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Chamber News |
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WIB Committee Honors Female Business Leader of the Year |
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Rosemary Fordjour, the visionary founder of ROW Psychiatric Services, is a licensed outpatient mental health treatment facility that provides mental health services to children, adolescents and adults. Row Psychiatric Services provides mental health care with a focus on equity and prevention. Rosemary's passion for mental health extends beyond her professional endeavors, as she actively contributes to the community through volunteer work and service on the board of directors for the YMCA of Greater Brandywine. In her role as the Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the YMCA, Rosemary demonstrates a commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable community. She also focuses on youth development and contributes to the fundraising efforts for the 7th grade initiative.
Recognizing the importance of diversity and empowerment in the business landscape, Rosemary is proud to be certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). This certification reflects her leadership and entrepreneurship in a sector where women's voices and perspectives are pivotal. Rosemary Fordjour's journey is not just about providing exceptional mental health care but also about making a lasting impact on the community, promoting diversity, and empowering women in business. Her powerful impact on the community also earned her recognition as a VISTA Millennial Superstar in 2021. Through ROW Psychiatric Services and her various roles, she continues to be a trailblazer, creating positive change in both the mental health and business arenas.
Join us to honor Rosemary and our Rising Star, Samantha Jackson!
Thursday, May 16, 2024 5:00pm to 7:00pm Chester Valley Golf Club
Tickets include a sit-down dinner. $125 for CCCBI Members $150 for Non-Members
We will be joined by Keynote Speaker, Ann King Lagos, Founder and Designer of REALM Fine + Fashion Jewelry. |
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Pennsylvania Primary Election Results |
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Pennsylvania is shaping up to be ground zero once again for the Presidential race in the Fall, but the primary election this past Tuesday also showed some interesting results. Despite withdrawing from the race, Nikki Haley won over 16% of the vote against Donald Trump, and those Haley voters will likely be targets for both the Biden and Trump campaigns. The presidential election will also likely have “down ballot” implications, namely for the US Senate race with longtime Democrat incumbent Bob Casey facing David McCormick.
Out of Pennsylvania’s 17 US House seats, a handful saw primaries (results below), and several will be highly competitive, namely the 1st Congressional District (CD) in Bucks County, 7th CD in the Lehigh Valley, and 10th CD in Central PA, where incumbents will face well-funded challengers.
Within the PA General Assembly over 10 incumbents are not seeking re-election and several more faced primaries. While no incumbent Senator lost a primary challenge, three House incumbents potentially lost the election on Tuesday: Rep. Mike Cabell (R-Luzerne) is currently losing to his primary challenger by 7 votes; Rep Jim Gregory (R-Blair) lost to Scott Barger and Sean Dougherty beat embattled incumbent Kevin Boyle (D-Phila).
Indeed, Rep Boyle’s unfortunate situation has caused some concerns on how the PA House can conduct business in the near term. House rules potentially allow Democratic leaders to vote on his behalf, but that will likely come with frequent challenges from the Republicans. With the special election in the 139th House District this same week, Republicans are now at 101 members to the Democrats current 102 seats. Boyle's situation has led to House Leaders exploring new expulsion rules that would allow five members of House Leadership, three majority and two minority, to determine if a member is incapacitated. If a majority of the group recommends that one of their colleagues is unable to perform their duties, the decision would then be presented to the full House for a vote on whether to limit duties, suspend them without pay, or fully expel them.
The only legislative primary in Chester County was in the 13th House District where incumbent Representative John Lawrence (R) easily beat Carmela Ciliberti in the Republican primary. Lawrence will now run against Democrat candidate Cristian Luna in the general election. |
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Membership Spotlight |
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West Chester Film Festival |
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The West Chester International Film Festival at Uptown! has officially announced its full lineup of films for 2024.
From April 24–26 in Downtown West Chester, the Festival will show over 70 films from around the world. With 15 events during the weekend, including Film Blocks, Pop-Up Events, Filmmaker Workshops, and Parties, there is something for everyone. All events are open to the public!
Located in the heart of Downtown West Chester, Uptown! is the prime location for all things entertainment in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The festival weekend kicks off with the Opening Night Party at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 26, followed by the first block of 10 short films. Highlights in this block include:
One newly added item this year...a Filmmaker Q&A session at the end of each Film Block at Uptown! during the weekend. These will be moderated by local media figures and professional filmmakers, and give an opportunity to recognize the filmmakers attending the Festival, learn more about their inspiration, and allow time for audience questions. Moderators include Neil P. Bardhan, Executive Director of the Broad Street Review; Constance McBride, Host of Art Talk on WCHE; Melissa Jacobs, Lead Editor of Main Line Tonight, and others.
This year truly has an amazing lineup of films, bringing in a record number of the filmmakers themselves to be in attendance.
"The thing I love about short films is the impact that they have in such a small amount of time," said Victoria Rose, Director of Sponsorship at WCFF. "In a single two-hour block of films, audiences can watch a comedy from France, an animated film about bugs going to a therapy session led by "Dr. Pillbug" (voiced by the actual Dr. Phil!), a documentary about Jacqueline Kennedy's wedding dress, a drama about a research mission's creepy repercussions, an art/experimental film from a local artist–and that is only half the films in the block!"
This weekend is a great chance to bring a group of friends and go out to dinner after at one of the restaurant partners in town (15% off if you show your lanyard or program book, the list of participating businesses is in the program) to discuss which was your favorite. The full lineup with film descriptions can be found here!
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Upcoming Events |
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We’d love to hear from and highlight your business! We are seeking member spotlight stories to include in our weekly newsletter! Email your news to abby@chescochamber.org |
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