March 2021 Newsletter
Brought to you by:
Thank you
Lake Superior
State University
for your 2021
Gold Sponsorship!
Lake Superior State University is a personal, small-town university that provides a superior blend of liberal and technical studies in the natural setting on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The 115-acre campus is situated on the site of the former U.S. Army’s Fort Brady, fourteen of LSSU’s buildings are listed on various historic registers, creating a unique campus environment. Also, the campus overlooks Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, the St. Mary’s River, and the Soo Locks, the busiest locks in the world.
Lake Superior State University
President: Rod Hanley
650 W Easterday Ave.
Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
Phone Number: (906) 632-6841
Fax: (906) 635-2111
Welcome New Chamber Members!
Thank You Renewed Members February 2021!
Chamber News:
New Chamber Board Member
Ron Kurnik, Owner
Superior Coffee Roasting Co. and Superior Café
At the February Sault Area Chamber of Commerce Board Meeting the Board of Directors voted to elect Ron Kurnik the owner of Superior Coffee Roasting Co. and Superior Cafe to the board. Ron is excited for the Chamber of Commerce to allow him a way to volunteer more in the community. Mr. Kurnik has served on a Chamber of Commerce board in Glenwood, AR where he previously owned a business. He described being on the board as a rewarding experience and highlighted being able to contribute to the restoration of the city's historic railway station during his time on the board there. Mr.Kurnik is interested in sitting on several different committees with the Sault Chamber. We are excited for you to join our team Ron!
Chamber Board Opening
We have still have one Board Opening at the Sault Area Chamber of Commerce that needs to be filled. We are a board of 12 directors and we meet the second Friday of every month normally in person at 7:30am, but more recently due to COVID we have been meeting on Zoom.
Join our team!
2021 Chamber Sponsorship Packages Now Available
We are rolling out our 2021 Sault Area Chamber of Commerce Sponsorship Packages. We understand that we are in strange times right now, but your support to the Chamber of Commerce brings great exposure and benefits to your business. Please consider our packages for your business.
Member News:
MEMBERS SEND US YOUR NEWS!
This Section is Reserved for YOU!
Send us announcements, specials, employee appreciation, employee promotions, job openings or store sales and we will put them in this section of our newsletter to share with the community and our surrounding areas.
Mass Vaccination Clinic
We will be conducting a mass vaccination clinic on March 19th at the Norris Center. Because the volume of vaccines that we will be administering is so large, we have partnered with other key county partners to ease this process. This vaccination clinic will be of the Pfizer vaccine, and the sign up process will be fully electronic.
The current categories we are opening with are:
  • 50 years or older
  • 18 years, or older, with high risk, or chronic condition
  • 16 or 17 year old Bay Mills Tribal Members OR 16/17 year old Brimley and OCS Students
  • Bay Mills Tribal Household Members OR an employee or adult household member of any employee of BMIC/BMCC/OCS/LSSU/WMH/Brimley Schools
  • First responder
  • Health care worker
  • Public transit worker
  • Food or agriculture worker
The eligibility criteria is subject to change, so please be sure to check social media feeds of Bay Mills Health Center for more information, or the Chippewa County Health Department Website at: https://www.chippewahd.com/
If you, or anyone you know, is eligible and interested in signing up, please follow this link: https://forms.gle/oGk7iLawRAzQJtVz7
**If you or someone you know is interested but unable to make their appointment reservation online, please have them call (906)248-8368 and leave a message with their name, date of birth, and phone number for a return phone call.
Please also spread the word about this vaccination clinic, and please feel free to forward this email to others who can help spread the word of this vaccination clinic.
We have a large volume of vaccines to administer, and we don’t want to have to attempt to continue storage of this vaccine. We have an estimated 1,170 doses to administer, and War Memorial also has the same amount to administer, and we’re jointly hosting this mass vaccination clinic to serve the needs of Chippewa County. The more people who are vaccinated, the more protected our whole county, region, and state will be.
Here is a link to some more information about the Pfizer vaccine: https://www.fda.gov/media/144414/download
Finally, a big miigwetch to our key partners in this effort. This mass vaccination clinic is only possible through the collaboration and collective buy-in from the Chippewa County Health Department, War Memorial Hospital, Sault Tribe, and Bay Mills Indian Community. This collaboration is helping protect our communities. Together, we’re increasing the vaccination capabilities that are eclipsing most other jurisdictions in the state and the country.
Joshua Hudson
Assistant Health and Human Services Director
Bay Mills Health Center
Bay Mills Indian Community
P: (906)248-5527
the little gift shop
A newly remodeled Art Class space is now open and ready for classes at the little gift shop in Downtown Sault Ste Marie.

