Robyn Snyder, Outgoing President

Message from the Outgoing President ... Positivity was key to surviving 2020

My theme for 2020 was Be Positive, Do Positive. Little did I know just how much we would need to be reminded of this throughout the year!

But through it all, I heard and saw so many positive actions in our community, starting with the response to the devastation of our downtown by fire in February to dealing with all that Covid-19 brought to our lives. Robyn Snyder 2020 President Our Chamber continued to host programs, taking on a new format but continuing to give members a chance to interact at a time when we needed to be around each other.

The staff, with assistance from the Chamber Ambassadors and Membership Team, personally called every Chamber member to see how we could be of service.

The staff is there to help, to answer questions, to be a resource for all our members.

As a community we have shown support to those businesses who are suffering, especially in the restaurant and entertainment areas. A debt of gratitude is given to all our health care workers and emergency personnel.

The stories of positivity I’ve read and the accounts I’ve witnessed truly warm your heart. One online entity that has sprung to life this year is Helping Hands of Alexandria. The almost 6,000-member strong Facebook group helps those in need.

Whether just a simple picking up something to donations of major items, individuals and businesses join together to help. It is heartwarming to see this kindness and generosity.

As outgoing Chamber president, I want to encourage you to strive toward positivity and remember to Be Positive, Do Positive every day. It starts in our personal lives, spreads to our business roles and impacts our community as a whole.

I challenge you to start and end your day by thinking of something you are grateful for.

Robyn Snyder

I challenge you to start and end your day by thinking of something you are grateful for. Smile more – smiling sends a message to our brains that we are happy and research shows smiling is contagious (yes, even if it is hidden under a mask)! 2021 will be a challenging year, but as I witnessed in 2020, we all are “Better Together” as we navigate these unchartered waters.