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
Apply for a table
Step 1 of 7
1. Pick your zone
This is the neighborhood you'll join for the day.