 Protecting yourself and those around you from influenza (flu) will be a little easier this year as Mercy hosts four drive-thru flu shot clinics. The clinics will be held across the St. Louis region over four weeks. In addition to the convenience of allowing recipients to stay in their cars, the drive-thru clinics will allow for plenty of distancing, an important step in preventing the spread of both COVID-19 and the flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Americans receive a flu vaccine every year as the most important step in protecting oneself from flu viruses. The vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of illness and hospitalization; it also lowers the risk of flu-related deaths in children. In addition to protecting people who receive the shot themselves, the vaccine allows recipients to help protect those around them, including those most at risk: babies, young children, older people and anyone with certain chronic health conditions like heart disease, lung disease and diabetes. Mercy will hold the drive-thru clinics on four consecutive Saturdays staring on Sept. 11. They will be provided in four different counties in the region: St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Franklin County and Jefferson County. All flu shots will be given without appointments on a first come, first served basis. They are available to anyone seven years and older.
Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems for four consecutive years by IBM Watson Health, serves millions annually. Mercy is one of the nation’s most highly integrated, multi-state health care systems, including more than 40 acute care, managed and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has 900 physician practices and outpatient facilities, more than 4,000 Mercy Clinic physicians and advanced practitioners and 40,000-plus co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In addition, Mercy's IT division, Mercy Technology Services, and Mercy Virtual commercially serve providers and patients from coast to coast.
The Washington Area Chamber of Commerce will host its 6th annual Cajun Festival on Friday, June 25 at the Washington Farmers’ Market. Admission is free with food and drink available for purchase. The event features live music from the Southside Creole Playboys, 6-10 p.m. Some seating is provided on benches and picnic tables, but guests are also encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs. The first-come first-served menu for the night includes etouffee, Gumbo, boudin sausage, lemon pepper chicken, or brisket, all served with red beans/rice and cornbread. Beer, soda, water, and margaritas will be available for purchase. Main Street will be closed between the Main & Elm parking lot and Cedar Street. Parking is available streetside in the downtown district, at the Main & Cedar lot, and at the Front Street lot by the Corn Cob Pipe factory. The Washington Cajun Festival is organized by the Washington Area Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Grey Eagle Distributors and Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of New Haven. For more information, visit www.washmochamber.org/cajun or call the Chamber Office – 636-239-2715.
 The Washington Farmers’ Market will officially open its 2021 season on Saturday, April 3. Visitors can find a great selection of locally grown seasonal bedding plants and produce, plus baked goods, jams/jellies/honey, meat, eggs, and handcrafted items. The market is open Saturdays, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the open-air pavilion at 317 West Main Street in downtown Washington.
Over 30 vendors have registered for permits for the 2021 season. Applications for new vendors are available at www.washmomarket.com or can be requested from info@washmomarket.com or from the Chamber of Commerce Office (636-239-2715). The Sprouts Kids Club will again be offered at the market, beginning in May. Members of the club, children ages 3-10, can check-in at the Sprouts table each week and receive two $1 tokens to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at the market. On-site activities for participants are being planned. Participants must be registered once a year for the free program. Pre-registration is available now at washmomarket.com/sprouts, or parents can register children while visiting the market beginning May 1. The Sprouts Club is made possible through many generous sponsors, including Altemueller Jewelry, Bank of Franklin County, Bank of Washington, KLPW AM 1220/92.7 FM, Cassette Electric, Citizens Bank, Deppe Farms, DMR Events, First Choice Facilities, Hillermann Nursery & Florist, KFAV 99.9 FM, Little Smiles of Washington, Eric Park & George Meyer with LPL Financial, USA Mortgage – Leesmann Mortgage Team, and Mark & Joyce Wessels. Businesses and/or individuals interested in sponsoring or volunteering with the program should contact Amanda Griesheimer at the Chamber Office (636-239-2715 x106, info@washmomarket.com). Market customers are encouraged to stay up-to-date with Farmers’ Market news by following the market Facebook page.