Our Biggest Marion County Emergency Preparedness Expo Yet!

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With 140+ attendees, 17 vendors, and a great turnout of volunteers, this year’s event was a huge success! We kicked things off with a warm welcome from Mayor Ben Marciano, enjoyed food from Smalls Sliders, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Sam’s Club, and heard from some incredible speakers who shared valuable safety info.

We wrapped it all up with 15 exciting door prizes—and tons of positive feedback from both vendors and attendees!

Thank you to everyone who made this event possible. Together, we’re building a stronger, safer community. 💙

We’re incredibly grateful to our generous donors and sponsors, our amazing speakers who shared such valuable knowledge, and our dedicated vendors who provided resources and support to everyone who attended. This event wouldn’t have been possible without each of you—thank you!

SPONSOR:
Coalition for Health and Medical Preparedness (CHAMP)

DONORS:
Dunkin Donuts
Culligan of Ocala
Smalls Burgers
Herr’s Chips
Sam’s Club
United Health Care
Development Service Trainers (DST)

SPEAKERS:
Mr. Ben Marciano, Mayor of Ocala
Preston Bowlin, Emergency Management Director
Beth Meyer with Florida SILC
James F. Coleman with Community Legal Services

VENDORS:
Center for Independent Living
Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST)
Comfort Keepers
Ocala 200 Lions Club
Encompass Health
Florida Visually Impaired and Blind Service
Marion County Fire Rescue Community Paramedicine
Ocala Police Department
Langley Health Services
Ocala Electric Utility
Ocala Fire Department
Heart of Florida Health Center
College of Central Florida
Community Legal Services
City of Ocala Water Resources
Advent Health Ocala
Suntran

Large crowd seated in a conference room at the 8th Annual Marion County Emergency Preparedness Expo, with a presentation on screen.
Collage from the Marion County Emergency Expo featuring speakers, vendors, Mayor Ben Marciano, and community leaders at the event.
Collage of speakers, vendors, and attendees at the Marion County Emergency Expo, including Mayor Ben Marciano and first responders.
Collage of the Marion County Emergency Expo featuring attendees, vendors, speakers, volunteers, and food donations, with CIL logo center.
Collage of CIL staff, community partners, and attendees at the Emergency Expo held at the College of Central Florida in Marion County.
Collage of vendor tables at the Marion County Emergency Expo featuring Ocala Fire, Electric Utility, Water Resources, and Police Dept.

ID: Image descriptions are provided in the alt text for each image respectively.