Chamber Advantage
July 31st, 2022
At the Chamber we love to celebrate! So help to make us happy by celebrating one of your milestones this year. New location? New management? Having an anniversary? We will celebrate it all! Just get online and check out all the info and how to get one booked into our calendar.
Executive Director
#chamberLOVE
Celebrate Your Business!

Help us to celebrate any milestones with you!
Do you have an exciting event coming up for your business? Let us help you celebrate. To learn more and connect with us about setting up a Ribbon Cutting, click the button below!
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!

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.  
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. 
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!
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."
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.
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.
Friday August 19, 12:00 - 12:30pm - Takeout Stakeout at Harold's Shrimp & Chicken
Come join your fellow Chamber members for our next Takeout Stakeout, this time at Harold's Shrimp & Chicken! 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. Lunch is a flat $16 including tax and tip. 
Monday August 22, 5:30 - 7:00pm - BIPOC Affinity Group Meeting at Oak Park Bank
We will be gathering at 5:30 pm at Oak Park Bank, at their location at Lake St. & Oak Park Avenue. Connect with Latinx, Asian-American, Black and indigenous peers from the OPRF business and nonprofit community! 
Food and Beverage will be provided.
Friday August 26, 12:00 - 12:30pm - Ribbon Cutting at Great Sip Cafe
Great Sip Cafe is "your local cozy cafe" - a great place to meet a friend, get some work done, or just relax for an hour or two. 
See their space, meet the staff, get to know other Chamber members, and join us for the ribbon cutting and the celebration! 
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.

Still not quite sure what this is? Check out the Health & Wellness Affinity Group page to see last year's newsletters.
Each month there will be one specific topic that is timely and relevant to the community. Planned topics include:

  • September 7, 2022 - "Sensational Seniors: Best Practices for a Thriving Senior Social Life" 
  • October 5, 2022 - "Inflammation Eradication: Health & Harmony from the Inside Out
  • 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"
How do I get involved?
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!
Premium Sponsors
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.
Thank you to our Sponsors!
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!
Advocacy Update

What is the Chamber doing for you?
Every month, the Executive Director, Liz Holt, along with the Advocacy Committee, Sam Yousif & Rob Guenthner, and other Chamber Board Members are working tirelessly to make sure that your voice is heard. Check out some of the accomplishments so far this month!
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!

The Answer Book is now available online. And, very soon, will be available in print as well! Use this guide to learn everything you need to know about your community. There is also a complete listing of OPRF Chamber Members. Check out the online edition to see all of the amazing things that have happened over the last year.
Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce

143 S Oak Park Avenue

708.613.0550


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.

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