Chamber News December 2022

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THE CHILDREN’S BLIZZARD IS 2023 ONE BOOK ONE COMMUNITY SELECTION

A piece of historical fiction of an incident little remembered today is the subject of the 2023 One Book One Community selection.

The Children’s Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin reveals a story of courage on the prairie, a freak blizzard that struck the Great Plains, threatening the lives of hundreds of immigrant homesteaders -- especially their children.

The morning of January 12, 1888, was unusually mild, following a long cold spell, warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota territory to venture out again, and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats -- leaving them unprepared when disaster struck. At just the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day, a terrifying, fast-moving blizzard struck without warning. Schoolteachers as young as 16 were suddenly faced with life and death decisions: keep the children inside, to risk freezing to death when fuel ran out, or send them home, praying they wouldn’t get lost in the storm?

Based on actual oral histories of survivors, the novel follows the stories of Raina and Gerda Olsen, two sisters, both schoolteachers -- one who becomes a hero of the storm, and one who finds herself ostracized in the aftermath. It’s also the story of Anette Pedersen, a servant girl whose miraculous survival serves as a turning point in her life and touches the heart of Gavin Woodson, a newspaperman seeking redemption. It is Woodson and others like him who wrote the embellished news stories that lured immigrants across the sea to settle a pitiless land. Boosters needed immigrants to settle territories into states, and they didn’t care what lies they told them to get them there -- or whose land it originally was.

Benjamin, who has nine titles to her credit with another book to be released next year, will visit Alliance on Thursday, March 23. Programs will be held at Rodman Public Library prior to the author’s visit and details will be forthcoming.

Copies of The Children’s Blizzard will be available for sale at RPL by early December.

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THE CHAMBER NEWS GOES DIGITAL

As your chamber newsletter, The Chamber News, begins its 29th year in January, we wanted to share some exciting updates with you that are geared toward maximizing your organization’s exposure while also ensuring the efficient use of Chamber resources.

As print and mailing costs continue to rise and the popularity of digital communication continues to increase, the Chamber has been considering the pros and cons of transitioning The Chamber News from a print newsletter to one that is produced and delivered digitally. As a result, the decision has been made to transition The Chamber News to a digital publication in January of 2023, which will then be made available to members and the larger public through a variety of communication channels. Although there are often concerns when making a transition of this nature, our careful deliberations have led us to the conclusion that the benefits far exceed the drawbacks.

Here are just a few of the advantages:

• The content of the newsletter, including any paid advertisements, will benefit from increased exposure. Not only will the digital newsletter be delivered via email to all Chamber members with an active email address on file, but it will also be accessible through the Chamber website and social media accounts. Thus, the newsletter is more visible, easily shareable, and likely to be seen by more individuals both inside and outside of the Chamber.

• Since we will not be printing the newsletter, we are no longer subject to space constraints and page limitations. As such, we can adjust the size of the newsletter based upon the amount of content in any given month, ensuring that we are providing robust coverage of Chamber events and news.

• The elimination of space constraints also means that we can offer a wider-variety of ad sizes from which Chamber-member organizations can choose, ranging from 1/16-page ads to full-page spots. In addition, we are no longer limited to the approximately 78 ad spaces available in the current printed version.

• We can now offer the option of inserting a full-page flyer advertising an upcoming event or opportunity offered by your business at a cost of $150 per issue. (There will continue to be no cost for this opportunity if you are a non-profit organization.) Please contact the Chamber office for more details.

• The transition to a digital format will include a redesign of the newsletter that will enhance the attractiveness and modernness of the publication.

• At this time, we will continue to offer 10 newsletters per year, with the potential of expanding the number of issues to 12 at some point down the road.

• The transition to a digital publication will allow the Chamber to reallocate resources currently spent on printing and mailing to other critical initiatives, including programming.

The Chamber will use the services of a company called Issuu to convert the newsletter into an online flipbook that can be embedded on the Chamber website and accessed via a link. You can view several sample publications on Issuu’s website – www.issuu.com. We would recommend checking out this sample newsletter – https://issuu.com/capeyorkweekly/docs/cyw_edition_018 – to get a sense of how this system works and how the revised Chamber newsletter will function in digital format.

