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November Luncheon

Join us for a Non-Profit Showcase!

We will be joined by some of our local non-profit agencies, who will share with us their newest programs, upcoming events and recent accomplishments.

Date: November 9th

Time: 11:00 am

Location: Pilgrim Firs Camp and Conference Center

3318 SW Lake Flora Road

$20 Members

$25 Non-Member

$10 Program Only - No Lunch Included

Pre-Registration Required to receive Lunch

Registration closes 10/7/23 @ 8:00am

Please register early

South Kitsap Chamber Pumpkin Pass

So far the official Chamber Pumpkin is having a blast visiting all the local businesses and experiencing new things!

Recently, pumpkin has been spotted attempting to steal an antique Ford at Re·viv·al, having a few too many at the Brick House, and engaging in mystical battles at Find the Path Books.

You can follow along on Pumpkins journey by searching #skcocpumpkinpass on your social medial platform.

By encouraging everyone to play along, we are hoping that it brings excitement to the community and promotes visibility of all our local businesses.

At the end of the month, we will give out a prize for the most creative photo/post of the South Kitsap Chamber Pumpkin.

Please join us in this fun event!

Sponsors Wanted for National Civics Bee in Kitsap County

The South Kitsap Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to announce that it will be hosting the National Civics Bee in Kitsap County in partnership with the United States Chamber of Commerce.

The National Civics Bee is a fun competition for 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students that aims to encourage and promote greater civic knowledge among young people and their families. The competition also energizes the community with a celebration of civic pride.

Students from South Kitsap have the potential win cash prizes and may even be chosen to compete at the National Finals in Washington D.C., so it’s an excellent opportunity for them to showcase their knowledge and skills.

Additionally, we are seeking volunteers, sponsors and speakers to participate in this exciting and educational experience.

Your participation in a national civics bee can be beneficial in helping

you build a positive reputation in the community by demonstrating your commitment to promoting civic education and engagement among young people, provide you with an opportunity to connect with potential customers and clients who are interested in supporting civic initiatives, and promote the relationships with local schools and educational organizations, which can lead to future partnerships and collaborations.

For more information contact the Chamber office.

Candidate Interviews Available Online

Ballots are due November 7th. We gave every local candidate an opportunity to be interviewed so that local voters can make an informed decision.

Please take a moment to go over these videos. They may give you a little more insight that what you can collect from the voters guide.

The South Kitsap Chamber of Commerce does not endorse candidates. We encourage our members and the community to be informed voters. Our goal is to provide information that can be used in making those informed decisions.

PSE Bill Discount Program

Income-eligible customers can now reduce their Puget Sound Energy (PSE) bills by up to 45% a month through the Bill Discount program.

Applying for the program is easy and only takes a few minutes to fill out the online application (no income documentation or social security number is required).

To see if you are eligible before applying, just go to pse.com/discount. By answering three questions, using the program’s widget - household size, county of residency and household income - you will instantly learn if you are eligible for an energy discount.

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Do you have a special promotion, new product, or anything else you want to celebrate, let us know. We can highlight it here in our newsletter!

WA CARES Roundtable

The WA Cares Fund will be holding a fall virtual partner roundtable event for business professionals and organizations on Monday, October 30 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

If you’re not already familiar, WA Cares is a new program that gives working Washingtonians access to long-term care coverage when they need it.

At the meeting, representatives from DSHS and ESD will share the latest program updates, provide resources, answer questions and listen to any feedback you have. A detailed agenda is attached here, along with an Outlook event you can use to save the meeting to your calendar.

Some additional notes on the meeting:

• Registration: To avoid some of the issues we have had in the past with RSVPs and calendar invites, we are trying a new process for our fall roundtable meetings. We have set the meeting up as a Zoom Webinar and you can get signed up using this registration link. After you register, you will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom details and the option to add the meeting to your calendar. Please make sure you click the button to add it, since we will not be sending separate Outlook invites for this meeting.
• Participation: We want to hear from you! These roundtables are meant to be interactive opportunities to discuss the program and get your input, so come prepared with your questions and thoughts to share. You can find our planned discussion questions in the agenda. 
• Recording and materials: To create a space where everyone feels comfortable participating freely in the discussion, we do not record these roundtable meetings. However, for those who aren’t able to join us, we will send out the presentation slides to this group the week of the roundtable.
• Next meeting: If you’re not able to attend this time, our next roundtable meeting is planned for January 2024.    

Grant Deadline Approaching

The deadline to apply to COVID Impacts Recovery Grant is November 1! This grant will provide one-time grants up to $5,000 to eligible Washington businesses and nonprofits in the arts, heritage, and science sectors to provide funding for recovery from pandemic economic impacts.

We invite you to apply and to share this opportunity with anyone who you think may be interested.

• Applications close Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.
• Learn more and apply at this link.

Questions? View the recording of our online walkthrough of the COVID Impacts Recovery Grant application. This includes a Q&A.

Special consideration will be given to our state’s most vulnerable businesses, including:

• businesses that have not received funding from certain Commerce and ArtsWA programs
• businesses owned by members of historically disadvantaged or underserved populations
• our state’s smallest businesses with gross annual revenues of $50,000 or less in the 2022 calendar year
• businesses located in one of the 15 counties identified by the state as a distressed area

Funds for this program are provided by Washington State Legislature, the Washington Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

SHARE YOUR EVENTS WITH US!!

Everyone!

Members, non-members, your club, your church, your business...

Everything!

Visit www.portorchardevents.com and share upcoming summer events

Share this link so everyone knows where to go to find or promote an upcoming event.

Head downtown and Check out the Scarecrows!