We'd like to welcome some new faces to our Board of Directors for 2021. Their service is greatly appreciated and we look forward to working with everyone as the new year gets underway!

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Chairman of the Board: Melissa Richards – Liberty Dayton Regional Medical Center.

Vice Chairman: Tyler Jackson – First Vice President / Lending, First Liberty National Bank (Dayton).

Secretary Treasurer: Andrew J. Landry – District Manager, Clearent Card Processing.

Past Chairman: Candy Rucka – Individual Member.

DIRECTORS

Anthony Landry – Harvest Event Center (Liberty).

Ken Coleman – Arrow Realty (Liberty).

Johnny Jarolik – General Manager, Sam’s Distribution Center (Dayton).

Sheila Zacharias – Owner, Resale Shack (Dayton).

Jimmy Hardin – Owner, Hardin Family Funeral Home (Houston).

Lori Lowe - Owner, River Rock Resort (Dayton).

Farrah Harper - Attorney, Liberty County Attorney’s Office (Liberty).

Daisy Bordeau – Manager, Allison Funeral Service (Liberty).

Nan Headrick – Owner, Superior Storage (Dayton).

Kinsey Windham - Office Manager, Dayton Electric Co. (Dayton).

Brandi Taylor – Vice-President, Tayco Farms LLC (Dayton).

Stephanie Blume – Owner, City Florist of Liberty (Liberty).

Tiffany York – KSHN (Trinity Valley Broadcasting) (Liberty).

Dave Chessher – Shoppa’s Farm Supply (Liberty).

Due to ongoing issues with the pandemic, we are currently planning our annual Chamber Awards Banquet sometime soon after February. When details are finalized we will let everyone know through the regular channels (media, Facebook, website).

CASA of Liberty and Chambers Counties worked diligently in 2020 to ensure that every child in our community, who experienced the trauma of abuse and neglect, was supported by a trained and dedicated CASA volunteer. We were able to hear their stories - more than 200 of them, because they had a person committed to standing with them, helping them navigate an already overwhelmed foster care system. One such story was about one of our most committed volunteers, Gail.

Gail was CASA volunteer for Kyle, a teen who had been in the foster care system most of his life and lived in 40 different homes. He had no contact with family members. Gail did her own due diligence working befriending some of Kyle’s family who lived in a different state on social media. Through those connections, she used her own resources to attend a family reunion that led her to finding a distant relative interested in giving Kyle a home! Always leaving a placement too soon to be able to play sports, Kyle was delighted to finally be able to play baseball at his new high school this year. His life is forever changed because of Gail’s commitment.

There are still more stories like that of Kyle that CASA can impact. Right now, our community is in crisis – in the past 3 months, 37 children were removed from their homes needing safety and protection and were assigned to CASA volunteers. That is DOUBLE the number of children typically assigned in that time same period of previous years.

While our program is making a profound impact in this community and in the lives of the children we serve, as greater and greater numbers of children come into care, we are keenly aware that increased needs cannot met without your support! These children need YOU! Please join the many heroes helping our communities’ most vulnerable children, children in crisis. Give them the gift of advocacy, ensuring they have someone fighting for their best interest! You can be certain that an investment in CASA of Liberty and Chambers will be applied to the highest level of need.

The following infographic shows our 2020 impact:

Click here to learn more about becoming a CASA volunteer. Click here to donate.

Liberty, TX | Ph. 936.256.5777

frontlinerepair.com

2214 N. Main Street

Liberty, TX | Ph. 713.870.9650

Facebook Vivi's Notary Service

1930 CR 2291

Cleveland, TX | Ph. 936.402.5022

Facebook @LSFandSLLC

818 Milam | Liberty, TX | Ph. 281.804.4071

www.vagaro.com/jannasplace | Facebook Jannas Place

Sweet's Cakes & Catering has announced they have closed their storefront in Hardin, but will continue to focus on providing wedding cakes to customers. They can be reached on Facebook at sweetscakes4u.

To all our wonderful volunteers, LISD cafeteria workers, clients and our South Liberty County Meals on Wheels supporters, we want to “thank you.”

Also, we want you to know that we have been truly humbled by the out-pouring of your kindnesses and love toward those elderly in our area who have been unable to leave their homes/prepare meals due to age, illness and/or disabilities.

Due to each donation of time, gifts, countless thoughtful gestures, we have been able to not only feed our clients one hot meal five times a week but have been able to be a safety check for those who normally do not see another person all day.

Your gifts of time, financial aid large & small, and goods have enabled our non-profit to succeed during extremely hard financial times of a pandemic. We have felt your prayers, seen your tears, and have understood your vision for the communities that we all call home.

Thank you all for being a part of our team!!

GRACE Board of Directors

Due to concerns with the ongoing pandemic and the increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases in the county, the annual Liberty Jubilee normally held in March has been canceled for 2021

Clearent Payment Solutions is a credit card processing company and a member of our chamber.

When a business, referred by a Chamber member, converts their payment processing to Clearent, the company (Clearent) will pay a percentage of that businesses' processing cost to the Liberty-Dayton Area Chamber. The business will be saving money and at the same time, the Chamber will be adding revenue. This is at no cost to the business owner (and a lower percentage rate).

Send e-mail to alandry@clearent.com with the business and contact's name, phone number or e-mail. In the subject line, state "LDACC referral". That is all that is needed. Once approved, the Chamber begins increasing revenue. In addition, Clearent will provide a free terminal to each referral. They will get next day funding and an online tracking portal. Please direct questions to Andrew J. Landry at 832.322.6948.

Please note: The information provided in this newsletter is subject to change after release. We will provide updated information regarding Chamber events through any or all of the following resources: our website, e-mail to members, and social media.

Past issues of our newsletter can be accessed here on the Chamber website. Copies are kept online for a period of one year.