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson brought the spotlight to Four Rivers Career Center on Thursday, March 11. The governor has been visiting work-ready communities in the state and spoke with students and instructors in the Engineering, Machine Tool, Information Technology, Carpentry, Auto Technology, Collision Repair, Welding, and CAPS programs. Student Ambassadors led the tour, giving Missouri's top elected official a unique perspective to the tour. Programs at Four Rivers are focused on bridging classroom learning with real-world experience. The Chamber is excited to partner with the career center to develop relationships with area businesses, improving the outlook for our community's future workforce. For more photos and details on Gov. Parson's visit: School District of Washington article E-missourian coverage Photos from Gov. Parson Flickr  On Friday, February 26, Four Rivers Career Center in Washington hosted a signing day ceremony to recognize 33 Youth Registered Apprentices and 10 Apprentice-Elects. Watch the Ceremony here! Leaders representing the community, apprentice's parents, FRCC instructors and elected officials, as well as Wade Johnson (Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship) and Commissioner Zora Mulligan (Dept. of Higher Education and Workforce Development) were present to celebrate the students' achievements. Over the past six months, staff at the career center has worked closely with City of Washington and Chamber Officials to develop partnerships with local businesses and accelerate the youth-focused apprenticeship program. At this time, FRCC offers seven (7) different apprenticeship study programs: Automotive Technology, Machine Tool, Welding, Collision Repair, Carpenter, Engineering, Information Technology. There are currently 24 Premier Business Partners certified to employ apprentices from Four Rivers Career Center. Chamber Members taking advantage of the training program include Modern Auto Company, Riechers Tire and Auto, Straatmann Toyota, School District of Washington, KJ Unnerstall Construction, GH Tool & Mold, Riechers Truck Bodies, and Sahm Welding and Fabrication. The Signing Day ceremony was the culmination of many efforts and milestones leading up to this ceremony:
Four Rivers Career Center prides itself in authentic experiences for their students, bridging the gap between education and career success. Recognized as a premier Career and Technical Education Center FRCC offers students the ability to connect their passions to their career path. FRCC services ten high schools and spans St. Charles, Gasconade, Warren, Franklin, Crawford, and St. Louis Counties. "Five years ago, the charge was to change the face of Four Rivers," said FRCC Director Andy Robinson. "Prior to that, we were vo-tech - we were the school students would go to that weren't successful in academic educational areas. I trust my staff, I trust the teachers that are making it happen, I trust what they do every day in the classroom to make it real. They take our students and they find their passions and they push them out into the real world. They understand that their program of study may be to go to a 4 year university, to a 2-year community college, or to a trade school, or just go straight to work and get involved. We find every kid where they're at and we push them along. In order to represent that, we needed an apprenticeship program."  The program has great potential to keep growing, developing an effective pipeline for a highly skilled, sustainable workforce. Four Rivers Career Center is setting a high standard to qualify as Youth Registered Apprentices through aptitude, academic performance, and work ethic. Students must meet a number of requirements to qualify for the program, maintaining a minimum 2.5 GPA and 95 percent attendance rate, and they must be at least 16 years of age. "Today we're celebrating 33 students," Robinson said. "We call them gold standard students because they are our guarantee. We want to push out high quality students. We've got another 500 kids in the wings - we just couldn't get to them all, but we will. It just takes time and effort, and building more relationships in our community." Cynthia Walker was hired as the Apprenticeship Coordinator and has been impressed with the way the community has embraced the apprenticeship model. "I'm amazed at the achievements we can make when we all work together as a team. The vision of YRA has been a long held initiative for our administration, school board, employers, and our local/state officials, with a purpose to bolster our economy and fill the needed workforce skills gap. Our FRCC Director, Andy Robinson, has helped put feet to that vision and provided the initiative for the community relationships, the leadership, as well as the many provisions to move this chapter of career and technical education forward." Governor Mike Parson and Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe, both supporters of apprenticeship and other programs to help narrow the skills gap, were unable to attend the ceremony due to scheduling conflicts. Gov. Parson has plans to visit FRCC for a tour in the future, and Lt. Gov. Kehoe provided a video address for the ceremony, stating, "CTE (Career & Technical Education) students are a vital resource to Missouri's thriving economy today, tomorrow, and the future because our state needs a strong skilled, and highly motivated workforce to compete in the world's marketplace."  