The Chamber has been a big advocate of the Regional Cities program since its inception. From the beginning business leaders recognized the importance of working together across the region and the value that quality of place improvements could provide to regional efforts to grow the economy. This summer we’ll see construction on many of those projects begin as almost $700 million in improvements are planned.

The business community is excited about another collaborative effort set to happen next month in St. Joseph County; that is Give Local St. Joseph County on Tuesday, May 9. On that day over a 24-hour period, 67 charities will benefit from the generous donations of the community together with $2.4 million in matching funds! A similar effort in 2015 attracted 5,487 donors who contributed more than $6.7 million.

The dollars raised will enhance other quality of place improvements like those happening with the Regional Cities program. Among those organizations participating this year will be organizations that offer local events and programming related to things like Arts & Culture, Camps, Parks & Recreation, Community Development, Education, Health & Human Services, and Youth Development.

The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County is leading this effort. Their mission is to build permanent resources for our community, Give Local St. Joseph County is designed to support local charities now and from now on. How? By passing through 75% of net dollars raised for each charity to support current programming, and by placing the other 25%—plus generous matching funds—into each charity's permanent endowment, increasing the annual support it receives year after year.

The help of you and your business is critical to this effort. I encourage you to get involved and to take advantage of this unique opportunity to benefit key nonprofit organizations working to improve the quality of life in our community. The 2015 effort was one of the tops in the country. Though there is no similar competition this time around, there is an opportunity to once again show others the generosity of this community.