INSIDE

Chamber offers to be clearing house for Point Roberts

At their annual general meeting on November 20 the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce offered to play a new role in the community.
“I’m going to volunteer the Point Roberts Chamber as a hub,” said president Pamala Sheppard. “Our focus is to promote unity with all local organizations.”

In the coming year Sheppard said she was inviting every local group with a project or a concern to come to the chamber and see if other local organizations were interested in teaming up, starting now.

Six local groups and individuals made presentations at the November 20 meeting, asking for support for projects ranging from the voters association’s petition drive for an appeal process for the NEXUS program to Craig Jacks’ fledgling effort to provide free firewood to needy families over the winter.

Henry Rosenthal, who spoke on behalf of the Point Roberts Emergency Prepared-ness Committee, the food bank and the voter’s association, applauded the chamber’s efforts. “We have a number of organizations who try and assist in solving problems but we tend to be somewhat fragmented,” he said. He suggested the chamber invite the executives of all the local community groups to a planning meeting. “Let’s see if we can develop solutions,” he said.

Samantha Scholefield, organizer of the December 1 community holiday dinner and craft fair, a fundraiser for the local food bank, suggested groups meet to develop a calendar of proposed events or fundraisers so they wouldn’t overlap. “That allows everybody to pitch in with everyone else’s events,” she said.

Sheppard said any effort that aimed to help the community thrive would help chamber members. “When our community is a better place to live that has everything to do with business.”