There’s a lot to love about living in Suffolk, and an event planned for Sept. 21 at the downtown Hilton Garden Inn aims to help folks see just how special their city really is.

The Suffolk Lifestyle Expo will highlight some of the services, programs, businesses and nonprofit organizations that make Suffolk unique. Some of the participating organizations may be largely unknown to the folks attending the event; giving them a chance to share their missions is one of the main purposes of the Expo.

“We thought it would be great to have some kind of an event to showcase what Suffolk has to offer,” said Susan Stone of Lake Prince Woods. Stone and the nonprofit community for which she works took the lead in the effort to get this first Expo off the ground. Other sponsors include Cross Realty, Home Instead Senior Care, BB&T, the Hilton Garden Inn and the Suffolk News-Herald.

Those companies will have tables at the Expo, but they’ll also be joined by about three dozen other companies and organizations, as well.

“Suffolk has a wealth of businesses, health providers, and other resources people may not be aware of,” Harry Cross of Cross Realty said last week. “We thought it was important for Cross Realty to sponsor this event so we could help showcase what a diversity of opportunities are close to home.”

Cross’ comments reveal another important reason for the event’s development: the need to inspire people to start in Suffolk when they’re looking for new products, services or even for charities to support.

The Suffolk Lifestyle Expo will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 21. From 10 a.m. to noon, there will be children’s activities, and a variety of organizations will provide presentations about topics of interest throughout the day. For more information and a complete list of exhibitors, click here.