Building a Vibrant Community Through Dynamic Partnerships | |
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Our recent episode features Mayor Eric Keckler and Mayor Elect Don Mennel!
We came, we laughed, and we closed a chapter. At the same token, we introduced a new chapter for our community. "Former Mr. Mayor meet the NEW Mr. Mayor!"
It's true, our time on the couch with Eric Keckler is officially coming to a close. There were so many projects he saw to fruition during his twelve years as Mayor of Fostoria. From infrastructure improvements to establishing Snow Queens, he's supported us all... So, the next time you see him buying bacon at Kroger, you can just walk up to him and say, "Hey Eric! Nice bacon."
And then there's Don... It will be such a big change for many of us to work alongside Don Mennel, but he brings an entirely new expertise to the role. There are big things coming up quickly for Fostoria and we definitely feel Don is the right man to facilitate and execute each item on our collective agenda.
|  | The podcast can be found on Spotify, Apple and Google. Learn more and follow Shut Up & Listen: Small Town Stories on Facebook and Instagram. | |  |
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Riding Around with Renee
The most recent episode has been released and highlights Charter Steel!
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Wood County Plays Announces Campaign to Bring Inclusive Play
Wood County Plays is pleased to announce a partnership with the city of Fostoria to build the city’s first inclusive playground at City Park. The over 14,000 square foot playground will feature state of the art equipment and innovative designs. A wheelchair accessible merry-go-round, sensory tunnel, adaptive zip line, and poured rubber surfacing highlighting the 100% accessible play space. Zone specific equipment for younger toddlers and older kids will keep different age groups engaged for family visits.
Ryan Wichman, president of Wood County Plays commented on the announcement, “Our team is excited to be renewing our commitment to bring inclusive playgrounds to Wood County. This is a play space for everyone and every family. For the first time in Fostoria, children of all abilities will be able to play side by side with their peers.”
“It is really gratifying that Wood County Plays has chosen Fostoria for their next inclusive playground. This addition to City Park along with the Splash Pad will create a wonderful destination for families and especially children. Many thanks to all who are working to make this happen,” added Don Mennel, Fostoria Council Member.
The campaign to fund the playground will combine grant funding and community donations to fulfill the projected one-million dollar budget. The city of Fostoria has already committed $50,000 dollars toward the project. The playground will be located at the site of the former community pool and adjacent to a still-to-be built splash pad. Construction for the playground is expected to begin early in 2025 with completion during the summer. A fundraiser, Night of Play, will be held in January for members of the public to come together to support this unique community project.
Wood County Plays is a not-for-profit organization run by an all-volunteer board dedicated to building truly inclusive play spaces. Additional information and media is available at wcplays.org or via email at info@wcplays.org.
You can help, learn more and secure tickets to our first fundraiser here: https://www.wcplays.org/event-details/
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Upcoming Topics:
January: Critical Care Injuries on the Upper Extremity, February: NARCAN Training, March: Mental Health Awareness for the Workplace
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The 2024/2025 Midwest Sculpture Initiative Sponsorships are now open
With your help, the Fostoria Area Visitors Bureau will bring the 7th Midwest Sculpture Initiative outdoor exhibit to Fostoria in 2024/2025. Pledges are preferred by December 1, 2023. Payment is requested by March 1, 2024. Sculptures will be in place for one year, from May 2024—April/May 2025.
FOR SPONSORSHIP QUESTIONS, contact : Michele Cochran, Community Development/Tourism Jocelyn Reinhart-Scaife, Chamber Director development@fostoriachamber.com 419-435-0486 director@fostoriachamber.com
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Ohio's Total Solar Eclipse
On Monday, April 8, 2024 residents and visitors across Ohio will experience a total solar eclipse. The path of totality will be greater than most eclipses and is expected to be about 124 miles wide and will stretch across 13 states. In Seneca County the center of totality will pass directly over Bloomville.
Fostoria will experience a total eclipse for 3 minutes 43.6 seconds. The eclipse will begin at 1:56 p.m. with totality at 3:11 p.m. Seneca County is expecting a huge influx of visitors to view the eclipse. County wide meetings are taking place and we will provide more information as the date nears.
