Organizers of this week’s Community Career Connection have mixed emotions about putting together a program designed to help jobless Lawrence area residents seek out and find employment.

“We’re very excited because we really think the word has gotten out and there will be a high level of attendance,” said Shirley Martin-Smith, owner of the Adecco franchise and Martin-Smith Personnel Services in Lawrence. “The good news is we’ve found we will meet a need, which is the reason we’re doing it.

“The less-than-good news is there are a lot of people who are unemployed in this community, so we want them to come and we want them to be ready for the turnaround, which is going to take place. And we are certain that turnaround is going to come.”

The free event is 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday at Pinnacle Career Institute, 1601 W. 23rd St., Suite 200. Details are available online at CommunityCareerConnection.com.

Community Career Connection will feature workshops, seminars, one-on-one advisory sessions and a full-fledged job fair for anyone conducting a job search. More than 100 human resources professionals and other managers from throughout the community are volunteering their time and expertise to help out, Martin-Smith said.

Participants are encouraged to bring their résumés and cover letters, both to hand out to potential employers and to have them critiqued by experts in the field.

More than 30 potential employers are signed up as exhibitors for the event.

“You can make connections,” Martin-Smith said.

Event sponsors include Adecco, Career Advantage, Douglas County Bank, Flory Design, Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, Lee Hecht Harrison, Martin-Smith Personnel Services Inc., Pinnacle Career Institute, Prescription Solutions, Society for Human Resource Management and The World Company, owners of the Journal-World and Sunflower Broadband.