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Dear Friend,  Memorial Day is Not Just a DAY Last Monday we took time to pay tribute to those who have gone on before us. Veterans, family members, friends and foes, each a vivid remembrance of a time when we could communicate face to face. Let those fond memories serve you each and every day as you seek new opportunities to share what matters most to you. What we have shared in the past can serve as a constant encouragement of what we can look forward to. Share something with someone today.

Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership Stakeholder Meeting That is a mouthful but this is a very important opportunity to share ideas that can directly impact funding for our area. Several times a year, CVNHP will host "stakeholder" meetings in our county to find out what matters most to us. BTW stakeholder means - YOU! To learn more about what the CVNHP funds go to GRANTS and check out the variety of grant opportunities. But more importantly - sign up for our stakeholder meeting schedule for tomorrow afternoon at the St. Albans Historical Society and Museum. People who come to this meeting get heard - Sign Up Community Matters I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about the launch of the Community Matters Breakfast Series - but I will anyway. Since the beginning of the year, I have been reading more and more about the power of community and the art of generating a valuable community asset known as "Social Capital." Just look what is happening in Swanton. As a result of people coming together in a community setting: powerful conversations are taking place, assets are being mobilized, groups are taking action -social capital is being generated - you can feel the energy.   A "Community Matters Breakfast" is one more forum for people to come together and share their excitement and concerns. Twelve people gathering for 90 minutes to open up about things that matter most to them. Can you even begin to imagine what can happen? Our parents can remember when people got together to chat - stuff happened. Our children are going to be able to say the same thing about us. Our June 4th breakfast is already sold out. Our June 10th meeting is open but won't be for long -Register Now. Later this week two more sites will be announced and we are taking reservations for more - contact us if you would like to host a site.  The Chamber Hits the Airwaves The Franklin County Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Franklin/Grand Isle Workforce Investment Board are hosting a Channel 15 television series called; "Franklin County Focus" where we feature businesses "Right Around the Corner" from you. We will begin filming this week in Swanton. Keep your eyes and ears open for when we visit your neighborhood. If you would like us to come to your business - call! Did You Know? Beginning roughly in the late '60s, Americans in massive numbers began to join less, trust less, give less, vote less, and schmooze less. A variety of technological and economical and social changes - television, two-career families, urban sprawl, and so on - had rendered obsolete a good share of America's stock of social capital. Today, a new form of social capital is on the rise - just look out your window!  Please make a Chamber membership part of your success strategy. Thank you for your continued support of the Chamber in your community.   Dave Southwick