Wednesday, December 1 & 15, 2021, 4:30pm-5:30pm

Looking to network (virtually for now?) The Lafayette Chamber is hosting a networking/referral group called Chamber Connectors. Lafayette Chamber members and guests welcome! We meet twice a month, typically the first and third Wednesday of the month at 4:30pm.

If you're interested in joining this free networking group, please contact Fred Steingraf at fred.steingraf@edwardjones.com. Or simply join us via Zoom at 4:30pm!

Please join us on Thursday, December 2 to enjoy Shawn Raiford LIVE at The Hideout! There will be good music, appetizers, beer, and wine.

We will also be donating non-perishable food items to White Pony Express and will have large bins to accept donations if you wish to contribute!

$50 tickets include one Table Talk Charcuterie box and one drink ticket. Visit hideoutkitchen.com/events to purchase your tickets! ** Please note ticket purchases are for standard seating and NOT table reservations.

Festivities begin at 4pm in Lafayette’s Plaza Park, corner of Mt. Diablo Blvd. and Moraga Road. Santa is scheduled to arrive at Lafayette Plaza Park via Golden Gate Way and Plaza Way at 4:30pm on the Lafayette’s first fire truck, Old Betsy, thanks to the Lafayette Historical Society. A must-not-miss for the little ones! The official lighting of the Lafayette holiday tree is planned for 5:30 p.m.

The “It’s a Wonderful Life in Lafayette” event is presented by the Lafayette Chamber, and sponsored by local Lafayette Realtor Dana Green Team and Branagh Development, who together are also hosting the environmentally-friendly downtown Lafayette twinkle lights for the 2021 Holiday Season.

We thank our 2021 MC, Pamela Freund-Striplen, Gold Coast Chamber Players, for keeping us on schedule! We thank City of Lafayette Mayor Susan Candell for welcoming residents to the celebration.

Activities for kids will be hosted by Mindful Littles! Stop by the booth and “breathe” like your favorite animal and enjoy coloring.

Stop by the Rotary Club of Lamorinda Sunrise booth for free hot chocolate!

Lola’s Sweet Treats will be selling individually wrapped holiday cookies to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Halal Bites of Chicago will be on location with their food truck serving the following menu items, including kid's items!

Be sure to checkout the messages from our 3rd graders from St. Perpetua and Lafayette School District elementary schools!

Troop 204 will be selling their traditional holiday wreaths. Troop 204 scouts fund nearly 100% of their own activities through their annual fundraiser held following Thanksgiving through mid-December. Each fresh Oregon pine wreath is $30.00. If you wish to have a scout contact you about a fresh Oregon pine wreath from Troop 204 (with a big Mom-made bow), please click here and fill in your contact information. A scout will contact you promptly.

Additional services and donations provided by C&M Party Props, Generations in Jazz, Honey Bear Trees and Minuteman Press Lafayette.

Join the Lafayette Chamber for their Holiday Mixer honoring the history of the Lafayette Improvement Association (LIA) and the Town Hall Theatre on Tuesday, December 7, 5:30pm-7pm, at Town Hall Theatre!

This special, FREE, in-person celebration will include speeches, a ribbon cutting, live piano music by John Kiskaddon co-owner of Harper Greer, food provided by Diablo Foods, Round Table Pizza Lafayette, Local Kitchens, and Batch and Brine, no host bar and quite a lot of history!

Register here so that we can have a name badge waiting for you and a drink ready at the (no host) bar which supports the Town Hall Theatre!

Phone: (925) 284-7444

The following members renewed their membership last week, November 15-28, 2021. Curious about your membership status? Contact us.

📷 Jack and Erika Moore, co-owners of Metro Lafayette

Hooray!! The Lafayette Chamber is proud and delighted to announce that the 2021 Res Run for Education will give $42,568.75 direct to our school's organizations.

This is an exciting new record and we couldn’t be more proud of our community efforts to raise these funds for our local schools. Congratulations to all! And WOW both Lafayette and Burton Valley exceeded $9000 proving that school size isn’t always a determining factor.

Thank you to everyone who contributed in making this such a successful event. View photos here!

