Thursday, August 21, 2008 9:28 PM CDT
Local businesses, organizations team up for 'blitz' event Saturday
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
rstroud@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON — Two dozen businesses and nonprofit groups will welcome back Eastern Illinois University students Saturday with a “Business Blitz,” and the rest of the community also is invited.
The expo is 2-5 p.m. Saturday, rain or shine, in the parking lot and field in front of Maurices clothing store, 2148 Woodfall Drive.
Participating businesses and nonprofit groups will offer give-aways, prize drawings, information packets, job applications and other items during the expo. In addition, the local Army recruiting office will have a rock climbing wall and dog tag-making machine on hand.
Volunteers from the Charleston Jaycees, Maurices, the recruiting office, and SACIS are organizing the Business Blitz. Jaycees volunteer Krista Snider said returning Eastern students are the target audience, but the expo is also a community event.
“It’s an opportunity for the community and the students to get to know what businesses here in town have to offer them,” Snider said. “It’s also a perfect opportunity for nonprofits to introduce their groups to the people of the community.”
For example, the Charleston Police Department will offer child-identification kits at the Business Blitz.
To help get students to the Business Blitz, Snider said Lincoln Springs Resort has arranged to use its trolley to pick up and drop off students on campus. She noted Eastern’s Panther Express shuttle bus will not start running until Monday.
Snider said she is thrilled to see so many business and nonprofit groups signed up for the first Business Blitz, which she hopes will become an annual event. She said the expo is a chance for the Jaycees to further get involved in the community and possibly recruit new members.
Maurices Manager Chris Halsey said the store is always looking for different ways to partner with other local businesses, and the expo is part of that effort. She said the expo also will help serve the store’s student and full-time resident customers.
“It was just another way to bring the two groups together,” Halsey said.
Participating businesses include Credit Union 1, Barbeck Communications, Mattoon Area Family YMCA, Yellowbook, First Financial Bank, Go Mobile, Queen Anne’s Bed & Breakfast, Dave Reichart’s Handyman Service, CCAR Industries, Sweet Tooth Specialties, Charleston True Value & Just Ask Rentals, Lincoln Springs Resort and Stovepipe Grill & Smokehouse, Maurices, Mangy Mousse Hair Salon, Razorz Edge, Addus Healthcare & Family Services, and Dr. Schuster’s Office.
Participating organizations include Sexual Assault Counseling Intervention Services, U.S. Army recruiting office, Coles County Emergency Services & Disaster Agency, Charleston Masons, Charleston Jaycees, Mid-Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Charleston Police Department.
Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 348-5734.
Add your comments
Not already registered?
Then click Here.
Comment policy:
JG-TC.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately. They go into a queue to be moderated and may take several hours to be reviewed. Comments posted on Saturday may not be reviewed until Sunday afternoon.
In order to keep the page a set width, long lines (mostly long links) will be chopped. Try putting spaces in your links or consider using tinyurl.com to make a smaller link that you can include.
We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.
No comment may contain:
* Potentially libelous statements; such as accusing somebody of a crime, defamation of character, or statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment or inciting violence.
* Commercial product promotions.
If you have any questions, please contact our moderator.
|
|
|
