October 2020 ~ Newsletter |
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Malden Chamber on the Move
The Chamber staff, Joan and Marianne, will be working remotely for the near future. We are no longer at 6 Pleasant Street, but we are available to talk, answer questions, make connections, and, when possible, visit you.
How do you reach us?
New Address for Mail:
P.O. Box 639, Malden, MA 02148
(please update your records)
Phone: 781-322-4500
Emails:
We are working hard to help our Malden business community stay strong—no matter where our desks are!
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Focus on: Malden Chamber of Commerce Education
Fall is a time when we turn our attention to “back to school” which traditionally means a return to a physical classroom. Malden has many classrooms, where educators teach multiple subjects and disciplines to people of varying ages, needs, and backgrounds. This year is different for so many of our educational institutions.
All educational institutions have had to adapt to the limitations posed by the pandemic. The two K-12 schools in the city have met the enormous challenges with creativity and resiliency. Malden Public Schools will officially open on October 13th to nearly 200 high needs students for in-person learning while Mystic Valley Regional Charter School re-organized its athletic programs, postponing the season for high contact sports while adding some new offerings. The Codivisional High School, Malden Catholic, has “committed to establishing a culture of health and has invested over a quarter million dollars in new systems and technology to ensure a successful reopening of the school.” Some of the adaptations include adding Dolby Surround Sound in every classroom and a thermal camera system for rapid temperature screening.
Malden Chamber of Commerce member, Bunker Hill Community College, with students of varying ages from many communities, has seen a trend where “many students have opted to bypass this semester yielding us a 15% decline in enrollment.” To counter this decline, BHCC will make “new sections available in early October and again in early November.” This move will also offer the student more flexibility.
Flexibility has proven critical for both the schools and the students. In some cases, flexibility has led to some long term changes that improve the educational experience. MAP Family Learning Center says that “we have gone completely online and plan to until summer of 2021. Education is an essential service, yes, but the means to educate does not need to be ‘in person’. Next year, we plan to have in person classes again, but we will keep the online component. One sliver of good news from all this has been that we have been able to serve people from across the globe.” The Immigrant Learning Center echoes MAP’s optimism when saying “being forced to everything remotely has taught us a lot about how to instruct English language learners on technology usage and will likely influence our digital literacy instruction in the future.”
We know a lot about the challenges facing the schools and students, and we must recognize the effect of the pandemic on those individuals who educate us—our teachers. Hilda Torres, Chamber Vice President, of My Little Best Friends Early Learning Center, reminds to teachers to stay healthy themselves. “Often the educator’s job is to take care of others but often forget to take care of themselves.”
The next newsletter will profile our members in the manufacturing industries.
The next newsletter Focus On will profile Malden Chamber of Commerce’s manufacturering industries.
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The Malden Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors recently helped the residents of sister city, Malden, Washington, which was devastated by wildfires over Labor Day. Answering a call made by the Lions Club of Malden, and the Malden (MA) Fire Department, the Chamber Board generously donated gift certificates to be used by the residents of Malden, Washington, in their re-building efforts. |
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In celebration of “back to school”, the Malden Chamber of Commerce is pleased to share the news that two Malden students received $500 Chamber of Commerce scholarships to be used for their college education. The students, one from Malden High School, and one from Mystic Valley Regional Charter School, both were active and accomplished members of their high school communities. |
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Does anyone have a copy of Maldenopoly? A resident is looking for this game. Contact the Chamber if you know where to buy one. info@maldenchamber.org.
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Congratulations to our Year of Dining Winner! Linsey Wyman, owner of Minuteman Press of Malden, is the lucky recipient of 52 Gift Cards to Malden Chamber member restaurants. This raffle was made possible by the generous sponsorship of East Cambridge Savings Bank and J Malden Center.
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Chamber Choices
Each month, the Chamber will randomly choose a member to profile.
This month, we chose Hub Starters, a full service car and light truck repair shop in Malden. When the owner, Lou Farkas was asked why choose Hub Starters for your car repair, he answered: “What sets us apart is education and always updating our equipment and information. I am an ASE certified master technician, state registered repair technician, with a four-year college degree from Northeastern University, and a one-year degree in automotive. (I attend) many information seminars (to remain current.) (My) most notable success is (we are) still here for 38 years with (son) Brian continuing for many more. Brakes, front end, starters and alternators, (as well as) state inspection are probably our most popular (services)."
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One of the greatest benefit of your Chamber membership are the connections you make. A new feature of our newsletter, Chamber Connections are stories of how Chamber membership has helped forge strong relationships. In this first article, Terry Holmgren of Triangle, Inc. tells how he made a valuable introduction because of his “Chamber Connection.” Terry writes “the Malden Chamber was kind enough to connect me with Maureen at RD Management. From this meeting we have partnered with RD Management on the new Janitorial Skills Development program. Our participants from Triangle now have the opportunity to learn custodial skills in a real life situation at the RD Management 6 Pleasant Street site. I appreciate the efforts from Joan and the Malden Chamber to promote businesses in Malden, while offering a chance for collaboration as well. “
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Despite the pandemic, the work of Bread of Life doesn’t slow up. Did you see this article in the Boston Globe? As food insecurity soars. Bread of Life looks to break ground on new Malden building. Click here to read more.
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The Malden YMCA is offering many types of assistance to the community. Please visit www.ymcamalden.org and click COVID-19 Resources.
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Remember to check our website, www.maldenchamber.org, for a list of resources to help during the Covid crisis. The City of Malden also has a list of resources to help the business community. Visit www.cityofmalden.org.
SCORE
Our SCORE volunteer is still offering free business consulting services to the Malden Chamber of Commerce members. This valuable service is offered five days per week via Zoom.
- Both clients and mentors are much safer from the virus by everyone being at home.
- Everyone can still be seen and communicate easily
- With the new 5 day/week availability, we make it easier for the clients to meet on their schedule. And we can see more clients more often.
- Clients save time by no longer having to drive to Century Bank in Malden
- We have been thoroughly briefed on the new Federal Small Business Assistance Programs
- With Zoom, it is easy for both clients and mentors to share online documents
To set up an appointment, please call Dennis Assad at 617-901-5373
Massachusetts resources:
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Malden Chamber of Commerce
781-322-4500
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Subscribe to the Malden Chamber of Commerce Newsletter
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