This is my first report since July 28th. Bretta and I were in Houston last week as it was our week to help her sister, Brenda Hunter, as she has been defeating cancer at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center…since March 25th. After being away from home for about four and half months, I am EXTREMELY HAPPY to report that Brenda was able to come home this past Wed. So many people have asked me about Brenda throughout the summer, and I have loved giving them the good news with each conversation. She still has a long battle in front of her, so keep those prayers and positive thoughts heading her way. Thanks!
Welcome New Chamber Member: Rustic Bridges 377 NE 500 Rd Calhoun 660-864-9503 At Rustic Bridges, they repurpose, design, create new unique decor and furniture items. They also make baked goods for all occasions and host family centered craft and artisan fairs called “On the Farm.” www.facebook.com/rusticbridges
Welcome New Chamber Member: MidState Roofing Co. 20047 McFarland Rd Sedalia, MO 660-826-4522 MidState Roofing is a full service roofing company offering residential & commercial roof repairs or replacement. They are certified as Conklin Commercial Roof system installers and are excited to offer their customers high quality system with a long history of proven performance. With over 25 years experience and variety of roofing options, they believe in offer the system that best fits the customers needs and budget. www.midstateroof.com
From Facebook this past Thursday: While walking to Rotary (thanks for the invite Scott Bernard), I realized today (8/10) is my three-year anniversary starting at the Chamber of Commerce. I feel we (Joyce, Mark and I) have added so much over the past three years to the strong foundation that was left for us by previous employees. We have so many projects we are working on for the Chamber and Tourism, plus Economic Development, sometimes it gets confusing. Believe me however when I say Chamber membership, bringing visitors to Clinton and recruiting jobs to Clinton is very strong right now. From my previous job in radio; “More details will be announced later”. David Lee
Amanda Johnson is the Executive Director of Clinton Main Street and she appears each month on “Featured with David Lee” on the Chamber’s Facebook page. The next few months are going to be busy, but very entertaining for the public. Find out more when you watch her interview at https://www.facebook.com/ClintonMO/
Let’s Flamingle on the historic Clinton Square! Join us in the historic district on Thursday, August 31st, from 4-7 PM for shopping, food trucks, and GIVEAWAYS! Let’s celebrate Summer’s end with a good time on the Square! We can’t wait to mingle with you!
Cruisin’ to Clinton is coming up again Aug. 12th. All rides are welcome. Live DJ…Raffle…Give Aways…Food Trucks…Shaved Ice…Drinks and more from 4 till 7pm. At 7, cruise from the square to Primitive Olde Crow Winery with a drive through Adair Village on the way. Clinton Cruise Night on Facebook for more information and photos from previous event.
Come join the Chamber’s Taste of Clinton event on Saturday, September 23rd from 9am till 3pm at the Benson Center. This event has everything from food, retail, outdoor activities, health, self-care, etc. Come Shop Local with Us. Free Admission. For vendor information, call the Chamber at 660-885-8166.
The Clinton Chamber would like to pass this email along from one of our members, the Clinton School District! Joyce and I here at the Chamber have made quick friends with Brenda and her husband. Read the following to see what they are working on:
Good afternoon! My name is Brenda Vetsch and I am a teacher transferring to Clinton School District from teaching in Kansas City for the last 23 years (Park Hill School District). I am super excited to have the opportunity to create two new programs for the middle school: Reader’s Workshop and Communications. These are both brand new classes for our school and to help make these programs as successful as possible, I am reaching out to possible community partners for donations and/or sponsorships to show my kiddos that the community around them is just as excited and interested in their success at becoming better readers and speakers as we are here at CMS!
My husband, Kevin Vetsch, has been super helpful in reaching out to obtain these partnerships as moving a 4 bedroom house to a much smaller house in a different town, moving classrooms after 23 years and creating these 2 programs have all been a bit overwhelming- I am very blessed to have his support and to have an amazing partner who also wants to see these kiddos succeed as best as they can in my classes!
Kevin reached out to John French about partnering with us for these programs and John was super helpful in providing resources for us to look into beyond his and your organization was the first he mentioned and recommended due to the tremendous support you all give to the Clinton community! Our vision for both classes is to provide a comfortable, inviting and real-world environment/experience for our kiddos where students can collaborate, have a comfortable and inviting spot to read and give presentations as well as learn to enjoy the art of speech and learn to read for personal enjoyment. Part of this vision is creating a “Starbooks” reading nook for our readers and providing incentives/rewards for students reaching their goals weekly, monthly, quarterly and each semester.