Upcoming Classes are as followed:
Art with Anne Chickadee Class $35.00
March 13th @ 2:00pm
March 20th @2:00pm
 
Hand Stamping Bracelet Set Class $25.00
March 14th @2:00pm
 
Easter Eggs Chalk Class  $35.00
March 15th @ 5:30pm 
 
Kid Bunny Canvas Class $15.00
March 21st @ 2:00pm

the little gift shop is located at 125 W Portage Ave, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783.
Reservations for Art classes can be made by calling Owner Jill Rambo at (906) 259-1390. Future Art Classes will be announced on the little gifts shops Facebook Page found here.
War Memorial Hospital
Top 100 Rural Hospitals
Sault Ste. Marie, MI – War Memorial Hospital has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals for 2021 by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. This 11th annual recognition program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Hospital Strength INDEX®. Only 8 community hospitals in Michigan were ranked in the top 100.
This recognition sets apart hospitals that continue to grow and lead the way. “This award recognizes our hospital’s entire team” says War Memorial Hospital President & CEO, David Jahn. “Our goal is to provide the highest quality care, in the safest environment possible and to provide a patient experience that is second to none. Our employees have worked hard through the pandemic. To be named one of the Top 100 Rural Hospitals in the U.S. is a reflection of their hard work.”
"The Top 100 program continues to illuminate strategies and innovation for delivering higher quality care and better outcomes within rural communities,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “We are delighted to be able to spotlight the efforts of these facilities through the INDEX framework.”
Over the course of the last 11 years, the INDEX has grown to become the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Based entirely on public data and utilizing 36 independent indicators, the INDEX assesses rural hospitals across eight pillars of performance, including market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and financial efficiency. The INDEX framework is widely used across the nation by independent rural hospitals, health systems with rural footprints and state offices of rural health, which provide access to INDEX analytics through grant-funded initiatives.
For more information on War Memorial Hospital services and physicians, visit the War Memorial Hospital Website and Facebook
Cloverland Cares Announces
2021 Scholarship Opportunity
DAFTER, Mich. (March 8, 2021) – Students seeking scholarships for schools in the Eastern Upper Peninsula have a new opportunity through Cloverland Cares, the non-profit foundation of Cloverland Electric Cooperative. One award recipient will be selected from each of the co-op’s three districts and announced in May. Cloverland Cares scholarship applications will be evaluated based on financial need, school involvement and achievements, community service and work experience, plus educational and career goals. An essay and supporting letters of recommendation are also required. Online applications can be completed on cloverland.com by the March 31, 2021 deadline.
“We’re proud to continue an 18-year tradition of awarding scholarships,” said Cloverland Electric’s President and CEO, Mike Heise. “We’ve simply shifted from the cooperative’s previous Power of Excellence scholarship program to award need-based scholarships from our new Cloverland Cares non-profit foundation.”
To support E.U.P. area schools, the scholarship must be used for educational purposes at Lake Superior State University, Bay Mills Community College or Les Cheneaux Culinary School. To support career paths like many at the cooperative, electric utility programs offered by Northern Michigan University, Alpena Community College or Lansing Community College are included in the Cloverland Cares scholarship opportunity. Applicants must be planning to enroll as a full-time student for the 2021 fall term.
“Our scholarship committee recognized the need for scholarships that award students whose financial need, community service and other strengths might be greater than academic standing,” said Allie Brawley, Cloverland Electric’s Director of Business Development & Communications, who also serves as the Cloverland Cares Board President.
Award amounts will be determined based on financial need and available funds. Applicant or applicant’s parent or legal guardian must be a member of Cloverland Electric Cooperative. There is no age limit so the scholarship accommodates those returning to school to complete a degree or those pursuing a new career path.
The spring 2021 grant cycle is also open to grant requests for food banks within Cloverland Electric’s service territory. Grant request forms and scholarship applications are available on Cloverland.com.
To support Cloverland Cares, Cloverland Electric members can opt-in to round up their monthly bill payments. 100 percent of all funds remain local and benefit food banks and scholarships that will be divided equally among Cloverland’s three districts across the E.U.P. Members can contribute in three ways: 1) round up monthly bill to nearest dollar; 2) designate a specific monthly donation; 3) designate a one-time donation. To enroll, contact member services (1-800-562-4953) or opt-in on cloverland.com or with the free SmartHub app.
Launched in 2020, Cloverland Cares is a bill round up program that generate funds to contribute back to the communities served by Cloverland Electric Cooperative. Cloverland Cares officially launched as a separate non-profit entity with the specific focus to support school meal programs, food banks and scholarships.
