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This semester, Arthur, our intern student from Mid-Michigan College, has been helping to preserve our long-standing history. We have had boxes and boxes stored away over the years, and he has been tasked with scanning, saving, and organizing the files both on our server and in their boxes, scrapbooks, etc. In this process, Arthur reads through the articles and documents, and when something particularly interesting comes up, he brings it to my attention. It's a big task and I find our history to be fascinating.
I’ve learned through this process that our impact on the community is extensive. Starting in 1905 as the Board of Trade, we officially changed our name to the Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce in 1920. Although leaders and our name changed over our 118-year history, our focus has always remained the same - to help businesses succeed.
Our Chamber of Commerce has helped to create a sense of place by conducting events, decorating for holidays, and leading community cleanups. We advocate for our community and businesses. One great example is that in partnership with the Rotary Club, we lobbied to keep the Normal School, now CMU, right here in our community after a fire destroyed the building in 1925. Our Chamber of Commerce has worked to improve roads, improve phone services, bring businesses to town, and alleviate parking issues among many, many other things.
There is a lot to learn about our impact on the community and the historical perspective will help us as we prepare for the next stage of growth for the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce. To paraphrase one of the articles that Arthur helped me find, "No one entity or a half dozen entities can make a Chamber of Commerce work. It needs the financial and moral support of many entities working together to exist and function." Thank you for being a member, and helping us to exist, function, and thrive!
Liz Conway
President & CEO
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