Lesley Hunt - Zionsville Monthly Magazine

June 2018 Writer // Janelle Morrison The Zionsville Chamber of Commerce not only advocates for its business members, but it advocates for both not-for-profit and for-profit organizations that are value-added amenities for the entire Zionsville community. This includes the youth sports organizations that are active members in the Chamber. The Chamber recognizes the impact that these organizations have on the community’s youth as well as the challenges that these organizations face in order to provide a high level of services while depending, primarily, on the local community’s support. Zionsville Chamber of Commerce President Andrew Manna has a passion for youth sports and coaching. His main passion is youth football. He shared some of the board’s vision for the Chamber throughout 2018 as it relates to its youth sports association members as well as Chamber members in general. “An underlying stream of the Zionsville community is our fabric of strong youth sports and activities for children and families,” Manna said. “I see that Zionsville Community Schools encourages creating connections. We have in the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce a strong organization with members, such as the Zionsville Youth Soccer Association, Zionsville Swim Club, Zionsville Wrestling and others. As the Chamber president, I am pleased to work with Zionsville Youth Football League as a new member as well and it's exciting to see things happening for Zionsville Little League.” Additionally, Manna was pleased to mention that Zionsville Swim Club is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year as an organization. “I am excited to see them grow into a community connection for our youth to prosper,” he said. “In addition, Zionsville Youth Soccer Association is a premier member of the Zionsville Chamber, and this benefit allows them to promote their organization at all levels, attend all Chamber events and be visible to the Zionsville community.” Whenever Manna or any of his fellow Chamber board members have conversations with a business or organization about the benefits of being a Chamber member, Manna said the response is membership is a “no-brainer” for the business or organization. “They see the integration that the Chamber has with the community and see the value of everything that goes on from the events to the promotion of the town to the promotion of their business or organization,” Manna explained. Lesley Hunt, vice president of Zionsville Chamber, added, “Another benefit of having the youth organizations involved with the Chamber is that it gives other Chamber members an opportunity to connect with the parents of the children face-to-face. There are several sponsorship opportunities, and the members become more aware of what’s going on with the organizations and with the community as a whole.” “We hope that as a one-stop-shop repository for information as a Chamber, we can help to promote all of these great community connections,” Manna expressed. “As families are researching communities to locate to and/or grow their current family, they know some of the great benefits of the town of Zionsville and its schools, but they may not be aware of all of the businesses and youth organizations. We want those families to know that the Chamber is there to assist them in getting all of that information.” Hunt concluded, “As responsible members of the community, we need to support our businesses, but we also have to promote a healthy work/life balance. If you don’t have a balance of ‘live, work and play’ in a community, it won’t thrive. You can have two out of the three, but a thriving community needs all three. The Chamber is more than a business advocate and incubator; it helps to create a healthier and balanced community.” For more information on the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce, visit zionsvillechamber.org. Zionsville Youth Football League and Zionsville Wrestling signups are happening now for the fall. For information on ZYFL, visit zyfl.net and for Zionsville Wrestling, visit zionsvillewrestling.org.

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