Cloverland Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit, member-owned utility located in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula that energizes 43,000 meters for 34,000 residential and businesses members in Chippewa, Mackinac, Luce, Schoolcraft and Delta counties.
United Way
2021 Community Survey 
Eastern Upper Peninsula - The United Way of the Eastern Upper Peninsula has published their 2021 Community Survey and is requesting the community’s help in completing the survey. This will help the United Way find the unknown needs within their community. The survey will ask residents about access to necessities such as housing, shelter, food, healthcare, internet, and childcare.
“Our primary purpose is to get a snapshot of how our EUP residents are doing overall and find out where the barriers are to service so we can work on addressing those moving forward,” says Raulaniesa Aranda, Chief Executive Officer of United Way EUP. “Using this information, not only will we at United Way gain a look at how readily our residents are able to access resources, but we will also be able to use this information during our annual Community Impact grant cycle.” Through the CI grant cycle, United Way targets funding to human service programs assisting the most vulnerable populations.
All community members are invited to participate in the survey. Community members include anyone living in Chippewa, Luce, or Mackinac Counties.
The survey can be found at the following link: https://bit.ly/2021eup. If you need or want a paper copy, please contact Dave at (906) 632 – 3700 ext. 4 or david@unitedwayeup.org for more information.
COVID-19 Testing
LSSU Healthcare Center
Appointments for COVID-19 PCR rapid tests are available at the LSSU Health Care Center by calling 906-635-2110. Conveniently located within 0.5 miles (0.8 km) of the Canadian border.
Results are provided within 15 minutes
Testing approved for Canadian border crossing
Testing payable through insurance in certain situations.
Employment Opportunities
Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society
SEASONAL MUSEUM JOBS are available beginning May 1 at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, Whitefish Point, Michigan. We are seeking retail sales, custodial/maintenance, marine operations, and tour guide personnel. Competitive wages and flexible schedules, full or part time. Please contact Bruce Lynn, Executive Director, at 906-635-1742, or blynn@shipwreckmuseum.com.
Visit the Shipwreck Museum Website AND Download an Employment Application by Clicking Here.
Freighter View
Assisted Living
Resident Care Assistant-
Assist residents with activities of daily living and medications, must enjoy working with the elderly, part time and full time available, all shifts available. Work with us in our beautiful community where you will be appreciated and supported. A fulfilling career awaits you! Apply today in person or at www.freighterview.com
The Palace Mexican Restaurant & Saloon
The Palace is hiring for all positions.
You can get an application in person at
200 W Portage Ave,
Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
Walmart
Walmart is hiring for several different positions at their Sault Ste Marie Location. Starting March 13, 2021 the starting wage for Digital and Stocking associates will be up to $14 an hour! Inquire at the Customer Service counter.
The Antlers
The Antlers Is gearing up for spring.
Now taking experienced applications for the kitchen and dining room.
Please apply in person at 804 E Portage Ave, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
Clyde's Drive In
We are currently looking for people to cook and prep for the season if you know someone 16 or older that will be looking for a job let them know. I will be posting times and dates to apply in the near future on our Facebook Page.
Thank you
MLS Sales Report and International Bridge Traffic
Eastern Upper Peninsula
Board of REALTORS
MLS February Sales Report
International Bridge Administration
February Traffic Release
Links to Accurate COVID 19 Information
Join the Chamber?
Do you know of a business in the area who would benefit from joining the Sault Area Chamber of Commerce? Please share our Membership Application with them!

Click Here for our Chamber Contact Information, Staff Directory, and The Chamber Office Hours 
Members:
As a member benefit, all Chamber Members may submit events and press releases to be published in the Chamber E-Newsletter. Events may be submitted by emailing Office Manager Melissa At: office@saultstemarie.org. The Chamber publishes items that are sent to the Chamber by Chamber Members, Take advantage of this benefit like many members already are!
Business After 5:
Business After 5 is designed to help make valuable business contacts and enjoy a night of networking with fellow professionals in a fun, relaxed setting. This event is open to Members and Non-Members. Are you a Member interested in hosting a Business After 5? Please Contact the Chamber Director Tony Haller at director@saultstemarie.org or call (906) 632-3301
Ribbon Cuttings:
Are you a Chamber Member or are interested in becoming a Chamber Member and would like to have a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony? Let us know about your Grand Opening or your Re-Grand Opening and be welcomed by Chamber Board Members, Chamber Ambassadors and the Chamber Executive Director in a celebratory Ribbon Cutting. Contact us at director@saultstemarie.org for more information.
Sault Area Chamber of Commerce- 2581 I-75 Business Spur- Sault Ste Marie, MI 49783
info@saultstemarie.org- phone: (906) 632-3301- fax: (906) 632-2331
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