CareFest is a
neighborhood, not
a row of tables.
Recovery. Prevention. Hope. Community. · Saturday, September 19, 2026 · 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM · West Dallas Multipurpose Center, 2828 Fish Trap Rd, Dallas, TX 75212.
You're not renting a booth. You're joining a zone and taking a role inside it. Pick your zone below, then tell us what you'll teach, give, or do.
The eight zones
Each zone is a place people already know how to be in. Pick the one that fits your work. Not sure? You can also pick "Not sure — help me find my zone" and we'll place you.
Front Porch
Welcome and live navigation. Every attendee is met with one question: what do you need today. Tablet screenings run from minute one.
Who: Resource navigators, benefits screeners, crisis line partners.
Examples of a good fit:
- 211 / United Way navigation teams
- SNAP, WIC, and Medicaid enrollment assistors
- Housing and utility assistance programs
- Crisis and warm line providers (988, NTBHA)
- Legal aid and ID/document recovery services
Barbershop
Real barbers, free cuts, facilitators in the chairs alongside. Conversation happens sideways, which is how men talk.
Who: Barbers, stylists, barbershops, men's health partners.
Examples of a good fit:
- Neighborhood barbershops and barber colleges
- Braiders, locticians, and stylists
- Men's health and prostate/BP screening programs
- Fatherhood, reentry, and men's peer support groups
- Beard, skin, and grooming product makers
Kitchen Table
Food, elders, caregivers, grandparents raising grandchildren, family resources, benefits enrollment.
Who: Food trucks, caterers, senior services, caregiver support, family and kinship-care orgs.
Examples of a good fit:
- Food trucks, caterers, and community kitchens
- Food pantries and nutrition/cooking educators
- Senior centers, Meals on Wheels, AAA programs
- Kinship care and grandparent-caregiver support orgs
- Home health, hospice, and caregiver respite services
Playground
Youth zone. Games, art, sports, a teen-only space, a youth mental health skills sampler.
Who: Youth programs, schools, sports and arts orgs, teen-serving nonprofits.
Examples of a good fit:
- After-school and mentoring programs (Big Brothers Big Sisters, boys & girls clubs)
- School districts, campus counselors, and PTAs
- Youth sports leagues, dance and martial arts studios
- Teen arts, music, and maker programs
- Youth mental health, LGBTQ+ youth, and foster care orgs
Sanctuary
Quiet room. Grief support, faith leaders present but not preaching, breathwork, a place to fall apart safely.
Who: Grief counselors, chaplains and faith partners, breathwork and somatic practitioners.
Examples of a good fit:
- Grief and bereavement groups (GriefShare, hospice bereavement teams)
- Churches, mosques, temples, and chaplaincy programs
- Therapists and counseling practices offering quiet check-ins
- Breathwork, meditation, reiki, and somatic practitioners
- Overdose-loss and survivor support networks
Training Room
Continuous twenty-minute sessions on the half hour. Any teaching or learning session is welcome — naloxone, First 5 Minutes™, Emotional First Aid, CHECK IN™, budgeting, resume help, tenant rights, stress skills. No certification required.
Who: Anyone who can teach something useful in twenty minutes — trainers, educators, practitioners, community members with lived experience.
Examples of a good fit:
- Naloxone / overdose response and CPR demos
- Mental health first aid and stress-skills teachers
- Financial literacy, budgeting, and credit coaches
- Resume, job-readiness, and small-business workshops
- Tenant rights, know-your-rights, and digital literacy educators
Corner Store
Resource and vendor marketplace. The main vendor floor.
Who: Nonprofits, public agencies, health systems, wellness practitioners, small businesses and makers.
Examples of a good fit:
- Community nonprofits and public agencies with tables
- Hospitals, clinics, and health plans
- Insurance/benefits navigators (non-predatory)
- Local makers, artisans, apparel, candles, skincare
- Wellness practitioners offering samples or screenings
The Stage
Music, recovery testimony, live naloxone demonstration, Bro Chill™ Live, community awards.
Who: Performers, DJs, speakers, recovery storytellers.
Examples of a good fit:
- Bands, soloists, choirs, and DJs
- Spoken word poets and step/dance teams
- Recovery storytellers and people with lived experience
- Keynote speakers and public health voices
- Emcees and youth performance groups
No table without a task.
Every partner must teach a ten-minute skill, give something of real value, or do something on site — a screening, a demo, an enrollment, a service. No one may sit behind a banner collecting email addresses.
CareFest excludes:
- Multi-level marketing (MLM) companies
- Predatory financial products, payday lending, or high-pressure insurance sales
- Sale of supplements or treatments that make clinical claims
Vendor applications are closed.
The final deadline was September 14, 2026. Leave your email and we'll reach out first for CareFest 2027 or any last-minute cancellations for this year.