Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber Members Support Toys for Tots

“Give Thanks” cocktail mixer at Pinky & Pepe’s Grape Escape PHOTO | Pinky & Pepe’s Grape Escape

The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce’s (GGCC) held its Annual “Give Thanks” Cocktail Mixer at Pinky & Pepe’s Grape Escape on Thursday, Nov. 17.

The mixer was free to attend with a suggested donation of a “new / unwrapped” toy to support Toys for Tots. For the past few years, Pinky & Pepe’s goal is to brighten the holidays for many Montgomery County children. Pinky and Pepe Rodger’s son is a Marine, so this program holds a special place in their heart and that of their son too. The Toys for Tots program was started in 1948 by the United States Marine Corps and has been running steadily ever since. The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters. Nearly 50 gifts were collected this evening due to the generosity of the Chamber Members.

This was the seventh year in a row that Pinky & Pepe’s Grape Escape has sponsored this holiday mixer. Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, feast, and of course, network. Nurturing your network during the holidays is important.  Attendees were able to come and thank someone for a particular piece of advice that they found helpful or an action that they took that moved them. Members were telling each other why they mattered to one another and why they were thankful for each other. And we were able to thank the Rodger’s for their continued generosity.

Pinky & Pepe’s Grape Escape is a wine and lager bar offering a vast variety of fine wines & craft beers from around the world. They are the wine sponsor of our Annual Wine Tasting in May and they are a huge asset in planning and executing that event and going above and beyond. They were also the recipient of the chamber’s 2014 Small Business of the Year and they were a nominee for the 2015 Montgomery County Small Business of the Year.

We also had the chance to start spreading the news about Shop Small 2016. Small Business Saturday is one of the biggest days of the year for your local small businesses. The GGCC is proud to support Small Business Saturday and encourages the community to shop small & shop local on Saturday, November 26 & this holiday season.

The GGCC is located at 910 Clopper Road, Suite 205N, Gaithersburg, MD. To learn more about the GGCC visit us at www.ggchamber.org.

Find us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gaithersburg-Germantown-Chamber-of-Commerce/64339954570. Or on Twitter at: @GGCCNEWS.

About Laura Rowles

Laura authors the blog Your Success is Our Business on MyMCMedia. Laura is the Director of Events & Marketing for the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce - a member-based organization of businesses that have joined together for the purpose of promoting the civic, commercial and industrial progress in our communities. The area's economic well-being is a result of the caliber of work that is done by the Chamber. The Chamber has a major impact on business, income and future growth of the area. My position at the Chamber - Director of Events & Marketing - affords me the opportunity to plan quality events for our Members and market the Chamber is a variety of avenues. At the GGCC, we typically have around 30 events each year including: breakfasts, lunches, after-five's, ribbon cuttings and special events. The consensus is we have high quality events with good energy. In 2012, we had over 2,040 people visit our events. Most our events are free to Members so securing sponsorships for all events. Additionally, I am responsible for planning networking, overseeing the budget and marketing of all events in order to make them successful. Lastly, I coordinate all marketing and communication efforts of the GGCC including weekly email blasts, its quarterly newsletter, all social media platforms, media relations and community outreach.

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