Ugh, 2020.
In a normal year, over 350 people would be gathering in Nora Mayo Hall to celebrate another successful year in our community, businesses and at the Chamber during our Celebrate Winter Haven - Annual Meeting and Banker's Cup Awards event.
But as we know 2020 is far from normal and, this year, to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep our local businesses open and thriving, we, sadly, have to make the tough decision to pivot one of favorite events and most successful fundraisers. But there is still so much to celebrate in the past year that instead of just one night we are planning a month-long virtual celebration!
So I introduce to you a modified "Celebrate Winter Haven" event this year called "Celebrate Winter Haven - 30 Days of YAY!"
But as we know 2020 is far from normal and, this year, to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep our local businesses open and thriving, we, sadly, have to make the tough decision to pivot one of favorite events and most successful fundraisers. But there is still so much to celebrate in the past year that instead of just one night we are planning a month-long virtual celebration!
So I introduce to you a modified "Celebrate Winter Haven" event this year called "Celebrate Winter Haven - 30 Days of YAY!"
The Campaign & Event
Kicking off on October 1 and running through the month of October, we will focus on celebrating all the good that has happened in the community over the Chamber's last fiscal year, October 1, 2019 - September 30, 2020. By utilizing our digital platforms, our social media reach and by partnering with our media sponsors, we will be actively applauding our community’s strength and resiliency and some major milestones over the past year for Winter Haven and for you, our members.
We will wrap up the 30 Days of Yay! with a virtual celebration on October 30 from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. During this luncheon, we will celebrate the community, our volunteers, the many milestones from the last year, pass the gavel from outgoing Board Chair Artie Renee Pobjecky of Pobjecky & Pobjecky LLP Global Immigration Law to 20-21 Board Chair Robert Loftin of Citizens Bank & Trust, and so much more. You can purchase your tickets to this virtual event here.
As I mentioned, the annual Celebrate Winter Haven event does serve as a substantial fundraiser for us so if you would like to help lift the community's spirit and help us get through this trying time, consider sponsoring the 30 Days of YAY! Please reach out to Ana at ana@winterhavenchamber.com to find out more or take a look at the sponsorship levels here.
We will wrap up the 30 Days of Yay! with a virtual celebration on October 30 from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. During this luncheon, we will celebrate the community, our volunteers, the many milestones from the last year, pass the gavel from outgoing Board Chair Artie Renee Pobjecky of Pobjecky & Pobjecky LLP Global Immigration Law to 20-21 Board Chair Robert Loftin of Citizens Bank & Trust, and so much more. You can purchase your tickets to this virtual event here.
As I mentioned, the annual Celebrate Winter Haven event does serve as a substantial fundraiser for us so if you would like to help lift the community's spirit and help us get through this trying time, consider sponsoring the 30 Days of YAY! Please reach out to Ana at ana@winterhavenchamber.com to find out more or take a look at the sponsorship levels here.
Share your YAY!
I also pose this question to you; "What's Your YAY! of the past year?" As we curate the content for the 30 Days of YAY campaign, I would love to hear from you about something that happened in your business in the last year, how your business helped the community get through this crisis, or a milestone or new development your business celebrated in the last year. Submit your "YAY" with a description, photos or videos on the form below or to Katie@winterhavenchamber.com.
The Personal 30 Days of YAY Challenge
So our Chamber page will be business and community-focused, but I think we can all agree that the entire internet needs 30 Days of YAY this year now more than ever. So let's make this a viral movement and accept the Challenge to post a YAY a DAY from October 1 - October 31 using the hashtag #30DaysofYAY.
So our Chamber page will be business and community-focused, but I think we can all agree that the entire internet needs 30 Days of YAY this year now more than ever. So let's make this a viral movement and accept the Challenge to post a YAY a DAY from October 1 - October 31 using the hashtag #30DaysofYAY.
What about the annual Banker's Cup Man & Woman of the Year Awards?
The Banker's Cup Award is Winter Haven's highest honor. When the award is given each year it is truly an immense moment for the recipient as well as their family. After consultating with past winners and Winter Haven's historian, our Board of Directors felt it would take away from the 2020 recipients to give the awards virtually. So similar to the WWII years, we will not award the Banker's Cup awards this year. We will asterisk this year as a global pandemic for the history books and pick back up in 2021.
Thank you to our Celebrate Winter Haven: 30 Days of YAY Sponsors
*Political Advertisement, paid for and approved by Sam Killebrew, Republican, for State Representative, Dist. 41
