Non-chamber members invited to take a peek into membership benefits

Free Showcase Seguin set for this Thursday at Seguin Coliseum

(Seguin) -- The Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce isn’t only encouraging the public to join it for its annual Showcase Seguin event this Thursday at the Seguin Coliseum. It’s also putting out an invitation to all businesses who are not yet members.

This year, the chamber is hosting its Showcase Seguin for free. This will be the first time that the trade show will be free although tickets will still be required to get into the door.

Jenke says the idea of Showcase Seguin is to pair up as many people as possible with local businesses. He says his chamber staff works hard to build their membership and believes that this Thursday’s event is a perfect way for other businesses especially those on the fence of joining to actually see how it could make a difference in their own operation.

“We’re just busy. This past month, we tied a record that we had from back in the summer with 15 new members so that’s an awesome thing that the ladies are doing, the chamber staff is doing -- making sure that we are out there in the community and talking to those different businesses,” said Jenke.

This year’s Showcase theme is “2023 A Space Odyssey.” Business booths will be decorated and engaging in fun activities that night for three hours. Food, drinks, and door prizes will also be available. Being a member, however, is not all fun and games. Jenke says there’s plenty of rewarding benefits that come from being a member.

“One of the most positive things for being a chamber member is that we advocate for you during those legislative years and this is one of those legislative years and if you went to the chamber luncheon this past week, you got some of the legislative pieces that we are following... Chamber, pg. 3

Seguin Commission on the Arts opens new grant opportunity

(Seguin) -- This year, the Seguin Commission on the Arts is launching its very own grant program to support arts and cultural activities that promote or enhance the arts in Seguin.

Applicants can apply for funding to cover up to 50 percent of their total project cost and the applicant’s match may include cash and in-kind donations of goods and services.

"The Commission's purpose is to support and promote art in our community," said Kelly Follis, Chair of the Seguin Commission on the Arts. "We believe that a grant program is the most effective way to gain a clear understanding of projects in need of support and to most equitably allocate our funds. We look forward to hearing from local artists about how we can assist them in making their dreams a reality for the benefit of our community." Art, pg. 3

Tax clinic, continued.

Due to COVID, Ford says the students were no longer able to sit down with tax filers. Instead, the campus turned the program into a drive-thru system in the Beck Center parking lot to assist as many community members as possible. Ford says that format turned out be a success and will again be used this year.

“After speaking with Professor Sally Cook who oversees the VITA Tax Clinic, we realized that there are so many students who volunteer for this program as a class that it’s making more sense to have it in the Beck Center parking lot because we get so many people from the community, we have a full class for students and faculty there so this allows everybody to have more room and kind of come on a first come, first serve basis,” said Ford.

Ford says the program continues to grow in popularity and will continue to be provided on a firstcome, first serve basis.

“The drive-thru clinics will be offered through April 15, 2023. They will occur on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. and again on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Beck Center parking lot. Assistance is going to be provided on a first come, first-serve basis and there are no appointments, and we also would like people to know that there will be no clinics March 11-19 since the campus will be closed for Spring Break. We also want to

Art, continued.

Eligible projects must meet the following criteria:

• Promote the Arts

• Be within the Seguin City limits or extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of Seguin

• Be publicly viewable

• Be completed by September 15, 2023

A few examples of eligible projects include, but are not limited to, murals and other public art pieces, arts festivals and events, film projects, theatrical productions, and more.

Local businesses, individuals, and non-profits alike are eligible to apply for grant funding so long as their project meets the criteria.

Applicants may not receive funding from any other city board or commission who distributes Hotel Occupancy Tax funds for the project in remind taxpayers that they need to bring all tax forms, a photo ID, and Social Security cards for everyone on the return including dependents,” said Ford. All VITA volunteers who prepare returns must take and pass tax law training that meets or exceeds IRS standards. their application.

The VITA services are free. The TLU Beck Center is located off Prexy Drive.

Chamber, continued.

Awardees will receive 80 percent of their grant after the official notification and execution of a grant contract; the final 20 percent will be released after the funded event upon completion of a final report.

Applications for the Seguin Arts and Cultural Grant Program are now open and must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on February 28, 2023. The complete guidelines and application can be found online at www.seguintexas.gov/art.

“and advocating for and help move those bills along and make sure that those elected officials know that those bills are good and beneficial for our area or they may be bills that are beneficial for the region as a whole. So, that’s one of the things that your chamber does, and the other thing is your chamber also makes sure that you get some recognition on social media. If you are not following our Facebook page or Instagram page, you are missing out. We’ve increased the number of followers over the past year. So again, if you want information about some things that are taking place here in the community, the chamber is a great place to go for that information,” said Jenke.

This year’s Showcase Seguin event will be held from 5 to 8 p. m. Thursday at the Seguin Coliseum. Again, the event is free, but tickets must be reserved via a QR code available on the chamber’s Facebook page or website. Individuals are also encouraged to contact the chamber office at 830-379-6382.