank you for supporting Showcase of Services 2007.
See you next year!

20th Annual Showcase of Services Hamilton Mall, Mays Landing, NJ Saturday, October 27, 2007 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Golden Link Award

Showcase of Services Chairman John Roy cordially invites you to the 20th Annual Showcase of Services on Saturday, October 27, 2007, at Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing. At Showcase of Services, government agency representatives, nonprofit organizations and other human service providers network with colleagues, renew old contacts, and make new friends.

This information and referral extravaganza will provide participating agencies opportunity to interact with potential clients and supporters. Consumers from the Southern New Jersey region (and beyond) visit the displays, and obtain useful information.

Showcase is hosted and coordinated by the Atlantic County Inter-Agency Council and Hamilton Mall. It is sponsored by the participating agencies in a unique partnership with Hamilton Mall merchants.

An exciting feature of Showcase promises to be Atlantic County's announcement of the 2007 Golden Link Award winner. Nominees are solicited from the human services community as individuals who "most demonstrate excellence in the coordination of services and sharing of resources" as a representative of an agency or organization.

Every year nearly 100 service providers enjoy a full day of entertainment and networking free of charge. We hope you will be a part of this year's event. Expected crowds promise to make this Showcase bigger and better than ever before. We hope you will enjoy it with us and make our 20th anniversary extra special.

Showcase of Services History -- 20 Years in the Making!

In 1987, the "New Jersey Task Force on Services to Persons with Disabilities," identified information and referral (I & R) as a valuable tool to help persons with disabilities become familiar with services in the community. The Task Force found networking and information sharing among agencies an important part of I & R.

In response to the Task Force's final report, the Atlantic County Inter-Agency Council searched for ways to improve and enhance networking and I & R. As well, the council felt it important to 'showcase' Atlantic County's many government, nonprofit and community services and resources.

A group of Council members, including representatives from Atlantic County Government, the Social Security Administration, The Arc, and Bacharach Rehabilitation Hospital, met with the marketing director of Hamilton Mall, then under construction in Mays Landing, NJ. Hamilton Mall had expressed a willingness to be a good neighbor, and wanted to assist the human services community.

A unique partnership of business, government and nonprofit organizations was born. The first Showcase of Services was held on Thursday, April 28, 1988, at Hamilton Mall. Nearly 100 human service organizations participated.

Thanks to support from Hamilton Mall, local radio and television stations, print media, many government and nonprofit entities, entertainers and participating agencies -- Showcase of Services continues. 2007 represents Showcase #20.

Area residents and families attend Showcase, a free event, and make valuable contacts. Agencies share information and resources, network, and make referrals in a friendly, safe, indoor environment. Live entertainment, usually donated by the performers, delights the attendees. Hamilton Mall merchants often donate door prizes.

Atlantic County Government won a National Association of Counties (NACo) award in 1992 for excellence in government for its assistance and support of Showcase. Hamilton Mall was a finalist in an international competition of shopping malls for its commitment to the community.