Keep an eye out for awesome Chamber events this March.

The Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce wants to keep you updated each month with everything that their volunteer councils have planned this year, including featured upcoming events, community programs, and business community features!

Their Councils include the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, Women’s Council, Young Professionals Council, Nonprofit Council, Government Affairs Council, and Ambassadors Council.

Upcoming Council Event Spotlight – 2022 Young Professionals Conference

Developing a new generation of community leaders.

Our 4th Young Professionals Conference is happening on March 23rd, 2022, hosted in partnership with the United Way of Wyoming Valley and our regional chambers, and presented by UGI Utilities, Inc.

This day-long conference is aimed at developing our area’s talented professionals, featuring amazing speakers in our region between the ages of 20-45. This year, with the safety of everyone in mind, we are hosting this conference virtually. The theme of this year’s conference is “Change Makers” and will feature two tracks of breakout sessions, with topics like wellness, entrepreneurship, personal finance, leadership development, innovation, and goal setting. We are excited to announce our keynote speaker for the event will be Jimel Calliste, President of NAACP Wilkes-Barre #2306 “The Diamond City Branch.” Visit our event page for more information on our speakers and to register to attend with us!

Community Opportunities – Celebrate Women’s History Month!

Highlighting NEPA’s incredible women.

Throughout the month of March, our Chamber’s Women’s Council has partnered with Dress For Success Luzerne County to highlight amazing women in our community through the Women In Power Campaign, in honor of both International Women’s Day & Women’s History Month. All of the dollars raised will go to Dress For Success Luzerne County to directly impact the lives of women who need our support most.

Throughout the entire month of March, we will be highlighting these incredible women throughout our local community. We are excited to announce that we are completely sold-out of sponsorship opportunities for March! We do still have t-shirts available for purchase, which can be found here!

Get Involved in Community Initiatives

Cultivating a culture of philanthropy.

Check out our Ignite YP Giving Program — a philanthropy program launched earlier this year through the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, The Luzerne Foundation, Leadership Northeast, and AllOne Charities, in partnership with the Chamber’s Young Professionals Network. This program introduces young professionals in the Greater Wyoming Valley to opportunities to leave a lasting impact on their community through a local giving platform and helps cultivate our next generation of philanthropists.

Participating young professionals will be able to work together to choose local nonprofit recipients for the collected funds. Donations can be made in a variety of tiers, and can come from a personal donation or crowd sourcing, or can also be turned into a match opportunity by local employers. Donation tiers allow young professionals to contribute at their financial comfort level, to create an inclusive and accessible philanthropic experience. The program hopes to raise $25,000 from community donations. AllOne Charities will be matching community donations to this program dollar for dollar. Donate here.

All contributors will be a part of the decision-making process to select the recipient of the collected funds raised. This effort will evolve into a continuous program which will be held each year for our area’s upcoming leaders.

Spotlighting Our Amazing Chamber Members

The Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber councils have also started to highlight some of the amazing small businesses and nonprofits in our community that make our area unique. The Young Professionals Council, Women’s Council, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council have three amazing organizations and their leaders spotlighted below!

Meet this month’s Young Professionals Network Small Business Highlight: Jenn Gayle Gwynn, Senior Manager of Outback Steakhouse in Wilkes Barre!

Jenn is the Senior Manager at the Outback Steakhouse in Wilkes-Barre. She says that the success of this Outback is measured by its growth in sales and profit and is the result of taking care of “Our People – which is our Outbackers, Customers, Suppliers, and our community.” Outback Steakhouse starts fresh every day to create unique flavors. Best known for award-winning grilled steaks, chicken and seafood, Outback also offers a wide variety of crisp salads and freshly made soups and sides at a great value. New creations and grilled classics are made from scratch daily using only the highest quality ingredients. Look for them online, sign up for offers and rewards, or connect with Jenn on Linkedin.

Meet this month’s Women’s Network Small Business Highlight: Diane Cowman, Director of Second Family Memory Care Center!

Second Family Memory Care Center is NEPA’s premier adult day care exclusively serving individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). In her role as the center’s Director, Diane’s goal is to ensure that they are providing meaningful interactions and stimulation in a secure and fun-filled environment. They strive to keep their members at home for as long as possible while providing their caregivers with a much-needed respite. Their care is based on dignity, love, and compassion.

Second Family Memory Care Center is located at 89 S. Washington St. in Wilkes-Barre and is open Monday through Friday from 7AM to 6PM. They welcome those interested in their services to schedule a tour of our beautiful facility by calling (570) 285-4320 or by emailing them at info@2ndfamily.org. Check out their website for more information and like them on Facebook to stay up to date with the latest news and happenings.

Meet this month’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Network Small Business Highlight: Noella Nkamjeu, Founder and CEO of RootsAfrique!

RootsAfrique means Africans Roots. Noella’s brand was founded in Philly where, she says, she “became woke.” Her brand was inspired by her love for her culture. Originally, this was something she describes growing up hating and constantly trying to erase from her identity. “It’s something I didn’t recognize the beauty in because I didn’t understand it or know my own history. So, I want to share that love with others who may not know themselves yet. Or, that do, but, I want a space where people like me can be unapologetically them. I use my brand as an outlet to bring people closer to the African culture and things going on,” says Noella.

Learn more and follow them on social media for the latest updates.