October 9th, 2022

There is nothing I like more than a good party. So what could be better than an evening soiree, under the stars while celebrating fabulous people? Nothing I say! So join me at our annual Spotlight Soiree at Cheney Mansion. We will be celebrating the Titans of our business community and just generally feeling the love for OPRF. It's a tough job .... and I'm happy to do it!

Darien Marion-Burton

President

Spotlight Soiree

Who are the Titans in YOUR Community?

When you think of all of the business people who have helped you over the years, who are they? How have these amazing Visionaries, Innovators, Community Impact Makers, Mentors, Social Responsibility Warriors, and Collaborators impacted the community?

Join us this Tuesday at the Spotlight Soiree at the Cheney Mansion where we will honor each of these nominees, with the the help of our Exclusive Presenting Sponsor, Oak Park Bank! 

Continue to celebrate from home! Incredible Chamber Member American House fully believes that the fun doesn't have to stop when you get home. With this swag bag, you can enjoy a night in after your night out!

Participating vendors will be announced closer to the event, but contents will not be revealed until the night-of!

There are only a few bags left! Make sure to reserve yours today, before they sell out.

Exclusive Presenting Sponsor

Silver Sponsors

Thursday October 13, 4:30 - 5:00pm - Ribbon Cutting at Oak Park River Forest High School

This time we'll be at OPRF High School celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Huskies Booster Club!

For half a century, the OPRF High School Booster Club has supported academics, athletics, and activities at Oak Park - River Forest High School through their fundraising work. The Award Wall of the remodeled lobby at the school is just one project funded through the efforts of the Boosters, who also take on such immediate needs as microphones for performing arts students to use during pandemic when they had to be masked. 

Friday October 14, 9:00 - 10:30am - Women in Business Meeting at The Sheridan

We are thrilled you will be joining us this month at The Sheridan! WIB is continuing our monthly series with Maura Mitchell, JD/MBA. Maura is the Managing Director - Entrepreneurial Programs & Services of the Women's Business Development Center. Maura will be providing an overview of the resources available at WBDC for female entrepreneurs. You won't want to miss this discussion! 

Monday October 17, 12:15 - 12:45pm - Meditation Monday at Crossfunction Flexible Workspace

Join us at our Chamber program aimed at taking care of you, our small business community. Welcome to our monthly Meditation Mondays! All it takes is half an hour (that's only 30 mins!) for us to help you put your to-do list aside, empty your head of all the chatter and truly look after yourself.

We are thrilled to partner with the Kadampa Meditation Center in Oak Park to bring you this monthly meditation. Gen Zamling, the Resident Teacher of the center, will lead the meditation and talk you through every step. You don't need to do anything but show up and breathe!

Wednesday October 19, 2:00 - 3:00pm - Chamber 102 via Zoom

In this hour we will go over all of the marketing benefits that come with your membership, including:

• How to maximize your e-blast benefits.

• The role of your Member Profile in your marketing advantage and how to track digital traffic.

• How to generate marketing collateral that can be shared in your social media.

• How to tap into our Affinity Groups to grow your network and feature your business.

Wednesday October 19, 5:30 - 7:30pm - Health & Wellness Affinity Group Meeting at TBD

Join us for our classic Business Card Exchange - meet other providers, exchange cards and build a network that you can trust!

Take a break from networking and support your fellow Chamber friends who have bravely volunteered to tell us their stories of resilience and strength.

This time they will be talking on "Changing the Narrative: Stories of Failure and Resilience."

Help us launch this NEW collaboration with Chamber Member Urban Wellness and their programs that support wellness in our business community.

Thursday October 20, 3:30 - 4:00pm - Ribbon Cutting at American House

This time we'll be at American House Oak Park celebrating this new business, taking pictures of the ribbon cutting, and enjoying a great networking opportunity! Check out this new business and their beautiful building!

Meet the staff and see the elegant setting with floors dedicated to independent living, assisted living, and memory care. 

American House is Oak Park's newest building, not yet open to the public. Come check out this new landmark on Madison Avenue in the middle of Oak Park, and enjoy food and drinks courtesy of our hosts.

Friday October 21, 12:00 - 12:30pm - Takeout Stakeout at New Rose Catering

Come join your fellow Chamber members for our next Takeout Stakeout, this time at New Rose Catering! In this event, we convene at a designated restaurant to pick up our takeout lunch choices, and get to see each other for a bit while we're at it.

Our host is part of the Schoolhouse family of food producers sharing this commercial kitchen space.

Monday October 24, 5:30 - 7:00pm - BIPOC Affinity Group Meeting at Berkshire Hathaway Home Service

This month we'll be at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, hosted by group member Crystal Rodriguez, Realtor with BHHS' ATM Team. Connect with Latinx, Asian-American, Black and indigenous peers from the OPRF business and nonprofit community! 

Come join us to make connections with great folks, and be part of this new group!

Tuesday October 25, 4:30 - 5:00pm - Ribbon Cutting at d'aprile properties

This time we'll be at d'aprile properties celebrating this new business, taking pictures of the ribbon cutting, and enjoying a great networking opportunity! Check out this new business to see what they're all about.

d'aprile is Oak Park's newest real estate agency, ready to serve local homeowners with sales, purchases, and rentals. 

See their space, meet the staff, get to know other Chamber members, and join us for the ribbon cutting and the celebration! 

Thursday October 27, 6:30 - 8:30pm - Young Professionals Trivia Night for our Nonprofits!

The fun is back!The Chamber's Young Professionals are pleased to invite you to our annual fundraiser for the Chamber's nonprofit members. This year we'll gather for a trivia night at Good Earth Greenhouse, featuring dinner, drinks, costume contest, trivia, and live auction! Proceeds cover Chamber memberships for participating nonprofits. Join us for pre-Halloween fun! 

Each month there will be one specific topic that is timely and relevant to the community. Planned topics include:

• November 2, 2022 - "Balanced Boundaries: Healthy Habits When Saying YES & NO"
• December 7, 2022 - "Protect Your Peace: How Not to Kill Your Family or Yourself During Obligatory Gatherings"

Chamber Blog

Have you seen our blog lately?

Uncomfortable speaking in public? Want to learn more about the benefits of your Chamber Membership?

Check out the last few issues of the Chamber Blog to learn more about how the Chamber works for you, and see all of the resources we have gathered for you. We are so lucky to live in a community with such amazing and supportive people!