The Chamber Wishes you Happy Holidays!

The Chamber office and Board of Directors wishes you, your employees and your families the best of holidays. Falls Church is a great place to live, work and play - now take some time to reflect, relax, and celebrate.

Support local businesses by sharing your favorite store and shopping experiences with posts using the hashtag #ShopLocalFC. The user with the most #ShopLocalFC posts in December will receive a $100 gift card to their favorite Falls Church retailer. Post your great buys or great experiences to win! Use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Click via https://woobox.com/kwg2wk or click on the Live Local image to register.

In the spirit of the giving season, we encourage you to support any of our 31 nonprofit members in Falls Church. This is an ideal way to demonstrate support for those who contribute so much to the community and make a difference in the lives of all they serve. Members are in the link.

Invite business in your door by hosting a chamber mixer for members and prospective members where new relationships and business ventures will develop. Secure your spot on the calendar now - several are already reserved. Please email Cathy Soltys to sign up as a mixer host or as a meal sponsor for upcoming forums. It's a great way to promote your business!

The Chamber is gearing up for a successful 2022 with new networking opportunities, forums, professional development programs, and a gala event! New committees are forming and open to ALL members. These will soon be posted on the chamber website and member businesses are welcome to place employees on various committees to maximize the benefits. Today we are calling for those interested in the Membership Committee, Special Events Committee and Program Committee to get a jump on the upcoming year. Call or email to sign up now if interested and meetings will be scheduled for early January.

Membership Committee - This committee will represent the chamber in contacting businesses and welcoming new businesses to Falls Church. Building the member network and presence in the community, and articulating the benefits, will add value and support business growth.

Special Events Committee - We are calling upon all event planners, creative and organized members who enjoy planning events large and small. The GALA is the first project and planning begins in January. Please contact Elise and join the fun of selecting a theme and all that follows. Build your business relationships while planning these fun networking events!

Program Committee - This group will select topics, speakers and panels for forums and roundtable discussions on issues that address members' concerns and interests. What topics would you like to hear about? Would you like an entrepreneurs roundtable? A women-owned business roundtable? Let the committee know and better yet, join the committee.

Have you hired an employee who was previously unemployed? The Return to Earn initiative, launched in June, is an effort to assist small businesses and organizations in finding and retaining talent while also bringing the unemployed back into the workforce. There are basic eligibility requirements and the Skill Source Group, Inc. and Virginia Career Works Northern are available to make access to this program easy and the application, enrollment, and reimbursement process as simple as possible. It is a quick and smooth process. The program encourages a $500 reimbursable bonus as helpful to retention and workplace morale for qualified businesses. To learn more, click on the link above.

Shopping local is the way to go in Falls Church. Our local businesses have something for everyone and the Annual Holiday Shopping Guide ideas and offers makes it easy. Remember to #shoplocalfc while we #livelocalfc! The Guide will be emailed weekly until Christmas. If your business has a special holiday offer or product, or you would like your business to be featured, please email Cathy to be included in the guide. The deadline is tomorrow, Tuesday.

The chamber is here to help you hire employees. Members may advertise job opportunities on the chamber website. Chamber members may submit job positing or contact Cathy for assistance.

In the December 16-22 edition of the FCNP...

Member Special Offers and Member Only Discounts!

Click the link above to check out special offers from United Bank, The Toy Nest, Crescendo Studio, Goldfish Swim Club or click on the links below to see new offers from:

The Holiday Cabarets have returned to The Creative Cauldron and run through this Wednesday, December 22. Enjoy the festive performances of musical theatre performers and musicians live in person or stream from home.

The Falls Church Arts Gallery continues to offer watercolor classes for all levels on Wednesdays through January 19. These run 10:00 a.m. - 12 noon. Learn to capture the transparent quality of watercolor, including still life and landscapes. Individualized instruction accommodates students from beginners to the very experienced. Classes will be limited to 6 vaccinated persons and will be taught indoors at Falls Church Arts Gallery (with COVID protocols observed).

Regularly Scheduled Member Events

The Arts

Self-Improvement & Professional Development

Elder Care