Flint Township View

In brief




Flint & Genesee Chamber encourages Small Business Saturday patronage

FLINT — From fudge to flowers to fashion, Flint & Genesee shoppers will have a wide range of local small businesses to bolster on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 29.

The Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce encourages support of the region’s small businesses as part of the kick off to the holiday shopping season.

Tim Herman, CEO of the Flint & Genesee Chamber says the majority of the Chamber’s over 1,200 members and affiliates are small businesses that have an ever increasing impact on the economic strength of the region.

“Small Business Saturday is all about supporting local businesses,” said Herman. “This is the time of year when everyone is in search of special gifts for family and friends. That’s why it is important to visit local small businesses to see what they have to offer. There are hundreds of small businesses in the region with the products to meet your shopping needs. I hope local shoppers from Flint to Fenton and beyond will come out next Saturday and find new businesses to support.”

In its fifth year, Small Business Saturday falls on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. According to the third-annual Small Business Saturday survey, recently released by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and American Express, 78 percent of those surveyed said they planned to spend more time shopping at small independently owned businesses this year.

Details: Visit www.flintandgenesee.org. — G.G.

Gen Forward Network announces grant award

FLINT — Young philanthropists working for the greater good of Genesee County — 61 members of the Gen Forward Network — announce their second grant award of $16,322.21 to St. Luke’s N.E.W. Life Center in Flint.

Funding will support blight elimination in the northwest quadrant of Flint through a new program designed to train and employ men. The “Clean and Safe Neighborhoods Building Community Pride Project” was one of 21 grant proposals evaluated by the Network’s membership.

“Providing immediate impact is what the Gen Forward Network is all about,” said Heidi McAra, Network chair and a member of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint Board of Trustees. “Our members come from diverse backgrounds, but we all share the same deep desire to give

St. Luke’s program focuses on job preparation for men who have not been able to secure employment anywhere else. Some are homeless, some are veterans, and some have served time in prison. The goal is to train them to have the potentC.S.J., co-founder of N.E.W. Life Center.Details: Call 810-767-3508. — G.G.


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