WEEKLY UPDATE FROM THE GREATER CLINTON-AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE/BY DAVID LEE-DIRECTOR: 2/17/23

We have sold out of the large and small banners so…THANK YOU! In exactly two weeks (from 2/1-2/15), we sold 45 banners that will go up and down Second and Ohio streets and 85 banners that will be in the Square District, so…THANKS AGAIN! From May 1st until just after the 4th of July, there will be 130 new banners welcoming residents and visitors to Olde Glory Days each year!

Clinton’s date is Feb. 17th in front of the Chamber, 200 South Main St.. 10am till 7pm. This includes the chance to win Clinton Chamber gift certificates!  We have some ???????????????? ????changes to announce in the New Year:  ???????????????????????????? & ???????????????????? has changed to ???? ???????????????????? ???????????????????????????? ????????. on Facebook. ????????We have launched a new website which will offer nationwide delivery, a “cookie mobile” with free local deliveries, and franchise opportunities.   ????????Additionally, we have made some exciting changes and additions to our Deep Dish Dessert lineup including the introduction of our ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????????????????????? & ???????????????? ???????????????? ????????????????????????????????!     Once again, Feb. 17th in front of the Chamber, 200 South Main St.. 10am till 7pm.

Joyce and I from the Chamber help out Mrs. Tiffany Gipson’s first-grade class about three or four times a year. Last Friday was Grandparent’s Day at Henry Elementary, so from 8:30 till 10am, Joyce served as a stand-in grandparent for those kids that didn’t have a grandparent at the school that day, and I was a stand-in from 10 till 11:15am. Teachers, counselors, etc.: YOU DESERVE MORE PAY AND MORE TIME OFF!! Until then, thanks for what you do for the students in Clinton, MO, USA!

Early in the week, Kenny Kaiser gave the Chamber a replica of the depot, which the Chamber has been located in since 1979 so it’s now proudly displayed in the front office. It’s the depot inside the depot! Kenny said someone gave this to his dad, Don, many years ago. The inside of the Chamber (depot) is filled with photos from Don. Thanks Kenny!!  UPDATE: it only took about 24 hours to find out who made the replica of the depot. A gentleman came in Wed. morning and said, “I made this.” So Joyce and I scurried to the front office and met Bill Harris from Montrose. He said he made two of these replicas; one for Don and one for, he thought, David Mills. So I called David and let him talk to Bill. Sure enough, David said he has the other replica. So once again, thanks to Kenny for sharing one of his deceased father’s belongings with the Chamber, and now, thanks to Bill for stopping by.  Find the pictures on the Chamber’s Facebook page right now.

From Clinton Schools  NATIONAL SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER DAY We can’t let today go by without saying “thanks” to THE BEST School Resource Officer EVER!  Violet Williams came on board as the district’s SRO in August and since then has made an impact on so many! She’s a pro at building relationships, having fun with students (and staff), acknowledging outstanding students, and keeping our schools safe.  We are so very lucky we get to call her ours! Thanks Violet for all you do!

Matt Wray and Marty Loyd gave an update at Thursday’s Rotary Club Meeting on the cruise nights coming up this year. Previously, it was sponsored by Clinton Main Street, but now a new group has been formed consisting of car enthusiasts to organize these popular car cruises. The cruise nights will be once a month May thru October. There will be some changes, including having a few actual cruises to local nursing homes.  The Clinton Tourism Committee will be helping this new group with advertising and other funds.

Henry County Health Center New Facility Fundraiser-HCHC seeks your support to help achieve the mission of promoting health and wellness for Henry County residents. HCHC has a four-tiered fundraising approach to accept donations from community supporters with Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsor levels. Funds raised will assist HCHC in purchasing the following items for the new facility:

ON-SITE BIOHAZARD WASTE DISPOSAL SYSTEM: $5,000

ON-SITE SECURITY SYSTEM: $3,000

SOLAR PANELS: $10,000

Each sponsorship level includes unique benefits that are available to donors based on the level of financial contribution.

PLATINUM CORPORATE SPONSOR: $1,000

GOLD SPONSOR: $250

SILVER SPONSOR: $100

BRONZE SPONSOR: $50

Henry County Health Center

1800 Community Drive, Suite A

Clinton, MO 64735

All sponsorship donations are tax exempt.

For our Chamber members:  The Greater Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce has partnered again with E&M Consulting, Inc. to produce our annual Community Guide & Business Directory.  The publication will be available in both print and digital formats.  E&M will manage the entire project, including advertising sales and layout/graphic design.  We have found that they are highly professional and produce a high-quality publication, and we ask that you give them a moment of your time.  E&M will be contacting all members about the advertising opportunities available.  The publication will be mailed to every member and distributed throughout the area – an excellent opportunity to promote and give you additional business exposure.  If you have any questions or want to advertise, please contact an E&M sales associate at 800-572-0011or advertising@eandmsales.com.  As always, your support is appreciated!  If you have any questions for your Chamber, call us at 660-885-8166, david@clintonmo.com or joyce@clintonmo.com

Also for our Chamber business members:  I want to tell you about Amazon Delivery Partners.  The following is from their website:  When customers make their purchases online, Amazon’s people, technology, and operations work together to fulfill their orders. The items are packed at fulfillment centers and then sent to delivery stations. At the delivery stations, packages are prepared to be loaded into delivery vehicles, which is where you come in. Each morning, you’ll lead your team of delivery associates as they load packages into their vehicles and deliver them to customers’ homes and businesses.  You can see Todd Ghys on the Chamber’s Facebook page right now explaining this partnership.    https://www.facebook.com/ClintonMO/   Amazon Delivery Partner Program  E: toddghys@amazon.com | M: 417-848-0920 