Wade Johnson of the U.S. Department of Labor/Office of Apprenticeship had wonderful things to say about the greater Washington community and Four Rivers Career Center. Before presenting the official certification of the FRCC Apprenticeship Program, he stated, "City and Business organizations. This is the perfect storm in a positive way of things that need to happen to not only develop an apprenticeship program, but to have it be sustainable." His words about the students, however, were a highlight of the day, and proof that Four Rivers Career Center is living and fulfilling its mission to provide a quality education with real life experiences and opportunities to achieve a higher standard of living for a diverse student population using authentic hands-on learning modeled by knowledgeable and caring instructors. Johnson stated, "I wish I was as confident and talented in high school as what I've seen today. And it's not just the apprentices. The kids that gave us tours... They were very sure of what they wanted to do and how they wanted to prepare themselves for the workforce, for becoming productive, contributing members of society, forging their own path to the middle class. It inspires me, and it gives me hope for the future." The program was closed by Commissioner Zora Mulligan of the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. "To the students watching - the state of Missouri is tremendously proud of your success and we can't wait to see what you do as you finish your apprenticeships and go on into the economy and your lives. Thank you all for celebrating this important event with us today." Does your company want to get involved with the Youth Registered Apprenticeship Program? Learn more here, or contact Cynthia Walker, Apprenticeship Coordinator for additional details!  Room for Art Gallery celebrated its Grand Opening on Monday, March 1 at 124 West Main Street in Downtown Washington. The Gallery, owned by JoAnn (Peters) McCoy showcases the work of sixteen Missouri artists throughout the 2,000 square foot space. Featured Artists include:
Read The Missourian's feature article on the gallery here! **Members will receive their invitations by e-mail the week of March 8, 2021.  Devin Henderson is a multi-talented powerhouse: an author, experienced presenter and seasoned performer, having logged thousands of performances as an award-winning comedian and magician, and an in-demand keynote speaker. His unique combination of skills and storytelling and his hilarious and engaging interaction are what make him an audience favorite. His keynote clients have included Pepsi, Sprint, Cerner and hundreds more. His performances have been called, "unreal," "unexpected," and "unforgettable." "Something Greater Is Always Possible" What would you do and who you be if you believed anything was possible for you? For many people a once-held vision of unlimited possibility gets small and limited as a result of life’s daily stressors, persistent insecurities, self doubt, isolation and even failure. But what if you could reclaim and even expand your full potential at anytime? And what if your truest potential was bigger, richer and more satisfying than you had previously envisioned? Join seasoned speaker and performer, Devin Henderson for an entertaining, funny, and inspiring experience to break free of your perceived limits and realize your greatness like never before. You’ll learn how to:
More Info on the Banquet:
 A ribbon cutting was held in February to officially welcome Exit 11 Coffee House & Workspace's 2nd Washington Drive-Thru, located behind Cinema 1 Plus.... Pictured are owners Scott & Angela Garland with representatives from the Chamber Board & Staff, Ambassadors, and City of Washington officials. Exit 11 started as a shared workspace with an on-site coffeehouse in the Washington Business Center at 1351 Jefferson Street. Soon, a two-sided drive-thru coffee location was added just a block away, followed by a Union location, and now the newest drive thru off Rabbit Trail. For addresses and hours, visit www.exit-11.com/locations. The Exit 11 Menu includes coffee (fresh, cold brew, or iced!), Frozen Drinks, Teas & Cocoa, Espresso (Hot or Iced), Pastries and other breakfast items. Drinks can get an extra pump of deliciousness with a variety of syrups, including Scottie's Organic House-Made flavors (Bourbon Vanilla, Spanish Vanilla, Hazelnut, Coconut, Cinnamon Dulce, or Louisiana molasses blend), and for those that like to brew their own, Scottie's Whole Bean Coffee is available by the bag, |
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