Last Informational Meeting on Tuscany Trip is Tonight
Executive Committee to Approve Financials, New Members
Oak Spring Winery to Host GRYP Networking
GRYP Preparing to Take-On 1,000 Steps
Application Deadline Approaching for Leadership Blair County
“Let’s Move Blair County” Launch Event Set for Saturday
Low-Cost Healthcare:  The Chamber Makes It Happen
Save the Date: “Backbone  Bash” Set for August 1st
Congratulations . . .
Blue Card Discounts

Last Informational Meeting on Tuscany Trip is Tonight
If you are one of the people who are still considering traveling to Tuscany with The Chamber, Classic Travel and Chamber Discoveries from October 20th to the 28th but need more information to finalize your decision then your time has come. The final informational meeting on the trip will be held tonight, June 16th, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development. Registration for the meeting is encouraged by contacting The Chamber at 943-8151. The trip is a great opportunity at a fabulous price. Don’t miss out!

Executive Committee to Approve Financials, New Members
Since the Blair County Chamber’s Board of Directors does not meet in June or July, the responsibility of approving the organization’s financials and new members falls to the Executive Committee. That committee meets on Wednesday at noon at the Chamber Office. Any Chamber Member who would like to bring an issue before the Executive Committee should contact Joe Hurd by noon on Tuesday at 943-8151.

Oak Spring Winery to Host GRYP Networking
The next GRYP (Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals) networking event will be held this Thursday, June 19th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Oak Spring Winery. The event is free for GRYP members and $5.00 for non-members. Food will be provided and wine will be available for purchase. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

GRYP Preparing to Take-On 1,000 Steps
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce young professional’s program, GRYP (Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals) will walk the one-thousand steps of Jack’s Mountain. Located in PA’s central mountain region, also known as the main range of the Appalachians, the steps were used by workers to mine rock used by brickyards. The “Thousand Steps” are part of the National Heritage Trail. Jacks Mountain separates two beautiful valleys: Big Valley to the west and Ferguson to the east.  Attendees are encouraged to pack a lunch, drinks and a camera and join GRYP members at the Lowes Altoona Parking lot on June 22, 1:00 p.m. The walk will be canceled in the event of rain. Check GRYP’s Facebook event page for cancellations and updates. For more information, contact The Chamber at 943-8151, or go to GRYP’s Facebook page (Blair County GRYP).

Application Deadline Approaching for Leadership Blair County
Applications for the 21st class of The Chamber’s Leadership Blair County Adult program are due June 30th. The class size is limited to 24 persons. If you are interested in learning more about Blair County and how you can make a difference in your community, call Judy Juda (943-8151) or email her at jjuda@blairchamber.com.

“Let’s Move Blair County” Launch Event Set for Saturday
So what exactly is Let’s Move Blair County? This is an initiative to change the culture in Blair County by helping our community make healthier choices. This campaign was started by the Healthy Blair County Coalition and is comprised of all 3 hospitals, all 7 school districts, the county commissioners, many agencies and a lot of businesses. It is gaining steam with a ‘launch’, a fitness expo so to speak, to introduce it in all communities on June 21 from 10 am to 1 pm. The sites include: Altoona (Mansion Park), Bellwood/Tyrone (Northern Blair Rec Center), Spring Cove/Claysburg ( East Freedom-Through, Inc), Williamsburg (High Street) and Hollidaysburg (Tiger Stadium). No need to register – just show up at one of the locations.

Low-Cost Healthcare:  The Chamber Makes It Happen
The Blair County Chamber has partnered with Empower3 Center for Health to offer Chamber-Member employers an affordable community-based health plan for their employees. The plan features level group rates, no deductibles, no pre-existing condition exclusions, substantial prescription drug coverage with co-pays of $10 or less and the opportunity to add dental and vision coverage. Call Maureen Frucella for details.  Her number is (814) 317-5063.

Save the Date: “Backbone  Bash” Set for August 1st
The much-anticipated “Backbone Bash,” sponsored by The Chamber’s Small Business Partners, will be held on Friday, August 1st at the Buccinese Society beginning at 5:30 p.m.  The event gives representatives from small businesses the opportunity to network and, in general, have a fun and relaxing time.  The cost to attend, which includes food and adult beverages is just $10/person.  To help offset the cost of the Bash, which is appropriately named because small business is the “backbone” of the local economy, sponsorships are available.  Door prizes are also accepted.  For information on either, contact Rachel Litzinger at 943-8151 or email her at rlitzinger@blairchamber.com.

Congratulations . . .
. . . to the six members of The Chamber’s Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals (GRYP) program who were recognized last week by the Altoona Mirror in its “20 Under 40” promotion.  They are: Jamie Baser of UPMC Altoona, Erin Bush of James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center, Michael Eardley of Forney Financial Solutions, Tom Koehle of Iron Masters Country Club, Rachel Litzinger of The Chamber and Jessica McCloskey of Keystone Environmental.
. . . to Vienna Rice, Activities Director at Colonial Courtyard at Tyrone, who has been named a 2014 Hero Award recipient by the Assisted Living Federation of America.
. . . to UPMC Altoona which recently received the 2014 Get With the Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award from the American Heart/Stroke Association.

Blue Card Discounts
Here are a few of the discounts you can receive with your Chamber Blue Card. Click here to see the full list of Blue Card Discounts. To have an offer listed contact The Chamber at 943-8151.    

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