If there was ever a time to be a tourist in your backyard, it’s now, Oak Parkers & River Foresters. It’s no secret that the pandemic has been devastating for the tourism and hospitality industry over the past three years. While visitors are trickling back to our local attractions, they need your support. With that, I'm thrilled to partner with the Chamber to highlight all the amazing attractions here and a few great ways to explore your own backyard with your family and friends.
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Visit These Businesses!
Have you seen our upcoming events?
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Plan Your Week!
What is coming up this week?
Check out the events we have put together for you this week.
We look forward to seeing you there!
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Monday July 25, 5:30 - 7:00pm - BIPOC Affinity Group Meeting at Styles4Kidz
This month our BIPOC Affinity Group will be gathering at Styles 4 Kidz in the Oak Park Arts District. Connect with Latinx, Asian-American, Black and indigenous peers from the OPRF business and nonprofit community! Food and beverage will be provided.
Come join us to make connections with great folks, and be part of the future of this new group!
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Wednesday July 27, 1:00 - 3:00pm - #chamberLOVE Call Campaign at Grachan Agency
Love the OPRF Chamber and eager to share your story? Looking for ways to connect with potential referrals and likeminded people? Join us for our second Membership Call Campaign!
Join us again this quarter at Grachan Agency to help us to make each member feel seen, heard and valued.
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Plan Your Month!
Want to plan ahead?
Here are some events we have coming up over the next month.
Join us for these wonderful networking opportunities and
continue to grow your business!
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Thursday August 4, 1:00 - 2:00pm - NPO Affinity Group Meeting at TBD
Come join the Chamber's nonprofit affinity group for our monthly gathering! This month we'll learn from Amy Montgomery, the Director of Individual Giving at Housing Forward, about pro tips for successful annual giving campaigns.
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Friday August 5, 12:00 - 12:30pm - Takeout Stakeout at FFC's Local'84 Cafe
Come join your fellow Chamber members for our next Takeout Stakeout, this time at FFC's Local'84 Cafe! 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 in a fun little meetup. Lunch is a flat $16 including tax and tip.
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Tuesday August 9, 5:00 - 7:00pm - Business After Hours at The Children's School
Our August Business After Hours (BAH) will be hosted by The Children's School in Oak Park, whose mission is "to nurture students' innate curiosity and love of learning through democratic practice, emergent curriculum, and hands-on projects, helping students become lifelong problem-solvers and engaged citizens."
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Monday August 15, 12:15 - 12:45pm - Meditation Monday at CrossFunction
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. Join us at CrossFunction Flexible Workspace for this program aimed at taking care of you, our small business community. We are thrilled to partner with Kadampa Meditation Center in Oak Park to bring you this monthly meditation.
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Thursday August 18, 8:00 - 9:30am - New Member Breakfast at Oak Park Arms
Welcome New Members! Join us at our New Member Breakfast to tell us all about your business, to meet Chamber staff and board leadership, learn about all of your benefits, and find opportunities to get involved. Board members and staff are on hand to meet new members and answer any questions!
This month's New Member Breakfast will be hosted by the wonderful Oak Park Arms.
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Wellness Wednesdays
Share Your Knowledge with the Community!
Welcome back to one of the Chamber's newer projects to help reconnect our member Health & Wellness businesses with clients, customers and community. Wellness Wednesdays is a monthly e-newsletter that focuses on tapping into local expertise to support every-day health and well-being in our community.
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Each month there will be one specific topic that is timely and relevant to the community. Planned topics include:
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Register this week! August 3, 2022 - "Divine Dialogue: Lady Bits that Deserve More of Our Attention"
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September 7, 2022 - "Sensational Seniors: Best Practices for a Thriving Senior Social Life"
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October 5, 2022 - "Inflammation Eradication: Health & Harmony from the Inside Out
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November 2, 2022 - "Balanced Boundaries: Healthy Habits When Saying YES & NO"
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December 7, 2022 - "Protect Your Peace: How Not to Kill Your Family or Yourself During Obligatory Gatherings"
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In order for your Health & Wellness business to be featured as a Vendor Sponsor in an edition of the Wellness Wednesdays e-newsletter, you must:
- be a member in good standing of the OPRF Chamber.
- have products/services/information specifically related to the monthly topic.
- sign-up and pay fees at least one week before publication.
- provide your content materials (name, logo, contact details and text) at least one week before publication.
Only $100 per issue!
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Annual Meeting
Registration is Open!
Join us this year at the Unity Temple for the official annual gathering of Chamber members and local business leaders to celebrate the previous year's accomplishments and set the stage for the upcoming year. Attendance for members is complimentary and includes a light breakfast and networking.
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Thank you to our Sponsors! |
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There are still sponsorships available for the 2022 Annual Meeting. If you would like to sponsor this year's Annual Meeting, visit the website to learn more and register! |
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Grab a cool beverage and get ready for some binge reading! The Women in Business Summer Reading List is here. Thank you to the Oak Park Public Library for their partnership and the many Chamber members who contributed their favorite titles. Please share this list with anyone who loves a good professional or personal development title or a great fiction read. Enjoy!
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With COVID-19 continuing to cause disruptions in the community, the Oak Park Health Department is working to support local businesses in their efforts to protect employees and customers.
If any Oak Park businesses are experiencing COVID-19 cases or outbreaks in the workplace, the Health Department encourages employers to reach out to coordinate free testing for all employees. The Health Department’s mobile response van can test employees onsite to limit the spread of COVID-19 to employees and community members. Call 708.358.5480 or email [email protected] to request testing services for your workplace.
The Health Department recently issued guidance for anyone who tests positive for COVID-19, urging them to isolate for a minimum of five days and wear a high-quality mask upon re-entering society for 10 days post infection. Health officials also recommend using a rapid antigen test before ending isolation as some individuals may remain infectious beyond their five-day isolation period. Click here to read the Health Department’s guidance for those who test positive for COVID-19.
Based on the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Oak Park and the rest of Cook County are in the high transmission level, as defined by more than 200 cases per 100,000 residents and new COVID-19 hospital admissions of 10 or more per 100,000 residents. In areas with high transmission, the CDC recommends everyone wear a mask indoors in public, stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if experiencing symptoms.
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Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce
143 S Oak Park Avenue
708.613.0550
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This eBlast was sent out by the OPRF Chamber of Commerce on behalf of a member in good standing as a member benefit. For information about the event described please contact the host. For information about joining the Chamber, click our website below.
STAY CONNECTED TO THE OPRF CHAMBER
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