| Issue No. 259 Serving the Entire Business Community March 2006 | ||||
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Chamber's Annual Dinner Awards & Marketplace of Ideas
The Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner is the forum for publicly recognizing and honoring citizens who have made, by their selfless service, contributions for the betterment of our area communities; contributions that have made Plymouth a better place to live, work and raise a family. The date by which the nominations are to be submitted to the Chamber, 120 N. Michigan St., is March 31, 2006.These honors may be given to people who qualify through lifetime achievement or extraordinary contributions in the past year. A five-person committee, separate from the Chamber, will select the Distinguished Citizen based on the nominations turned into the committee. The Distinguished Citizen award will also mean $500.00 from the Chamber to be donated in their name to a charity of the winner's choice. Each award recipient will receive a plaque and another plaque will be located at the Chamber office with award winners' names posted. Nomination forms are available at the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce, Bookworm, Inc., Martin's Super Market, Sears, Treat's Squire Shop and Wild Birds Unlimited or the form here. Awards will be announced at the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner, date and location to be announced. The community is invited to attend. This year's Annual Dinner will add an event initiated during a general meeting this past November. The Marketplace of Ideas is being offered to Chamber member businesses. Ten display tables will be available for member businesses to showcase their business and speak with other members, to answer any questions or explain products and / or services. The Marketplace of Ideas is slated to take place during the social hour preceding dinner. This opportunity lends itself to both the 'vendor' and those who have not had the chance to visit the represented Chamber member business...learning more about other Chamber member businesses. We do understand that without a date and place, it is difficult to plan, but if you are interested in participating, please let us know. We will keep our call list in the order received and as soon as the date and place is set, we will call from the list to see if the date is do-able for you. We will call until we have the ten participating vendors. There is a $10 display table fee.
See the insert in this March NewsMonth.   Lindenwood 9601 S. Union Road, Donaldson; 574-935-1780; www.lindenwood.org The Lindenwood Retreat and Conference Center in Donaldson, Indiana, is celebrating its 20th Anniversary with various events throughout the year. On March 23, 2006, there will be an Organ Recital and Vocal Performance at the Ancilla Domini Chapel in Donaldson from 7-8 PM. Dr. Herman Taylor will perform various selections on the beautiful pipe organ. Dr. Taylor holds the bachelor of music degree from Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University, and the master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan. He also holds the AAGO certification from the American Guild of Organists. Dr. Taylor's wife, Vivian, will perform various vocal selections. Mrs. Taylor was a member of the New World Ensemble, the New Orleans Black Chorale, and the professional chorus, Jefferson Singers. Mrs. Taylor's selections will include "Sweet Little Jesus Boy," "Were You There," and other spirituals. Come join us for a delightful evening. Refreshments will be served following the performance. State Farm - Laurie Sutter 509 Colonial Court, Plymouth; 574-936-3405 According to demographics on the Chamber's web site, the Hispanic population in Marshall County spiked 221 percent between 1990 and 2000, leaving some local businesses at a disadvantage due to the language barrier. Understanding that it can be a challenge for an English-speaking person to communicate effectively with an insurance agent to determine insurance needs and understand available options, State Farm agent Laurie Sutter fully realized the barrier for clients with little or no English language skills. She decided to do something about it. 'I saw a need for us to be able to communicate with the Hispanic population,' she says. 'I felt like some of our Spanish-speaking clients were not getting the service they deserved because we couldn't communicate.' To better serve these clients, Sutter added Anna Flores and Erica Ramirez to her office team in early February. 'They've only been with me a short time, but they're already contributing to the quality of our customer service to our Hispanic clients,' Sutter says. 'Anna and Erica are able to speak with existing clients and potential customers on the phone, and they translate questions from the clients to us. In turn, they work with our two other team members to obtain quotes and explain available options to the client.' Sutter states that State Farm has been providing its agents with Spanish-language brochures for years. 'The brochures are detailed and provide important data, but I really feel that having a person in the office who can speak with the customers makes a big difference,' she says. 'Also, both Anna and Erica are local residents. They've lived here all their lives and graduated from Plymouth High School making their knowledge of our community invaluable.' Sutter, born and raised in Logansport, has lived in Indiana most of her life. She has been a State Farm agent in her Plymouth office for a year now. Along with Anna and Erica, her team consists of Shari Schadek and Angela Wright. 'That's right, we're an all-girl office,' she says. 'Girl Power!'. The Center for Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc. 112 S. Center Street, Suite C, Plymouth; 574-935-4511; www.centerforhospice.org Mark Murray, President/CEO of The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc. has been elected to the board of directors of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Murray will be representing member hospice organizations from the Great Lakes Geographic Area, which includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. The board of directors position carries a three year term, (renewable once for a maximum of six years). According to the Indiana Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in Indianapolis, no person from Indiana has ever served on the national hospice board. Founded in 1978, NHPCO is the largest nonprofit membership organization representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States. With headquarters in Alexandria, VA., the organization advocates for the terminally ill and their families. It also develops public and professional educational programs and materials to enhance understanding and availability of hospice and palliative care; convenes frequent meetings and symposia on emerging issues; provides technical informational resources to its membership; conducts research; monitors Congressional and regulatory activities; and works closely with other organizations that share an interest in end of life care. Hospice is a premier not-for-profit, community-based agency providing comfort and support to all people facing the end-of-life through hospice, home health and bereavement services and educating the community on end-of-life issues. Through offices in South Bend, Plymouth and Elkhart, The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care serves St. Joseph, Marshall, Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte and Starke Counties, and is Indiana's most chosen hospice program. Heartland Artists 321 N. Water Street, Plymouth; 574-935-4987; www.heartlandartists.org Solo shows presented by the Heartland Artists at the Life Enrichment Center, 1305 W. Harrison St., Plymouth for the months of: March - Youth Art Month - Vickie Cook; April - Casey Gasway; May - Ed Pullen; June - Jayne Jacobson; July - Angela Leed; August - Kay Metsker (Photography); September - Vera Tiani; October - Randy-Lynne Wach; November - Carrolyne Babcock; December - Ron Zimmerman (Photography) New Members
March 2006
March Inserts
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