President's Letter

It Takes a Village...

August always reminds me of hot afternoons, back-to-school activities, and last-minute vacations! In just a few short weeks, summer will end, and kids will head back to school In preparation, stores are stocked with back-to-school supplies and Fall clothing And stores are not the only ones preparing for the annual ritual

As parents, we may be dreading the expense of all those back-toschool necessities Teachers are starting to prepare their classrooms and curriculum School administration is enrolling new students and planning for growing classrooms I have always loved the African proverb that says, “it takes a village to raise a child,” because it truly does

Just last week, the United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County held their Stuff the Bus event outside Walmart to collect school supplies for children in need In a few short weeks, those supplies will make their way to the Expo Center for the Carlisle for Kids event organized by Project SHARE. There, volunteers will welcome hundreds of families and their children to pick out new backpacks loaded with the supplies they need to start a new year

It takes a village to also provide a safe, healthy environment for that child to flourish I think of the many other nonprofits that support our village like the Carlisle Family YMCA and YWCA of Carlisle that provide childcare and after school programming I also think of Safe Harbour, the Salvation Army, Carlisle CARES, and Project SHARE that help to address shelter and food insecurity

As a Chamber, 10% of our membership is nonprofits, that is almost 70 members We are committed to helping all our members to connect, engage, and thrive Which is why we are excited to announce a new initiative starting in September called the Nonprofit Roundtable (see flyer) This quarterly roundtable is for nonprofit leaders and will create a space of connection, community, and learning We want to support our nonprofit members that help keep our village strong Special thanks to the Partnership for Better Health for sponsoring the series

In closing, we encourage anyone interested in volunteering for the upcoming Carlisle for Kids event on August 16th and we thank everyone who supported the Stuff the Bus initiative or has supported any of the programs above Your generosity will help hundreds of our students to feel supported and cared for It truly takes a village

Yours in Service, y, sident & CEO

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Curtious Executive Transportation Service

Carlisle, PA curtiousservice@centurylink.net

Mid Penn Bank (Opening Fall 2023) 1196 Walnut Bottom Road, Carlisle midpennbank.com

S. Perry Consulting & Coaching, LLC

Carlisle, PA sperryconsulting.org

Sofranko Advisory Group

6400 Brooktree Ct, Ste. 200, Wexford, PA sofrankoadvisors.com

Wick and Pour Studio 57 W Pomfret Street, Ste 204, Carlisle wickandpourstudio.com