CHAMBER CHARITIES AND GIVING BACK
The chamber participates in various fund raisers for non-profit organizations by gifting chamber bucks for raffles and donating door prizes for events. We donated $100 Chamber Bucks to Tailgate for Cancer and also to the Jersey Poff Foundation. We also donated a door prize for Heritage Trails Park District, St Marys Band and the Lake Improvement Association.
The Chamber recently participated in Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child in which we packed 6 shoe boxes full of toys, hygiene items and school supplies for children around the world that are in need. The boxes will be distributed to children in various poor countries and we will be able to track the boxes so once we know where the boxes are distributed, we will announce the countries that received them!
We offer a scholarship for High School Seniors and current college students from St Marys. The scholarship is the St Marys Chamber/SummerFest Community Service Award. The scholarship is listed with all the community scholarships on the common application. The scholarship is also recognized at the SummerFest Little Miss Pageant. The scholarship is in memory of Dave Masonbrink and Jersey Poff. Dave served on the SummerFest committee since its inception in 1983 and also served on the Heritage Days committee before SummerFest. Dave chaired these events twice. Jersey was our Little Miss SummerFest in 2019 and she sang the National Anthem at SummerFest in 2022 and 2023. Both Dave and Jersey embraced volunteerism and had a spirit of giving.
Our 2024 St. Marys Chamber/SummerFest Scholarship recipient was Brian Speckman, 2024 graduate of Memorial High School. Brian attends the Ohio State University. In 2025, we gave out two scholarships, one to Raymond Walter, a current University of Cincinnati student and to Zara Spees who is a 2025 Memorial High School graduate attending Kent State University.
We donated $500 to the St Marys Memorial High School Band Uniform fundraiser! We also donated $250 to the Memorial 5k Walk, Run or Ruck on September 7, 2024. Benefits the Roughnecks Bravo Company 837th BEB 37th IBCT. In 2025, we donated to the Kiwanis Pancake Day and to the victims of the building collapse in St. Marys.
The St. Marys Area Chamber of Commerce are members of the St. Marys Rotary, Grand Lake Visitors Center, SMART and the St. Marys Kiwanis. We participate and help with these organization's various events some of which include the Rotary Halloween Parade, SMART's HallowNeon Night and the Christmas Parade, Kiwanis Pancake Day and Walk With Nature. The Executive Director is on the board of the Grand Lake Visitors Center and helps them with marketing.
St Marys Area Chamber of Commerce donated $1455 to Goodfellows from admission proceeds for their Puck-i-huddle Fall Craft Show on November 3, 2024!
Old microphone from 40's or 50's donated to the St. Marys Theater October 2024!
Pictures from Walk With Nature - October 2024
Donated $1294.86 to Goodfellows from admission proceeds from Puck-i-huddle fall craft show
