Olney Maryland Chamber of Commerce News Flash - December 5, 2011

[Howard Hartman]

December 5, 2011 Holiday Mixer-RSVP Today! Don't miss the Olney Chamber's Annual Holiday Mixer to be held this Thursday, December 8 from 6-9:00 p.m. at the Norbeck Country Club. Bring your business partners and/or spouse to enjoy appetizers, drinks, networking, and door prizes. The event is free with Norbeck Country Club graciously hosting the event. The jazz band "Vintage" will keep us entertained during the event. Stop by to see which two Chamber members are part of this great ensemble. Please RSVP today by calling the Chamber office at 301.774.7117 or emailing chamber@olneymd.org. If you would like to donate a door prize for the event call the Chamber. Donations toward the Chamber Scholarship Fund will be accepted during the event. Norbeck Country Club is located at 17200 Cashell Road, Rockville. Holiday Message Dear Chamber Members,   It is the season of thanks and celebration so it is only fitting that we thank and celebrate you, our members, for all you have done to help support and grow our Chamber. You make everything possible: your dues fund educational programs and member services; your event sponsorship supports scholarships and the police satellite facility; your participation in events, meetings and committees extends our reach and infuses our creativity and your patronage of member businesses strengthens not only our voice, but our community as a whole. So, on behalf of the Olney Chamber Board and our wonderful executive director, Virginia Mauk, thank you!   We look forward to another productive and successful year! Our goals focus not only on growing Chamber membership, and the programs and services we offer, but to grow our Chamber from the inside-out, as well.    During our annual planning retreat, the Chamber Board took the initiative to look not only at what we do for our members, but how we do it. Taking a page from BoardSource, a Washington DC based 501 C 3 non- profit organization whose mission is to advance the public good by building exceptional nonprofit boards and inspiring board services, the OCC Board discussed the “Twelve Principles of Governance that Power Exceptional Boards.” We asked ourselves, “are we as a Board adding value our Chamber and are we making a difference in advancing the Chamber’s mission.” Thought provoking, to be sure! It was a great discussion and as president, I’m truly grateful for the Board’s candor and untiring commitment to the success of our Chamber. While pleased with the Chamber’s growth, we realized two particular areas where we can do more for our members: 1) to foster a culture of inquiry and 2) to commit to revitalization.   BoardSource suggests that “a culture of inquiry, mutual respect and constructive debate leads to sound and shared decision making.” That inspired a desire to increase information sharing among the Board and OCC members – more visits, more surveys, more updates and more communication via social media and other online tools . Count on us to reach out to you even more and we invite you to attend a monthly Board meeting (they’re held on the first Wednesday of every month at 7:30AM in the Community Room of the Buffington Building), send updates for the weekly e-newsletter, post on the OCC Facebook and Linkedin pages and let us know how you felt about Chamber events you have attended.   BoardSource also says that “exceptional Board energize themselves through planned turnover, thoughtful recruitment and inclusiveness.” We are incredibly fortunate to have a dedicated Board of long-time friends who can always be counted on to step up and work on behalf of our Chamber, but for the future of our organization, it is vital that new voices be heard as well. Please join us! Join a committee, host or attend a Biz Buzz and consider serving on the Board. You can help us grow now and into the future!    Our goals are ambitions, but we know we can reach them – thanks to you and your continued support and participation.   Thank you, again. Wishing you a happy Holiday Season and a healthy and prosperous New Year! Pam Spears Olney Chamber President Announcements: Win a Free Ad: Receive Maryland’s latest business & political headlines every Tuesday morning. Sign up today for The Gazette of Politics and Business’ free weekly e-letter and you’ll also be entered to win a free online ad! Sign up today! Train & Doll Show: The Sandy Spring Museum welcomes the public to the annual train and doll show, December 3-11, visitors can enjoy model trains, including Thomas the Tank Engine for the littlest ones and wonderful N-scale and larger displays for adult railroad enthusiasts. Surrounding the trains, visitors can revel in an exceptional handmade dollhouse display organized by Forever Friends miniatures in Olney.  Forever Friends has generously donated a finished dollhouse, ready for you to furnish, which the Museum will raffle off during the show. Get your raffle tickets at the Museum when you come to see the trains and dollhouses. The Museum will be open extra days for the Train and Dollhouse Show – Visit us Monday-Friday, every day, 10-4, and Sat/Sun 12-4.   Admission is $5/adults and $3/youngsters and seniors through the week. For more information call 301.774.0022. Extended: The Olney Theatre Center just announced the extension of "The Christmas Carol" through Jan. 1 and "The Sound of Music" through Jan. 15. To get your tickets today for both of these great shows click www.olneytheatre.org. The Fighting Barry: There will be a fundraiser at the Greene Turtle on Dec. 6 in memory of a Brookeville resident who recently passed away from lung cancer. His daughter created a foundation The Fighting Barry - www.fightingbarry.com in his name and held a 5K earlier this year, raising almost $80K. The all-day event at the Turtle, will include bagpipers, a live band, performances by the Duffy School of Irish Dance and the Hip Hop Mamas, and Steve Abramson of Abramson Entertainment as the DJ. Lung cancer is the leading killer among cancers for both men and women? In 1987 lung cancer surpassed breast cancer as the #1 killer among cancers for women, yet it’s an underfunded cancer - for every $9 raised for breast cancer research, only $1 is raised for lung cancer research. For any questions or further info regarding this event, please contact Sharlene Monroe @ sharlene@LNF.com or 301.648.2025. Our mailing address is: Olney Chamber of Commerce 3460 Olney-Laytonsville Road Olney, MD 20832 Copyright (C) 2011 Olney Chamber of Commerce All rights reserved.