By Beth Offenbacker, Waterford, Inc.
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On January 23, I attended Chamber Day in Richmond for the first time with Scott Pedowitz, Kate Bates, and several of my fellow Chamber members. We joined with fellow business leaders and numerous Chambers of Commerce for a day of outreach to our elected officials on business issues. This day was a great opportunity both to see the policy process unfold while the legislative session is underway, and to experience first-hand the Chamber’s activities in building awareness of business issues among legislative representatives in our state capitol.

By Linda Kelleher, Culpepper Garden

As we observe Martin Luther King Day of Service on January 21, I wanted to share one of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s most important quotes, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”

Like the 100+ Arlington-based nonprofits who are members of the Arlington Chamber Community Action Committee, Culpepper Garden is participating in Martin Luther King Day of Service organized by Volunteer Arlington.  In fact, Culpepper Garden thrives on volunteer engagement! Our senior community welcomes over 450 volunteers each year to provide programs and activities that encourage health, wellness, and social interaction in our 340-unit apartment community. Culpepper Garden welcomes volunteers of all ages to entertain and engage, help residents maintain their gardens or help with fundraising event – frequently or once-a-year.

While we encourage all business and community partners to be involved in Martin Luther King Day, we want to encourage a year-long commitment to volunteerism. For example, the team at Doubletree Crystal City have both entertained and helped at our annual fundraiser, brings joy and music each holiday season by engaging residents in a sing-along, and have also volunteered at our Annual Springtime Party each June to serve wine, beer, and other beverages.

Culpepper Garden, owned by nonprofit Arlington Retirement Housing Corporation (ARHC), is the largest community in Arlington providing affordable housing for people over age 62 and the only one in Northern Virginia that provides affordable assisted living. “Our residents can truly age in place,” said Executive Director, Linda Kelleher, “and our promise is that we will continue to provide assisted living care, even after residents have exhausted their financial assets.” If you are interested in helping to brighten the lives of older Arlingtonians, contact us at mscott@culpeppergarden.org. 

This post is part of the Chamber’s Nonprofit Spotlight. The Chamber has over 100 nonprofit members, and we invite them to contribute to the Chamber blog as a way of connecting with the broader membership. If you are interested in contributing a Nonprofit Spotlight post, please reach out to Scott E. Pedowitz, Government Affairs Manager, at spedowitz@arlingtonchamber.org.

By Mekita Rivas, VIDA Fitness

​The beginning of the year is often filled with lots of promise and lofty ambitions for the weeks and months ahead. People are making resolutions, identifying priorities, and devising action plans to reach their goals. But there’s much more to goal-setting than simply sitting down and writing (or typing) them out. How you set goals is actually just as important, if not more so, than the goals themselves. 

“Anyone creating a goal needs to go into it understanding that they should break down the goal they’ve established into smaller goals,” explains Erik Strouse, general manager at VIDA Fitness The Yards. “People often set a main goal, and it can be too difficult or too out of their reach to keep.” 

By Jay Reiner, Jay E. Reiner CPA, PLLC

​The Ambassador Committee works to strengthen the Chamber membership by making every member feel welcome at Chamber events and encouraging them to become involved. This amazing group of volunteers are the first Chamber members many of us meet, and are always friendly faces throughout our memberships.

​All new members are given an Ambassador to the Chamber when they first join. Our Ambassador Committee looks to reach out to new members in their first year, serving as an additional resource as long time Chamber members. Ambassadors serve as a trusted voice to new members on how to maximize the Chamber membership, based on the objectives of the new member, and also look to greet new members at upcoming Chamber events.

To get to know your Ambassadors better, this is the first in a series of Ambassador Spotlights. This month, Jay Reiner, CPA.