The Farm to Fork Summit and Expo comes to Nevada, Missouri, this year. It’s the 5th-annual local foods get together for the western Missouri and eastern Kansas region: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Friday, March 3, at the Nevada Community Center. It’s for farmers, businesses, and consumers interested in local foods and regenerative agriculture.  Speakers will share on-the-ground experience with new local food crops and markets, and agricultural practices. Keynote presenters will discuss and demonstrate the potential for local food and regenerative agriculture to grow jobs, build health, and protect land. Fun highlights include door prizes, an all-local food lunch prepared by the world-champion Osceola FFA barbeque team, and hands-on demonstration of small farm tools and systems.   TICKETS: For participants and vendor booths. • Available via bit.ly/2023farmtofork and newgrowthmo.org. Or call 417-282-5936.  • The cost of $40-$50 includes food and refreshments.

Workshop series aims to give senior adults ‘peace of mind’   Care Connection’s Clinton Senior Center will present a free, five-part online series titled “Gift of Peace of Mind” to help older adults plan for their later years.  The series, to be presented at the center at 970 E. Sedalia, will feature a variety of experts at 1 p.m. Tuesdays from Feb. 14 to March 14. You may register by calling Tammy Wilkey at 660-438-3300, extension 3, or online at www.goaging.org/events.  Topics include:

• Feb. 21: Preparing for Your Care — in-home care, skilled nursing, and how to pay for them.

• Feb. 28: Advance Healthcare Planning — durable power of attorney; living wills; “do-not-resuscitate” orders; and guardianship/conservatorship.

• March 7: Estate Planning — Trusts, probate court, and titling accounts/property – featuring an elder care attorney.

• March 14: End of Life Planning — what to do when someone dies — canceling services; sending a will to court, etc. – featuring a funeral planner.

Each session addresses frequently asked questions by clients of Care Connection. The sessions are informational, with no products sold or endorsed.  Care Connection for Aging Services is an area agency on aging serving 21 locations in 13 West Central Missouri counties: Bates, Benton, Carroll, Cedar, Chariton, Henry, Hickory, Johnson, Lafayette, Pettis, Saline, St. Clair, and Vernon. The mission is to provide opportunities to create positive aging experiences. For more information, call 1-800-748-7826 or visit www.goaging.org.

For our Chamber businesses: For the past eight years, the Center for Human Services (CHS) Employment Services has been a proud provider of the Summer Work Experience (SWE) program in collaboration with Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation. This program was designed to give early employment experiences to incoming high school juniors and seniors with a documented disability, IEP or 504 Plan. Over the course of six weeks, the students are provided with the opportunity to learn a variety of job skills while working at businesses like yours.  The students will be paid employees of the CHS, your only responsibility is to provide jobs/positions for them to complete. An important part of this program is that the students have a real work experience. Each group of students (in groups no larger than seven) will be accompanied by a CHS job coach who will be in direct oversight of all the participating students while working for you. Please respond back to David or Joyce at 660-885-8166 and let us know what kinds of projects you would like help with this summer, we will be happy to visit with you about the program and add you to the summer schedule.

YOUR Chamber of Commerce is here for you:  660-885-8166  david@clintonmo.com  joyce@clintonmo.com  mark@clintonmo.com  200 South Main Street  M-F 8am-4:30pm  www.clintonmo.com Facebook/Greater Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce

The Clinton Chamber of Commerce would like to remind you that you can always find job openings on our Facebook page. When we receive job openings from our Chamber members, we post those openings. If you are not a Chamber member, we can still post your openings on our Facebook page for $25.00.  Here’s what we need our Chamber members to do: Send us your job openings. We can put those on our Facebook page.  If you have any job openings now, or if you’re just looking to add potential employees to your list, please email that info to david@clintonmo.com or joyce@clintonmo.com.

Is it time to become a member of the Greater Clinton-Area Chamber of Commerce for 2023?  Well, of course it is!  Businesses, couples, individuals, ANYONE can be a member of the Chamber.  Call us at the Depot or email and we will tell you what you get and more just for belonging to the Clinton Chamber of Commerce.

Don’t forget, if you’re a business owner and belong to the Chamber, be sure to update those Facebook pages so we can share your information on the Chamber’s Facebook page.  Be sure to like us on Facebook: Greater Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce or check out www.clintonmo.com.

We get about three or four inquires each week from the public about places to rent in Clinton.  We do have a list of landlords we give to them or email.  If you have houses or apartments to rent, make sure the Chamber knows about it so you will be on the list.

We have several committees here at the Clinton Chamber and volunteers are always welcomed.  Our committees include Academic Affairs, Agriculture, Ambassadors, Military Affairs, Olde Glory Days and Tourism.  If you would like to get involved in helping to move Clinton forward, just call, email, stop by or if you see me out and about…let’s visit!

We continue to send out our weekly newsletter to our Chamber members.  Here at the Clinton Chamber, we want to keep our members more up-to-date on what we are doing for them, activities and events that are coming up and any other information we need to relay in a timely matter.

From Bright Futures Clinton:  KEEP THEM COMING   Since 2014, Bright Futures Clinton has been making a difference in the lives of Clinton School District students.  We have been able to meet HUNDREDS of needs through the Bright Futures Clinton Facebook page. We are currently up to 1,500+ likes, but would love to have even more. The more likes and followers we have, the more needs we can meet!  If you haven’t, please head over to the Bright Futures Clinton page.

From Clinton Christian Academy:  Bid Early, Bid Often to support Christian Education…