The Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting in June in conjunction with the Business Volunteer Awards. At the meeting, members were treated to a preview of two new programs.
Be Scottsdale Fit
Be Scottsdale Fit is a wellness and work/life integration initiative sponsored by the Scottsdale Chamber Foundation, the mission-oriented 501(c)(3) organization of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce.
As a collaboration of the Scottsdale Area Chamber, Scottsdale Community College and the City of Scottsdale Department of Park and Recreation, Be Scottsdale Fit seeks to promote and connect people to health, wellness, recreation and leisure activities all while improving the quality of life in the Scottsdale area.
“Studies have shown that employees who go to work happy are more productive at work and leave work happy,” said Todd Davis, program director. “Be Scottsdale Fit brings opportunities to volunteer, recreate and be fit to the chamber and Scottsdale.”
One exciting aspect of the Scottsdale Fit is the Just Go Connect program, a venue to help connect people with their interests, share time and have some fun. “It works similarly to a Meet-Up, where people can connect over common interests such as hiking, biking or art, and meet to engage in these activities together,” said Davis.
For more information on Be Scottsdale Fit, contact Todd Davis at todd@bescottsdalefit.com or visit bescottsdalefit.com.
BUSS — Business United for Scottsdale Schools
Business and community leaders showed impressive support in the last election cycle by rallying voters to preserve funding for programming the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD). That developed into a deeper discussion and realization by community and business leaders that the quality of education in our schools has a direct economic development and workforce impact.
Out of those discussions came Business United for Scottsdale Schools, or BUSS, a business-to-education initiative where the strength of Scottsdale’s schools can be enhanced through collaborative relationships with the business community. The program embraces pre-kindergarten through post-secondary education to create workforce development strategies that attract, develop and retain the very best students, teachers and workforce.
Kim Hartmann, a board member of SUSD, said the support for the district’s budget override served as the impetus “to keep the momentum going” through BUSS.
BUSS board leadership includes representatives from the Scottsdale Chamber Foundation, SUSD, the Scottsdale Area Chamber, the City of Scottsdale Department of Economic Development, the Town of Paradise Valley, Scottsdale Community College and area business leaders.
“Our vision is a community that embraces public education as a means to economic prosperity for all,” said Hartmann. “BUSS looks to connect talent and opportunity.”
The goal is to launch the program for the 2015/2016 academic year. A new executive director position, housed at the chamber offices but under the direction of the BUSS board of directors, is also being created. The executive director will be responsible for program development, fundraising and building community relationships.
Contact Kim Hartmann at khartmann@susd.org for more information on BUSS.