I so appreciate your time and your amazing partnership in creating these things for our awesome kiddos at CMS! Please let me know what I need to/can do on my end to make our partnership the best for both of us!
Sincerely,
Brenda Vetsch
816.518.8523
Reader’s Workshop Teacher
Communications Teacher
The first annual Batting for HOPE Tournament will take place on September 30, 2023 in Clinton, Missouri! This softball tournament is in honor of raising money for two organizations Families for HoPE and Circle of Hope Foundation. For more information on how to sign up for a team, donate, volunteer, or order a t-shirt follow the link below and visit their Facebook or Instagram account, Batting For Hope https://fat-cat-design.printavo.com/merch/batting-for-hope/ #thepediatricplacellc #battingforhope #familiesforHoPE #circleofhopefoundation
CHART (Community Health Assessment Resource Team) recently presented a check to the Clinton School District, allowing the district to pay off all lunch balances for students who attended Henry Elementary School during the 2022-2023 school year. This generous donation was made possible by the many different community business partners and community members who supported CHART’s golf tournament earlier this summer. Many school children across the United States rely on school lunch programs to get a nutritious meal every day. However, some families struggle to pay for these lunches, resulting in negative lunch balances. These balances can quickly add up and put a financial burden on schools. To help relieve this burden, Henry County CHART has created lunch balance donation programs. These programs allow parents and members of the community to donate money to help pay for negative lunch balances. If interested in donating to these programs, please reach out to Tyler Pulcini at 660-223-3210 or tyler.pulcini@lpha.mo.gov
CHART is also hosting a Pickleball Tournament Oct. 28th at the Artesian Park Tennis Courts (if raining, Clinton High School). Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Doubles. Pool play followed by bracket style. $80 per team with t-shirt included. Cash prizes for first and second. Proceeds go to support Henry Co. Christmas Angel Tree and Christmas Cheer Foundation. Call Tyler at 660-223-3210 or tyler.pulcini@lpha.mo.gov for questions, to enter or to sponsor.
Do you have a car and an hour? We could really use volunteer drivers at the Clinton Senior Center delivering meals to seniors. Whether you’re an individual or a business volunteering an employee for an hour, it would be greatly appreciated by us and the many relying on those deliveries. Commit to once a week, one week every three months, on call as needed, or whatever your availability and generosity allows, help us help them. Call Kathy at 660-885-3482.
The Clinton Technical School LPN Program students will be selling tickets for a Blackstone Cooking Station to help raise money for the Clinton Animal Shelter! Keep an eye out for them or call Kayla at 660-351-2051.
The Annual Fall City-Wide Garage Sale will be Sat., Sept. 16th. The Clinton Daily Democrat is in charge of this event each fall and spring. For more information, call 660-885-2281 or stop by 104. South Main St.
Here’s a note to our Chamber Members and anyone and everyone looking for employment; The Chamber of Commerce continues to receive calls…people come in…and email us about jobs that might be available in and around Clinton. When we see our Chamber Members post information about job openings, we do share that to our Facebook page. However, we’re pretty sure we don’t catch all of those job opening posts. Please remember that YOUR Chamber is here for YOU. If you (a Clinton Chamber of Commerce Member) have any job openings that you are posting or if you want us to post it for you on our page, just let us know. Let us help you find employees! Send your job openings to: david@clintonmo.com or joyce@clintonmo.com. If you are not a Chamber member, we can still post your openings on our Facebook page for $25.00. If you have any questions at all, email us or call 660-885-8166.
New Growth Community Development Corporation We are excited to attend the Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities – University of Missouri Extension conference Sept 20-21 in Benton County. New Growth’s Sheridan Garman-Neeman and Patty Cantrell will talk about building rural businesses with microenterprise financing and other support. Sign up now for early bird registration! https://web.cvent.com/…/bb7f7db7-ac4d-48f7-b508…/summary #CEC2023 #Entrepreneurship #CommunityDevelopment
The First Annual “It’s For The Kids” Motorcycle Rally will be Sept. 29th-Oct. 1st with gates opening at 10am. Old Skool Band, biker games, poker run, vendors, beer garden and more. Registration can be made at Boats N’ Hose General Store, aka Snyder’s Corner, 874 SE Hwy Z, Deepwater. There will be admission and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Guardians of the Children. For details, 417-644-7307 or https://www.facebook.com/BoatsandHoseGeneralStore