Hospice East Bay Tree of Lights – A Community Event to honor our loved ones.

For 35 years, Hospice East Bay Tree of Lights ceremonies have offered members of our community a way to honor the lives of their friends and loved ones. Watch the video of Jay's presentation here. You can also view the photos from the November 16 tree lighting here. Learn more at www.Hospiceeastbay.org/TOL.

On Tuesday, November 16 Lafayette's environmentally-friendly downtown twinkle lights were lit along Mt. Diablo Blvd. thanks to sponsors Dana Green Team and Branagh Development and the City of Lafayette. View photos here.

2 Girls One Plant is an immersive, eclectic plant nursery, and gift shop. Their mission is to bring the community together and to heal the world through plants. Their dream is to have a therapeutic greenhouse, where they support mental health healing, value diversity and encourage positivity. They also are known for supporting other small businesses through their Small Business Pop Up Markets, and host social events to help educate the community about botanicals. In addition to the plant shop, services also include plant care and design, plant sitting, special orders, private events and wedding plant rentals. Stop by to have a plant-astic time!

View photos and short videos from the Ribbon Cutting held on Thursday, November 18. Be sure to stop by to shop their Holiday Artisan Markets on December 4, 11, 12, 18 & 19!

Thank you for joining us at our first Community Thanksgiving Sunrise Stroll on Friday, November 19! Coffee and breakfast treats were generously sponsored by Local Kitchens, and their restaurant partner, Wise Sons.

Pastor Dan Senter of Our Saviors Lutheran Church led off the morning with a compelling speech about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Engaging warm-up stretch by Jenn Mecham owner of Unbound Training Company!

Read the Lamorinda Weekly article Sunrise Stroll at Res focuses on diversity, equity & inclusion By Sharon K. Sobotta here.

View video here. View photo here.

Criteria for the Lafayette Business Person of the Year includes:

This Giving Tuesday we encourage you to support our over 80 Non Profit Lafayette Chamber members. Learn how you can support them in our Nov/Dec issue of our Non Profit & Arts Community Email blast.

Do you want to finally learn the secrets to managing stress and overwhelm? After all we have experienced over the last 18 months, we need some powerful tools and effective plant medicine to manage stress. Sign up for this Stress Buster Summit - Interviews with top experts in the field of stress, with a Q&A to follow. You ask the experts in this free Live, One Day Event! There is also an option to buy the recordings.

Free but you have to save your seat to get access. Register here. Questions? contact Ali Stoddard, Green Alley Wellness.

You didn't get into business to learn how to manage employees or handle taxes and state regulations. You started a Health & Wellness Business because you wanted to help people. But the struggles are real. Frustration, feeling isolated with no one who understands your struggle, overwhelm, limiting beliefs, imposter syndrome... there is a lot to overcome to be more successful. You don't need more guides on how to use social media, or articles telling you how billionaires start their day. You need practical, repeatable, useful information that you can put into practice and take action on, now! You need a repeatable, operational, and cost-effective strategy to get more clients, feel good about your business, get past your struggles, and get back to the reason you started your practice or business in the first place. This book is the first step to getting back to making a difference in the lives of others. Learn more here about the book by co-author Holly Jean Jackson.

David Benet is the Volunteer Coordinator for Mobility Matters and he is also a Lafayette Chamber Ambassador. He has put together a website to let you know about all of the up and coming Chamber of Commerce’s mixers and ribbon cutting events in the Contra Costa County. If you are interested in doing more networking here is the link: https://www.mobilitymatterscc.com/upcoming-mixers-and-events/. David hopes you see you at the next Lafayette Chamber Connectors meeting on December 1.

The Lafayette Juniors is a non-profit organization made up of women dedicated to raising funds and offering service in support of other non-profits in need within the San Francisco Bay Area. 

We are excited to partner with Scout Troop 204 to kick off the season with a Holiday Poinsettia & Wreath Holiday Event! The event will take place December 4th and 5th from 9am - 4pm at the Historic Scout Cabin in Downtown Lafayette (3502 School Street, Lafayette). Festivities include a visit by Santa, holiday music, masked tours of the Historic Scout Cabin, and outdoor poinsettia and wreath sales. 

