Year in Review Liberty County Chamber/CVB in a COVID-19 World
By definition the Chamber of Commerce is a membership-based organization that helps educate and network local businesses within the county. To the community, the Chamber is a friend, a guide and family. Throughout the year, we put on many events, contests and so much more for those who live within and even outside of our county. During the outset of the pandemic we saw our community start to panic, and we stepped in to be a resource and a friend. We want to share how we helped support our community during COVID-19. Here is the year in review: Liberty County Chamber/CVB in a COVID-19 World.
Easter Parade
Our own CEO Leah Poole volunteered to dress up like the Easter Bunny for a socially distant Easter in the Midway area. It was definitely very hot that day, but the children needed a little pick-me-up and it definitely worked.
Farmers Market Subscription Box
We created an easy way to support local farmers, vendors and artisans during the start of the pandemic when local businesses were suffering the most. We sold and handed out 200 farmers market subscription boxes a week for 8 weeks to members of the community. This helped keep local bakers, crafters and more afloat.
Parade for Providers
“Parade for Providers” was a socially distant way to show our local medical providers that we appreciate and support them. We encouraged people to decorate signs and park outside of our local hospital. Donations came in quickly for the purchase of 20+ medical grade digital thermometers that were needed. We were also happy to serve as a drop off location for hundreds of locally made masks that we then delivered to Liberty Regional Medical Center. We also fed first responders, made TikTok videos for residents of Coastal Manor and delivered food more times that we can count to thank these great professionals!
Reading Books to Kids
A member from our staff read a book for the littles via Facebook. For a few weeks in the spring, we chose a book to read for 20 minutes a day until the book was finished. The point was to provide kids with age appropriate books to listen to during isolation.
Selfie Scavenger Hunt
Our Selfie Scavenger Hunt got the children of our community super excited. It gave the kids something creative and fun to do while quarantining in their homes. The winner was chosen at random and was given a $50 local gift card sponsored by a local business. We loved seeing all the cute selfies that we were tagged in.
Show Us Your Yard
The adults also had something fun to do with “Show us your Yard”. While the pandemic was keeping everyone at home, yard work and gardening became a main focus in the community. We saw so many cool yards! Adults could post a photo of their yard and have the chance to win a $50 gift card sponsored by a local business.
Adopt a Senior
“Adopt a Senior” was a great way to make a difference for our community. The elderly members of our community have become very isolated during the pandemic by not being able to have contact with loved ones. We encouraged members of our community to adopt a senior by giving them a simple phone call. It was a great way to keep all members of the community connected.
Official Mascot of 2020
The community even had a laugh with our Official Mascot of 2020 being Fergus. He is a resident at our office, and always follows COVID-19 protocol. He always wears his mask and has good handwashing habits.
Not to mention all of the fun giveaways we did on our social media to help offer distractions and useful items at the same time! We designed masks to give out for free to the community and wrote helpful blogs on how to stay busy during this trying time. We care a lot about Liberty County and it definitely shows. Remember to sanitize and wear your mask! If you would like information on how to navigate Liberty County safely, check our Safecation Guide.
Being active in this community is what we are supposed to do. It’s the driving force behind everything we do in support of our members. From Community Trivia, Chalk Your Walk, Spirit Week, Collecting Volunteers, Selfie Scavenger Hunt, Show Us Your Yard, First Responder Friday, Support Local Bingo, Reading Aloud, Calling Seniors. Liberty County T-Shirt Sales, Bunny Drive w/Hinesville & Midway, Chopped (5 weeks), Craft kits from Home Depot…..and on and on, we showed up and showed out!
Just from March 12 until June 1 the Chamber had 297 Facebook posts, with 4,015 shares, 8,619 reactions and a reach of 617,466 people. We hosted virtual meetings for our members with the Small Business Administration, Local Lenders, Dr. Perry/Liberty County BOE, Rep Al Williams, Senator Blake Tillery, Congressman Buddy Carter, COL Bryan Logan, the Georgia Chamber, Commissioner of Labor, Commissioner of Agriculture, the Governor & more.
We are proud to say that we are #survivingbysupporting and our community supports us!
