Dear Chamber Members,
I hope that this message finds you well. As the Chamber begins our 2020-21 year, we are excited about many new initiatives, a new charitable partner and the possibilities of getting back to normal, as soon as possible.
First and foremost, I would like to announce that the Chamber has selected the Rudman Family Food Pantry as our new charity partner. This local organization is housed at the Mid-Island Y JCC and focuses on home bound seniors and low income families. With food insecurity at an all-time high during the pandemic, they have been working tirelessly to meet growing demands. Please join me in thanking the Food Pantry for submitting its application and work with me on reaching a goal of $5,000 in donations throughout the course of the year.
I would also like to announce that the Chamber will be offering new members a special promotion to join. New members who join between now and the end of the year for the annual rate of $150 will not only be entitled to the yearly membership in 2021, but also the final three months of 2020.
Speaking of September 2020, our annual kickoff meeting will be held via Zoom on September 16. We are so very pleased to announce that Jon Ledecky, co-owner of the New York Islanders, will be joining us as our featured speaker. Michael Fener, executive director at Northwell Health will also be joining us to update our members on the status of the health crisis. We thank all of the front line workers at the hospital, nursing homes and assisted living facilities for their dedication and efforts during the pandemic, as well as the clerks in all of the retail stores and small business owners who have opened up their businesses.
Our annual Golf Outing & Networking Dinner will be held on October 1, 2020 at the Cold Spring Country Club. As in years past, this event is being held in partnership with the Westbury – Carle Place Chamber of Commerce. All safety precautions will be in effect and we are looking forward to a great day of golf, food and drink — not to mention a great in person networking opportunity. If you have any questions about the event, please reach out to me directly, or register at https://www.pobcoc.com/events/2020-golf-outing-and-networking-event/.
The chamber will also be announcing a new initiative to benefit current and new members. This new initiative is an Ambassador Program that will partner up current chamber members with new members in an effort to foster participation of new members and encourage networking opportunities. Current members will be paired up with new members who would fall into their center of influence. For more information, please contact Chamber Membership Secretary, Asher Allweiss, asherdallweiss@gmail.com or Administrator, Barbara Mars, barbmars@optonline.net. I am very excited about this program and thank Asher for putting it together.
Lastly, although we are hopeful of scheduling in-person meetings, we have decided to continue with the Zoom meetings until further notice. Quite frankly, this was an easy decision for the board. Although one of our goals is to foster business development, we will never do so in a way that endangers our members or community. With that said, I urge you to join our monthly Zoom networking events, women’s group meetings and general meetings and use these virtual events as a platform to promote your business.
I wish you all a safe autumn; be smart and look out for each other.
Andrew Lamkin
Chamber President