May 21st, 2023

Day in Our Village is back! Last year combined picture-perfect weather with #chamberLOVE and a day of family fun. If you are a Chamber member, volunteer in the Chamber tent for an hour and hang out with some cool fellow Chamber members.

Diane Cranford

Director of Membership

Plan Your Week!

What is coming up this week?

We know you are busy. To help make it easier and help you to join us at as many things as you would like, we have gathered our events for this week.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Monday May 22, 5:30 - 7:00pm - BIPOC Affinity Group Asian American History Month at Civinte Candle Bar

Join us this month at Civinte Candle Bar where we will be celebrating Asian American History Month with Susie Goldschmidt of Byline Bank. Susie and her mother have an amazing story of resiliency, come hear it for yourself!

We look forward to you joining us as we stay connected with Latinx, Asian-American, Black and Indigenous peers from the OPRF business and nonprofit community! 

Wednesday May 24, 12:30 - 1:00pm - Ribbon Cutting & 40th Anniversary Celebration for Momenta Dance Company

This time we'll be at Momenta Dance Company celebrating 40 years of their work, taking pictures of the ribbon cutting, and enjoying a great networking opportunity! Come join us to mark the occasion and to enjoy a live dance performance. 

Friday May 26, 8:00 - 10:00pm - Young Professionals Drinks & Discussion

Come join us for a fun night at Kettlestrings Tavern! The Chamber's Young Professionals will gather starting at 8 for a relaxed hangout time of drinks and discussion. Use this time to make stronger connections within the Oak Park and River Forest business community. Come network with us for an hour or two, whatever works for your schedule!

We believe that all who live and work in our community should have the opportunity to thrive. This is our Chamber vision, and we work tirelessly to make this a reality in everything we do! Keep an eye on our NEW LGBTQ+ Programming and Resources page to stay up-to-date on any events and resources to help your business starting in May and continuing throughout June, and the rest of the year!

Wednesday June 7th, 9:00 - 10:30am - Building an Inclusive Workplace on Zoom

Join us for this workshop to learn how to better welcome members of the LGBTQ+ community into your workplace. In this fast-paced session you will learn how and where to advertise for employees as an LGBTQ+ advocate business, how to best support all employees, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, to be more inclusive, and much more.

Tuesday June 13th, 5:00 - 7:00pm - Business After Hours at FFC Oak Park

Our June Business After Hours (BAH) will be hosted by FFC (Fitness Formula Clubs) Oak Park. Join us for a night of networking and hors d'oeuvres in this high-energy setting, to enjoy spring on the outdoor deck! Meet the staff, get a tour and, who knows, maybe even be inspired to get in a workout.

Thursday June 22nd, 5:00 - 9:00pm - Thursday Night OUT in the Burbs

OPRF Chamber PRIDE is taking over Downtown Oak Park's Thursday Night Out on June 22!

Come along and celebrate with us. Drag Queens will be roaming the event and marketing our local businesses. Grab your Thursday Night Out in the Burbs shopping bag. Eat great food and listen to amazing music!

Do you want a Drag Queen strolling around Thursday Night Out

and talking about your business??

We will have 10 fabulous Drag Queens who can be sponsored to hand out your marketing and talk about your business for 2 hours at

Thursday Night Out.

There are only 5 Drag Queens left to Sponsor!

Economic Luncheon

POSTPONED!

Watch the video below to learn more. Stay tuned for an updated day and time.

Plan Your Month!

Like to plan ahead?

Here are some events we have coming up over the next month so you can register now and receive a reminder right before the event.

Join us for these wonderful networking opportunities and

continue to grow your business!

Wednesday May 31, 4:30 - 5:30pm - Ribbon Cutting & Ground Breaking for L'Arche Chicago

L'Arche Chicago is a community of adults with and without disabilities, sharing life in the OPRF neighborhoods. And they are building a 4th home! You're invited to join us for a celebratory groundbreaking along with guests from the Oak Park Chamber of Commerce, Village of Oak Park, and L'Arche Chicago in celebrating the start of this new accessible, universally designed home!

Thursday June 1, 1:00 - 2:00pm - Nonprofit Affinity Group at OPRF Community Foundation

Come join the Chamber's nonprofit affinity group for our monthly gathering. This month is "Board Governance - Good Grief! How to set your Board and Organization up for Success!" Our featured resource person for this meeting will be Julianne Nery, attorney and owner of Nonprofit Legal Services.  Please come be part of the dialogue! 

Friday June 2, 12:00 - 12:30pm - Takeout Stakeout at Q BBQ

Come join your fellow Chamber members for our next Takeout Stakeout, this time at Q BBQ! 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. Visit our website to see the menu options and place your orders.

Friday June 9, 9:00 - 10:30am - Women in Business Meeting with Dr. Diamond

June is time for Spring cleaning! Cleaning our your intestines too! Join us this month to talk about Women's Gastrointestinal and Gut Health with Dr. Ilysa Diamond, DO, of Diamond Gastroenterology. Gut health in women looks vastly different than in men. Show some self-love and gut-health support by wearing blue as we learn easy ways to identify issues and keep your stomach and intestines healthy for years to come! 

Wednesday June 14, 2:00 - 3:00pm - Chamber 102 Your Marketing Advantage on Zoom

In this seminar we will go over all of your 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.

Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce

141 S Oak Park Avenue

Suite 3

708.613.0550

[email protected]

www.oprfchamber.org