Dear Members:
As I presumed in my second Special President’s Message Update on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic e-mailed to you (and posted on YouTube) on March 27, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker on March 30 extended his “Stay at Home” Executive Order through the end of the month of April. “Stay at Home” first went into effect on March 21—following the April 17 shutdown of restaurants and bars—and was initially scheduled to last through April 7.
Also on March 31, the State of Illinois’ Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported nearly 6,000 confirmed COVID-19 case and nearly 100 deaths across our state, while Edward-Elmhurst Health reported treating 73 COVID-19 patients, including 42 at Elmhurst Hospital, with seven deaths.
Since my second President’s Message, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the United States has nearly doubled to nearly 164,000 and growing exponentially, while the number of deaths have more than doubled to nearly 2,900.
Chamber Status Update
Our Chamber on March 31 applied with the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) for a quick loan of $10K from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EDIL) COVID-19 relief program and will submit another EDIL application for at least $25K before the end of this week.
However, as an Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-designated 501(c)(6) not-for-profit organization, ECCI is not eligible for SBA relief programs funded within the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, including the $350 billion Paycheck Protect Program (PPP) to allow small businesses and 501(c)(3) NFPs to continue to pay their employees.
Chamber staff has already been impacted by the Pandemic, with Director of Member Services Mariella Mastromauro, Office Manager Kim Kurzcek working limited office hours when not working remotely. Our two Elmhurst College student interns have not worked since March 18, with training for a new student intern on hold since then.
Membership Dues Payments
Let me reassure all of our Chamber members that your business or organization will remain a member in good standing even if you are no longer able to pay your annual dues or make your monthly dues payments, starting with those who were billed on April 1. If need be, we will extend that dues policy on a month-by-month basis.
Essential Business Update
Elmhurst Premier Childcare in downtown Elmhurst has qualified for special COVID-19 Emergency Provider licensing through the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (IDCFS) to provide childcare services for First Responders and essential business workers. The facility has staff and client healthcare protocols in place to safely accommodate more than 40 youngsters ages 2 to 5 and nearly 30 toddlers and infants in rooms of less than 10 children.
Restaurant and Bars Promotion
Our Chamber and the City of Elmhurst are promoting some 90 restaurants and bars—including 30 Chamber members—which are offering curbside pick-up, walk-in takeout and delivery services to hungry patrons during the dine-in shutdown, and we are looking to expand our website’s Menus at a Glance module to include hyperlinks to facilitate online ordering.
We are also discussing ways to promote the non-food-and-beverage businesses which continue to serve their customers online through delivery and curbside pick-up options, so feel free to e-mail us with what your business is doing.
Good Works Awards
Our Chamber also wants to promote the Good Works of many members who are doing their best to help during this crisis, so feel free to e-mail us with how your business has contributed.
For example, Market Table Catering & Events is donating prepackaged, individually prepared meals twice weekly to Elmhurst Hospital employees.
The District 205 Foundation has raised enough donations to award grants of $15K to the United Community Concerns Association (UCCA), $10K to the Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry and and $5K to the Northern Illinois Food Bank, and contributed $9.5K to provide Spring Break meals daily to more than 200 schoolchildren.
Happy Anniversary
Eight members are celebrating Chamber anniversaries in April as follows: 35 years—Classic Cinemas/York Theatre and Russell F. Caforio & Associates; 30 years—Courtyard by Marriott Elmhurst, Kiwanis Club of Elmhurst and Unlimited Heating & Cooling; 25 years—Elmhurst City Centre; and 5 years—Judith B. Salon and Whole Foods Market.
New Members
The Chamber welcomed one new member in March as follows: Dipsy Desserts.
Reactivated Member
TransNational Payments reactivated its Chamber membership after a one-year hiatus.
Dropped Members
The Chamber said goodbye to the following eight members in March: Action Tasks Professional Organizers, Camp Bow Wow, International Auto Body, Level Up Studios, Life Stages Therapeutic Services, Project 180 Consulting, TANNINS and Throw Nation.