Funds raised through the Poinsettia sales will directly support our 2021-2022 beneficiaries: Futures Explored, Lamorinda Village, and White Pony Express. Proceeds raised through wreath sales will fund Troop 204's Scout activities.

https://www.lafayettejuniors.org/holiday-poinsettia-sale

To reserve a wreath, please do so here: https://www.troop204.com/wreaths

Our Holiday Open House will be in compliance with Covid standards and everyone will be required to social distance and wear a mask.  

Holiday Storytime with Bel of Bel and Bunna's Books

Celebrate the winter holidays with Bel of Bel and Bunna's Books as she shares some of her favorite stories with you!

Foodie Gift Boxes by Local Food Adventures

Local Food Adventures is extending a 20% donation to LPIE for the remainder of the holiday season! So send favorite flavors of Lafayette and the East Bay to family & friends all over the country! Local mom and Local Food Adventures founder Lauren McCabe Herpich has put together a collection of foodie gift boxes from local spots like Amphora Lafayette, Rockridge Market Hall, Oaktown Spice Shop, Papillon Quality Coffee and more! All boxes include free nationwide shipping and your message in a handwritten greeting card. Order by December 10 for guaranteed shipping in time for Christmas or select local pick-up for any last-minute gifts. Order now using this link to ensure LPIE receives credit, and the 20% donation, for your order: https://bit.ly/LFA_LPIE. 

The Lafayette Youth Commission’s holiday toy drive runs until December 10. Drop off your new, unopened toys at the Lafayette Community Center, 500 St. Mary's Road, anytime between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday thru Friday. The Toys will be donated to Toys for Tots. For more information, please call the Lafayette Parks, Trails & Recreation Department at 925-284-2232.

Lafayette Community Foundation raised more than $50,000 in October all thanks to the support of the community who attended and sponsored its Winemakers Dinner & Dance and first Fall Family Fun Fest both held at the Lafayette Library patios. Money raised will go toward LCF's 2022 Excellence Grants serving local nonprofits in the categories of Human Services, Seniors, Youth Development & Education and Arts & Culture.

Guests enjoyed exceptional wines from the Lamorinda American Viticultural Area (AVA) expertly paired with each course prepared by Wilma Lott Catering and dessert by The Avalon Diner. This year's wineries included Davidson Vineyards, Los Arabis Vineyards, Raisin d'Être Vineyards, Reliez Valley Vineyards and Thal Vineyards.

Performers from Town Hall Theatre Company entertained guests with two delightful cabaret songs and the band Other People's Money provided live music for dancing after dinner.

The Winemakers Dinner & Dance would not have been possible without the generous support of Event Sponsors: Bowles & Verna LLP, Douglas Parking, Steve Hall Tech and In-Kind Sponsors: Minuteman Press, Lamorinda Music, Gagnon's Party Rentals, Town Hall Theatre Company, BlueGoo Photography, Madplum Creative, Benefit Emcee.

In-Kind Sponsors: Zoonie's Candy Shop, Gagnon's Party Rentals, Blue Goo Photography, Steve Hall Tech. Event Staff Volunteers: Lafayette Rotary, Lafayette Historical Society, State Farm, Lamorinda National Charity League, Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. Event Venue Staff and Food: Lafayette Library and Learning Center, Local Kitchens and Halal Bites.

Bank of the West: Teller, 40hrs/week - Experience in banking is a plus, but not required. This is a Monday through Friday position (no weekends), great benefits, don’t forget the 11 paid Bank Holidays. Click Here to Apply.

Republic Services: Recycling Coordinator - The Recycling Coordinator develops and implements recycling and diversion programs and assists in the promotion of the Company’s recycling efforts. Click Here to Apply.

Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation in partnership with Orinda Books presents Meg Waite Clayton: The Postmistress of Paris

For more information visit www.LLLCF.org and follow LLLC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Would you like to include a Lafayette Chamber membership emblem on your website or other marketing materials?

The Lafayette Chamber would be happy to provide you with the appropriate logos. Simply email your request to holly@lafayettechamber.org.