- Digital Media Lab
Just a Small Town Girl
Why I Decided to Become the Chamber President
The word community gets thrown around a lot, last year when we were in the trenches of the pandemic you couldn’t even turn on the television or read a social media post without hearing the phrases, community effort, support your community, strengthen your community, and community bonds. The word gets used so often the meaning almost gets lost in translation.
At the Digital Media Lab, we would like to think we have supported and loved our community long before it became the new buzzword. We work here, we live here, we would like to respect the integrity and feel of the mom and pop shop long down the road. There could be an entire blog series about why it’s important to support your community but in short, local businesses mean a stronger tax base and better use of public services compared to nationally owned stores. This translates into better schools, transportation, and emergency response services for you and your family.
There is a reason why people are drawn to Lake Country, and even though it’s a broad term, there isn’t a bad choice when it comes to laying your roots in this area. Whether you’re raising a family, opening a new business, or just starting out, this beautiful community is not only welcoming, but the people who reside and work here are like no other. As president of the Delafield Chamber of Commerce, I see beyond the charming buildings, the small downtown vibe that is harder and harder to find these days. While no one understands better than I do that you are not “safe” anywhere, being safe and secure is often a state of mind that Delafield does very well.
Did you know living in a smaller community is actually good for you? Many studies have shown that building healthy relationships and spending time with your family, friends, and others in your community can help improve your mental well-being. Strengthening relationships both at home and within your community ultimately shapes your life. Mental health and physical health are fundamentally linked, with positive mental well-being contributing to physical conditions.
As one of the recipients of the Delafield Area Chamber of Commerce's Professional Leader of the Year award, I will tell you it’s never about the accolades. It’s so much more, it’s a deep-rooted love and passion of not only being a part of this community but leading a group of highly respected community members into something for the greater good for all of us. The Digital Media Lab prides itself on giving our community and businesses, both large and small, the tools to succeed in an ever-changing digital landscape. The good news is if you don’t have time to tackle it yourself our team of experts will gladly take over the reins and do it for you so you can focus 100-percent of your time and efforts on running your business.
Nobody can deny the challenges our world has been facing, and while things are certainly looking up, one takeaway or silver lining from the pandemic everyone should be practicing is supporting your local community. Even though things may appear to be improving for local businesses, many are still grappling with the challenges of 2020 and are still very much feeling the aftermath. Here are some easy ways to support our beautiful community.
Many restaurants are offering delivery and pickup but check for delivery options at places other than restaurants. Your local toy store, flower shop, bookstore, or clothing boutique may not have their usual storefront, but many are still providing delivery or curbside pickup.
Buy gift cards or credit for later from your favorite restaurants, stores, hair salons, spas, childcare providers, and hardware stores if you still don’t feel comfortable in person.
Share local restaurant delivery menus on your social media pages
Check with the businesses you frequently shop with. They may have altered their services to fit the temporary ‘new normal’. For example, your local cleaners now may provide a disinfecting service, or maybe a toy store is now selling homeschool supplies.
Check to see which of your services/providers are now being provided online. Therapists, tutoring, yoga, personal trainers, coaches, financial planners, lawyers, music classes for kids - all of these can be continued through videos or online conferencing.
Tip service workers extra.
Keep paying your memberships and subscriptions, even if you no longer feel comfortable attending in person.
If you or your child already paid for a class that was canceled, instead of a refund, donate that lost money to the organization.
Start a local business network where people can engage with local businesses.
If you learn of a unique promotion or idea from a local business, share it online. Because local businesses usually don’t have huge marketing efforts, their customers can help spread the word through social media.
Start an online contest / drawing for local business gift cards and services.
Attend community events and mixers. Community-wide events bring people from all walks of life together, strengthening the bonds between them. Community events also keep the money where it belongs. For every $100 you spend at locally owned businesses, $68 will stay in the community
Being the Chamber President continues to be a source of light for me, both personally and professionally, the ties that bind the Delafield community are strong and I am thrilled to be a part of it.
sources:
https://sustainableconnections.org/why-buy-local/
https://blog.perfectmind.com/the-importance-of-organizing-community-wide-events