The Chamber is going to spend July gearing up for the many events in the fall of this year.

In August we will be offering the Leadership Clinton Sampson development program. This is an eight month program designed to provide leaders broad exposure to issues and opportunities facing Sampson County as well as meet our need for the active involvement of diverse, informed and responsible leaders.

The program year begins in August with a retreat and ends in May with a graduation program. One day each month between September and April is devoted to exploring a specific aspect of Sampson County: Agriculture, Economic Development, Criminal Justice, Local Government, State and Federal Government and Health and Human Services. Look for the brochures coming soon, and with only 12 spaces available each year, I encourage you to submit your application today.

We will also be starting the beginning stages of our Chamber Coat Closet. The Coat Closet Project began in 2010 as a program to assist those in need each winter. The coats are donated by individuals and organizations, and dispersed through a variety of partnerships throughout Sampson and surrounding counties. While the majority of the families served are residents of Sampson County, the project will assist any family that requests a coat from this initiative. The Chamber Coat Closet’s goal is to meet the needs of families who are not financially able to provide warm coats for themselves and their children. It is hard to think about coats in July, but this is a project that is severely needed in Sampson County.

Please join us Monday, July 11, for our Member of the Week. We will be celebrating Gregory T. Griffin, Attorney at Law at 10:30 a.m. Come on out to 211 East Main Street in Clinton.

We are very excited for all of the events coming in the fall and greatly encourage you to get involved. If you have any questions about these events or about the Chamber please contact us at 910-592-6177 or email us at [email protected].

Kaitlin Norris is the executive director of the Clinton-Sampson Chamber of Commerce.

By Kaitlin Norris

Contributing columnist

https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_Kaitlin-Norris-1.jpg