By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
Representatives from the Hays chamber will be out and about this week for the annual Stepping Out Day.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., chamber ambassadors will be stopping by member businesses to change out their decals from the year before, visiting each business in person.
“You’re into those businesses, you're talking to people,” said Chamber Ambassador LaVonne Giess. “Everybody's super friendly. Let's take the old decal off, put the new one on. Sometimes it's a trick to find it. Sometimes it's right upfront. But it is it's always a nice time to get out of the office.”
This year, the members will also be collecting entries for a raffle.
“When they go into the businesses, not only do they give them a decal, but they also ask for a business card,” said Rhonda Meyerhoff, vice president of membership. “And if they get a business card, then the business member will be entered into a raffle drawing. So that's always just kind of a fun little thing.”
The Chamber ambassadors, who will be representing the organization during the event, are a vital part of the Chamber, Meyerhoff said, and often serve as the public relations arm of the organization.
“The Chamber could not do what we do without our wonderful group of 50 ambassadors,” she said. “They are absolutely amazing, absolutely amazing. They're there to be ready pretty much whenever the need arises for them to do things. And so, we really appreciate that they'll be able to take any of those comments back to the Chamber.”
Along with visiting with the businesses and replacing Chamber membership decals, they will also be collecting donations for the Chamber’s upcoming golf tournament.
“Last year, as we were doing the Stepping Out, we kind of just started talking to some businesses and said, ‘Well, let's just ask while we're here instead of making a second trip,’ and said, ‘You know, the golf tournament is coming up. Do you have any item you'd like to donate for the auction? We're looking for items,’ ” Giess said. “And a lot of businesses were like, yes, some of them gave them to us right away. Some said, 'Yes, come back, we're definitely going to donate something.'
“And so, we really wanted to push that further this year,” she continued, “and start early, letting those businesses know that when we're in there doing the Stepping Out and putting up their decal. That is their opportunity, if they have an item they want to donate for the auction, we can take it right away that day and not have to make another trip back.”
For those members in service industries who would still like to donate, Giess said cash donations can also be accepted. Those donations will be used to buy raffle items from other Chamber members.
“We will take that around town to businesses and buy gift packages or gift cards and things like that that can be used at the auction,” Giess said. “So your business does not have to have an item necessarily, they can do a monetary donation, and we will go buy something for the auction.”
Last year, “they were able to put some really nice gift baskets together,” Meyerhoff said. “And it would say on the online website who sponsored that gift.”
And while the donations can be a fun way to participate, they serve a vital need for the organization.
“A lot of people don't understand 55 percent of the Chamber's budget comes from membership dues,” Meyerhoff said. “The other 45 percent comes from non-dues revenue, such as the sponsorship. The Chamber does not receive any annual fund funds from the city, the county, the state or federal. So having these types of events be profitable is imperative for our budget, and allows us to keep doing the great things that we're doing at the chamber.”