By Pat Caldwell
The Enterprise
VALE – Heidi Fitzgerald believes community matters.
That is why she is excited about her new position as the president of the Vale Chamber of Commerce.
“Our community has always been an important aspect of my life,” said Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald, who works at the Vale branch of U.S. Bank, stepped into the chamber president position last month. She replaces Vale resident Dwight Keller.
Fitzgerald said she was interested in the volunteer position because she believes more people should be involved in the Vale community. She said many community organizations – including the chamber – rely on volunteers.
“Giving back to the community is such a great feeling,” said Fitzgerald. “But when the volunteer rate drops these organizations start to suffer.”
Setting an example through volunteer work is vital for her, said Fitzgerald.
“It is important for me that I set the standard for my children that volunteering, giving back to the community and being a leader are great strengths to have,” said Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald said the chamber plays a pivotal role in the long-term health of the community.
“We support growth of our local businesses and help our community thrive,” said Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald said she is excited as the chamber prepares for the next year.
“The chamber has been going through many changes and I believe this year, members will see these differences and will be pleased,” said Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald said interacting with businesses in the community will be an important goal.
“The chamber is moving toward more networking events and really showing our businesses that we care about their success,” said Fitzgerald.
Perceiving exactly what local businesses need from the chamber will be another important task in the next year, said Fitzgerald.
“The chamber is going to focus on listening to our businesses, discovering what the business owners want and seeing what we can do to help support that,” said Fitzgerald.
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