CHAMBER NEWS & VIEWS
The chamber needs volunteers

Lynne Conlan is Executive Director of the South Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce. Call her at 813-634-5111, or email lynne@southhillschamber.com.

With our busy lives, it can be difficult to find time to volunteer. However, the benefits of volunteering can be enormous. I’ve written numerous columns about those benefits. As I’ve preached, volunteering can help protect your mental and physical health. It can reduce stress, combat depression, keep you mentally stimulated and provide you with a sense of purpose.

But there is something else volunteering can do. It can help your neighborhood chamber. And that would be the South Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce located conveniently at 1651 Sun City Center Plaza in the heart of Sun City Center.

So now you know why I am writing this column. About sixteen months ago, we decided that it was not safe for our volunteers to generously give us their time. While the Chamber remained open, the volunteers were tasked with remaining at home for their own safety. It was the right thing to do for everyone.

But now that businesses are starting to open back up, we have a request. We need help! And it’s not just with answering phones and assisting our walk-ins; we miss our interaction with and input from our volunteers. Sherell, the board of directors, our ambassadors and I do not have a lock on all the good ideas. We count on our volunteers for their creative ideas and their judgement when ideas just fall flat.

Pre-pandemic days, we had four volunteers each day for a total of 20 volunteers per week. Now, we are down to two volunteers total. Pat and Nancy are wonderful volunteers, but they need some help, too. Two doing the work of 20…the math just doesn’t work.

So, what if you want to join us? One size doesn’t fit all. If you like answering phones, great. If you don’t, we’ll give you another task. We can use your computer skills. But what if you’re not computer savvy but love to interact with people? The walk-ins are yours! We also use volunteers at our outside events. BTW, Pat and Nancy are pros at running our luncheons.

Here’s what you need to know. We run two shifts per day: 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 12:30 – 4 p.m.. See what fits with your schedule. We do not wear masks around the office – our desks are more than six feet apart. But we do mask up when visitors come in – just to be safe. Our interview process is pretty simple. Schedule an appointment with Sherell, our member specialist, by calling 813-634-5111, and fill out a simple questionnaire giving us an idea of your skill set and your contact information. That’s it. But I promise, after a couple of weeks, we’ll know all about your family, pets, history and outside interests. We do care about our volunteers and their lives.

Just give us a try, if you can. We may not be the most exciting place to work, but we promise you will not be bored. We’ve got a busy summer coming up….and just four sets of hands to steer the ship. We’d love to welcome you onboard.