County Government Week includes many activities

This year County Government Week will be celebrated April 6-12. First held in 1991, the goal of county government week is to raise public awareness and understanding about the roles and responsibilities of the nation's counties. In 2008, the theme for National County Government Week is "Protecting Our Children."

During county government week there are activities at the national, state and local levels. More than 1,000 counties annually par ticipate in National County Government Week by holding a variety of programs and events.

These include tours of the county facilities, presentations in schools, meetings with business and community leaders, recognition programs, briefings of environmental projects and adoptions of proclamations.

Here in Smith County, a number of activities are planned for county government week.

One of those activities will be a Children's Drawing Contest focusing on health and safety. Smith County children under the age of 14 will be eligible to participate.

Also during that week, Smith County's Annual Health Fair will be held. The health fair will provide health screenings and health care materials and information to assist employees in taking charge of their health.

Other activities are planned during the week to help citizens better understand how the employees at Smith County respond to their needs and serve the community.

For information regarding the Children's Drawing Contest go to http://newcountytools or www.smith-county.com.