In the meantime, we encourage business owners to be prepared for the influx of visitors and begin making plans to accommodate.
Learn more about the path of the 2024 eclipse:
Ohio Total Solar Eclipse
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Fostoria Farmers' & Artisans' Market 2024 Schedule
The 2024 Fostoria Farmers' & Artisans' Market schedule has been announced. This years schedule will have 4 Thursday Night Markets and 4 Saturday Markets.
The vendor applications are live, as well as non profit forms on our website.
For more information contact:
Jocelyn Reinhart-Scaife
Chamber Director
419-435-0486
development@fostoriachamber. com
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- Frankart Electric
- Kaubisch Memorial Public Library
- Ag Credit
- UIS Insurance
- Diversified Graphics
- Destination Seneca County
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Our members are doing GREAT things! | | |
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First Step celebrates Giving Tuesday!
The Fostoria Rotary Club gave a matching donation for Giving Tuesday, bringing the total to $2,170! These funds will be used for providing beds, mattresses, and dressers for their shelter residents!
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Holiday Social!
The Fostoria Chamber of Commerce and Fostoria Economic Development Corporation celebrated their Holiday Social for their members on December 7th! Our annual event was hosted at In the Axe, the 2023 LAUNCH Business Competition Winner. His Axe throwing business will be open in 2024.
Catering was provided by Java's Enchanted Bean.
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PC Net Techs are the January Chamber Member of the Month!
PC-Net-Techs is an Information Technology and Telecom consulting company with offices in Fostoria and North Canton, Ohio. We are a locally owned small business and because of that, we understand the importance of fixing your problem quickly so you can keep your business running. Our customers are local businesses with global issues. We work with companies with 1 to 1000 employees.
Our clients include companies in the health care, nonprofit, financial, municipality, warehousing, printing, aerospace and hospitality industries and we work with 3cx, Microsoft, Dell, Ubiquity, Fortinet, VM Ware and Synology because they offer the best solutions for your technology needs.
PC Net Techs provides one time and ongoing IT consulting and support, monitoring of desktops, laptops, servers, firewalls, switches, routers, peripherals, devices, and processes; anti-virus and anti-malware solutions; computer and desktop solutions, servers, telephony solutions and application design and maintenance.
We provide free consultations and work with client to find the best technology solutions.
For more information on PC Net Techs, call 1-833-5IT-TECH or visit www.pc-net-techs.com.
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2024 Chamber Sponsorships Available
Thank you for your support of the Chamber. With your partnership, we have been able to deliver quality initiatives, innovative projects and cost saving programs to the business community. As we continually strive for improvement, we seek to streamline our fundraising and focus on better serving you, our members.
As we move into 2024, we are offering the opportunity of Sponsorship Packages to our members again. Sponsorship packages help us to only approach you once per year when seeking sponsorships and allow you to finalize all your sponsorship and promotional details at one time.
Linked is a document, which outlines all the available 2024 Sponsorship Packages. Please review and consider signing on for a sponsorship package this year. We thank you for your past support and look forward to continuing to serve your business.
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Charitable University:
An educational forum for charities and their board members
Charities are critical in our communities. Board members have critical legal duties to ensure the effectiveness of those groups. Charitable University, a new learning platform developed by the Ohio Attorney General's Office, provides tools on some of the most important elements in leading a charitable organization: board governance, governmental filings, financial operations, and fundraising. The online platform is designed to help board members understand their legal obligations and learn the best practices for running their charities. Starting in 2023, nonprofits that apply for grants from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office are required to complete Charitable U. Register at charitable.ohioago.gov/Charitable-University.
Intro Video: https://youtu.be/Mvwb2eeUwhk
More Information: Charitable University Palm Card (ohioago.gov)
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Is there training that your workforce needs? Let us know and remember, any course may be customized to fit your needs. | |
The Fall Catalog for all courses is here! | |
Things to see & do this fall right here in Fostoria... | |
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Learn how your Chamber Membership can save you $$$
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