Although the delivery format and design will shift, the focus of the newsletter – to provide you with current information on what’s happening at the Chamber and in the Alliance community – will remain unchanged. We are constantly striving to provide our members with timely, pertinent information, and we remain steadfast in this mission.

Ad space is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. YOU MUST RESERVE YOUR SPACE FOR 2023 EVEN IF YOU ARE A CURRENT ADVERTISER. You should have received advertising details via e-mail. If you did not or have any questions, please contact us at the Chamber office.

KWGD RECOGNIZED AS TOP TIER LAW FIRM IN U.S. NEWS – BEST LAWYERS® - “BEST LAW FIRMS”

Congratuations to KWGD, which has been recognized for the 13th consecutive year as a Top Tier Firm in 2023 U.S. News & World Report - Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firm” Rankings.

The U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in the field, and a review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process.

981 W State St. Alliance, OH 44601

330-862-2112 kpalmerinsurance.com

SPONSORSHIPS

Sponsor Your Choice of the Following ($500 Ea.)

• Annual Dinner

• Business Alliance Awards

• Jim Fish Memorial Golf Outing

• Downtown Concert

Sponsorship includes company name on all programs or fliers and two seats or golfers to sponsored event

GOLD $1000

Sponsor Your Choice of the Following ($1000 Ea.)

• Annual Dinner

• Business Alliance Awards

• Jim Fish Memorial Golf Outing

Sponsorship includes company name on all programs, fliers, news releases and four seats or golfers to sponsored event

PLATINUM $2000

Sponsorship Includes:

• Annual Meeting Sponsorship

• Business Alliance Awards Sponsorship

• Jim Fish Memorial Golf Outing Sponsorship

• Four Seats to Annual Meeting

• Four Seats to Business Alliance Awards

• Four Golfers for Jim Fish Golf Outing

• Company name on all programs, fliers and news releases to all three events.

DIAMOND $4000

Sponsorship Includes:

• Annual Meeting Sponsorship

• Business Alliance Awards Sponsorship

• Jim Fish Memorial Golf Outing Sponsorship

• Table of eight at Annual Meeting

• Table of eight at Business Alliance Awards

• Four golfers for Jim Fish Golf Outing

• Company name on all programs, fliers, and news releases to all three events and signage at all sponsored events

• One flier in Chamber News newsletter Contact the Chamber if you are interested in being a 2023 sponsor

Alliance,

Phone: (330) 821-7438 Fax: (330) 821-8872 paulielectric.com

MEMBERSHIP INVESTMENT INVOICES

On behalf of the Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce staff and our Board of Directors, we would like to thank you for your support over the last year. Your membership renewal invoices have been sent out electronically via email.

Your continued commitment to the Chamber enables us to:

• Stimulate the local economy through programs, events, and services that spotlight area business, promote business activities, and encourage entrepreneurs.

• Advocate for business by building positive relationships with local, state, and federal elected officials to promote a pro-business climate and adopt positions to influence public policy.

• Keep you up to date on all legislative issues that impact your business.

• Provide networking opportunities including Tip Clubs, Golf Outings, Women’s Division Fundraisers, Ribbon Cuttings and Business After Hours events.

If you have any questions regarding your dues or require a paper invoice, please reach out to us.

We look forward to every opportunity we have to collaborate with leaders to build a vibrant, sustainable and inclusive community. Thank you to our Board of Directors, Committee members and active member representatives for your continued supportive commitment to our Chamber of Commerce.

Gary Conny

Talia Barboza United Way of Greater Stark County

Faye Roller Administrative Director Office 330-823-6260 faye@allianceohiochamber.org www.allianceohiochamber.org

ALLIANCE AREA

210 E. Main St. Alliance, OH 44601 Phone (330) 823-6260 1-800-281-4759 FAX (330) 823-4434 Email: info@allianceohiochamber.org

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