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Showing Up For Your Community


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Most of us have spent more time at home over the past year than ever before, and it has gotten hard to get back into the habit of being out in the community.

While we understand circumstances prevent many from doing more— maybe you are being cautious because of the recent increase of COVID cases, or you are feeling burnt out and need extra time at home—we encourage you to show up when you can.

The community needs you more than you may realize. Organizations are struggling to find volunteers, businesses are facing challenges, and your fellow community members miss seeing others out and about. How can you show up? We have some ideas:

Volunteer
This requires the most time and energy, but many organizations can’t function without the help of volunteers. According to Will Price of the United Way of Venango County: “Volunteering comes in all shapes and forms. You can do a one-time, handson activity, like painting a pavilion or assisting at a food pantry, or you can provide more ongoing services, like mentorship or advocacy work.”

Consider what time, talents, and interests you have and find a way you can use those in the community. The United Way has a volunteer coordinator to assist you in finding a good fit, and a website at venangoconnect.org where you can sign up for needs. FLEX also invites you to join us in volunteering at Cranberry Festival on September 18.

Spend Money Locally
Technology has made shopping easy. You can order anything from Amazon, or place your grocery order with a big box store to pick up curbside. Local restaurants and retail shops have been majorly impacted by the pandemic, though, and need support. Consider buying even one thing from a local business that you’d normally purchase online.

Attend Events
Ever plan a party and have just a few people come? It can be discouraging, especially after the time and effort spent on prepping, and excitement to spend time with loved ones. Imagine that on a larger scale, like planning a community event for dozens, or even hundreds, of people.

Attending events keeps organizations motivated to keep hosting happenings, makes our community look like a busy and fun place, and can provide funds for a cause. Just showing up to an event like a concert for an hour can make a difference.

Spread the Word
If you don’t have the ability or desire to go out, that’s okay, but you can still show up by spreading the word. Share a post about an event on Facebook, give a business an online review, or talk to friends about local happenings. You don’t have to physically be somewhere to show up.

Showing up can be hard, especially after most of us have gotten out of the habit of doing as much as we did before. Consider how you can show up in a way that is best for you, because our community needs us.

This article was published in the Future Leaders & Entrepreneurs Exchange’s (FLEX) September 2021 edition of the FLEX Your Ideas (FYI) Newsletter.

FYI Newsletter – September 2021


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For young professionals, by young professionals. This monthly newsletter is published by Future Leaders & Entrepreneurs Exchange (FLEX), the young professionals group of the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce.

Click here or the image below for a PDF of the FYI.

Find articles from the FLEX FYI on the Chamber’s blog.

Professional Development Tip: Keep On Learning


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By Natalie Cubbon, Projects Coordinator for Oil Region Library Association

When you’re consumed with work, it can be challenging to find the time to keep learning new things throughout your career. Sometimes it may not seem practical, but continuing to grow your skill set is incredibly important and can be introduced to your routine more easily than you might think!

“Why adapt? We’ve always done it this way.”
The recent global pandemic has taught us that circumstances can change very rapidly. Many businesses and organizations have been forced to adapt to these changes, introducing new modes of outreach and service delivery. When we adapt to changes, we often learn new things. We learn what works for our community and what doesn’t. Staying stagnant in your practices can be a dangerous cycle that leads to being very close-minded. Creating new practices can open up opportunities for real growth.

Podcasts & Books
Listening to podcasts are a great way to learn new things without feeling overwhelmed. If you struggle with putting time aside to introduce yourself to new skills, techniques, and points of view, popping in some earbuds while you work is an almost effortless way to keep learning. Audiobooks are just as easy to multitask with, as they’re available on your mobile device (and provided for free through your local library!).

Networking
Going to community events, mixers, and workshops can be great opportunities to network with other professionals and businesses. Networking often leads to making connections locally and provides space for thoughtful conversation. Much of my continued learning comes from attending workshops and events at the Chamber, like Tech Talks!

Try Something You Think You May Fail At
Whether it’s public speaking, creating a flyer, or giving a presentation, you’ll never know whether you’re going to be successful doing something until you try it!

If you’re not the creative type, try to create something for your business or organization using a free, online designing platform like Canva. Canva allows you to create personalized and professional quality materials in a variety of formats, and even provides easy templates and tutorials for beginners! If you like to fade into the background, try putting yourself out there more. Film a video of yourself for your business or organization’s social media platforms in order to promote or inform your audience about services. You’ll learn more about yourself, as well as your audience when you take risks!

This article was published in the Future Leaders & Entrepreneurs Exchange’s (FLEX) August 2021 edition of the FLEX Your Ideas (FYI) Newsletter.

YPs Lead Local Food Tours


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We shared a highlight of Valerie Perry and her new business A Bite of History Food Tours in April, but we’re excited to announce that another young professional is now helping lead the tours—Saxon Daugherty, our FLEX Vice President/ Secretary.

Valerie is a Cruise & Travel Director for Holland America Line and recently returned to sea after being home since the start of the pandemic. Saxon began leading the tours in July, which take place most Saturdays through October in Franklin.

Saxon also recently began a new job at The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) as safety press officer for the northwest region District 1.

Congratulations Saxon, and safe travels Valerie! Schedule your food tour at biteofhistory.com.

This article was published in the Future Leaders & Entrepreneurs Exchange’s (FLEX) August 2021 edition of the FLEX Your Ideas (FYI) Newsletter.

Students Contribute to Community


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As this summer comes to an end, students will soon return to school. Many of them spent their break working or volunteering for local businesses or organizations, benefitting both the student and the community.

Lexi Henry is originally from Knox and attends Slippery Rock University, but spent her summer as an intern at the Venango Chamber. “I wasn’t sure what to expect from this internship, but I’ve gained so much from my time here,” she shared with us.

Lexi helped with everyday tasks, like answering phones, assisting visitors,  and helping with the newsletter, but was also responsible for specific projects for the Oil Heritage Festival, including posting on Facebook, organizing the  parade registrations, and collecting donations and putting together items for the basket raffle.

“This internship meshed well with my interests of planning and managing projects and also allowed me to be part of a team and help others,” she said. “I’ve gained confidence, knowledge about the area, and learned many new computer skills, programs, and technologies.”

We asked Emily Coxson, this year’s Oil Heritage Festival Queen and incoming senior at Oil City High School, about her time at the festival:

“This experience taught me that our community is so giving, and anyone loves the chance to come together if they have the opportunity,” she said.

“It allowed me to push myself out of my comfort zone and taught me to forget about being nervous and enjoy exactly where I was in that moment.”

We also talked to Ian Hepler, who is a Cranberry High School graduate and student at Penn State University. He worked with Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps this summer, and told us:

“My summer involvement taught me that every person, regardless of where they started, where they’re headed, or where they are right now, is deserving of dignity and respect. I’ve enjoyed getting to meet so many people who have lived different experiences.”

While FLEX is focused on young professionals around the ages of 21 to 40, we’re excited to see younger people already contributing to our community.

If you get the chance, please thank students around you who are getting involved here, and encourage them to continue doing so. We wish the best of luck to those going back to school, and we hope to see you again next summer!

This article was published in the Future Leaders & Entrepreneurs Exchange’s (FLEX) August 2021 edition of the FLEX Your Ideas (FYI) Newsletter.