Celebrating 100 Years!
Dear Members,

As we near the end of 2020, the Chamber’s Centennial Year, we reflect on what our community has been able to endure and accomplish with pride, gratitude, and admiration. Never did we expect the Chamber’s 100th anniversary to occur during a pandemic. While we were not able to celebrate with you all as planned, we maintained and strengthened important relationships with businesses from every industry throughout Greater Newport, in continued long time support, and in new ways as we’ve navigated through an unexpected crisis.

Technical Assistance in coordination with the State of RI has become a focus in offering guidance with grant and loan applications, bookkeeping services, a suite of business development programs and services, coordinated outreach, and widespread distribution of PPE, heating equipment, and reimbursements to hundreds of businesses. Our marketing and communications are reaching more people than ever and our recent Shop Local initiative, Shop Greater Newport, has launched with the goal of promoting our retail and hospitality industries at this crucial time and into the future. Focused data collection and action plans have been ongoing through Restore Greater Newport, our economic recovery and resilience task force, and advocacy has been ongoing at the state and local levels. While we recognize the long road ahead, we remain steadily focused on working for the entire business community in these unprecedented times and continue on the path of resilience, recovery, growth and success.

As our reach and impact has become even greater, our inability to hold in-person events has had an adverse impact on the organization. Therefore, in lieu of our Annual Auction and Dinner event this year, which helps to support Chamber operations and the delivery of services and programs for the region, we are appealing to our members for end of year contributions. Please consider making a donation to the organization to support the important work we do in helping local businesses navigate through this economic crisis and our efforts to assist with a quick recovery.

A donation to the Chamber not only directly supports our ability to offer local businesses valuable programming, marketing opportunities, advocacy, and support -it benefits the community as a whole. We hope you will join us in wishing the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce a Happy Centennial and consider making a donation to help us continue our mission to Advocate, Innovate, Enhance, and Connect for the next 100 years.
 
Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to continuing to work with you and on your behalf in the coming years.

Sincerely,

Erin Donovan-Boyle
Executive Director