During the month of May, First Financial Bank wil lb e conducting a food drive to benefit Crosswalk Community Action Agency!  To learn more, stop by First Financial Bank!

May is National Bike Month!

To celebrate, stop by Cycle1 Cycling Studio to see their new selection of bikes and accessories!  Bike repair and service also available! 
  

Are you a business who would like to spotlight your locally made items? Register now! Chamber members enjoy a booth discount - prices start at $50!! Call 618-438-2121 for more details or register online!

The United States is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic. Opioids (including prescription and illicit opioids) killed more than 33,000 Americans in 2015—which is nearly quadruple the number from 2000.

Learn how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to protect individuals and families—including your employees and your business—from this dangerous problem.
FOUR CRITICAL CHALLENGES FACING EMPLOYERS

Are you interested in making the most of your ChamberNation membership portal?  Contact the chamber office for an on-=site tutorial or check out the HelpDesk portal for step-by-step instructions.

Are you looking for new employment or volunteer opportunities?  Check out the Chamber Opportunity Board!  Start a new chapter in your community!

Generations of Memories Books are available for purchase at the Chamber Office, Flowers by Dave, Heartland Office Supply, and the Buzz.
Pick up yours today!

Public Health Notice & Instructions for Consumers:

The system will be on a boil water order until Intercity Water receives test results showing that the water is safe to drink. 

What business went above and beyond during our area-wide water shortage crisis?  Contact the chamber office with your stories and we would like to profile these businesses over the coming weeks.  Thank you to everyone who worked together to conserve our local water supply!!

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Quarterly Luncheon on Wednesday.  It was hosted by the City of Benton and the presentation was done by Tom Harness.  You can check out the live feed of the presentation on the Chamber's FaceBook Group Page - this page is separate from our public Facebook Page.
Presentation Handout

The Rend Lake Water Festival Committee would like to thank everyone for their sponsorship and support of this year's event.  This year's parade was the largest in years with over 1000 participants thrilling the crowd.  The carnival was well attended with record crowds on Saturday evening.  Many of our attendees traveled to our area for the festival, and they enjoyed live music and activities we had to offer.  Many thanks to our event sponsors: Legence Bank, WQRL 106.3, US Bank, Cycle1Cycling Studio, Fifth Seasons Assisted Living, State Bank of Whittington and the City of Benton.

Check out all the Winners, Event Survey, and Information from the Event.

Join Rend Lake Fitness from 10am to 1pm on May 19, 2018 for their Grand Opening of a 24 hour access gym and will include demonstrations of CrossFit, Body Burn, and Yoga classes. There will be bouncy houses for the kids and mini competitions for prizes and fun for everyone.

The 2018 Chamber / Rotary Golf Scramble is a great day out on the links with friends to kick off the Father's Day weekend.  Be part of the event through sponsorship, goodies in the registration bags, or play in the scramble!!  Learn more here!

Golf Scramble Event Information

5 team spots are available, don't miss out to join in the fun!
Team Registration

The Rend Lake Fireworks will be taking place on June 30th, 2018.  Join us in planning this amazing event!  The first event meeting will be on May 14th at 11:30am at LaFiesta.

Too many low- to moderate-income, working parents are going without the child care help for which they qualify. Many might not know of its availability. Others might be aware of it, but wary after two years of turmoil related to the state’s budget impasse and sharp cuts in eligibility – cuts that ReadyNation and a bipartisan group of legislators and allies helped to reverse last August. So, to help increase working parents’ awareness of the child care program, we’ve developed a one-page flyer you can find at this link. It briefly describes the services available, and notes where parents can call or check online to see if they are eligible to participate.

Do you have a special announcement or product you would like to showcase?  Let us know so we can share it with everyone!  Email the chamber office information and a picture!