On Wednesday afternoon, Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce celebrated one of their most beloved annual traditions – the New Teacher Luncheon. Chamber Members invited teachers and administrators who are entering the Crown Point, Merrillville, and Porter Township School Corporations to Lighthouse Restaurant for a free meal, gift bags, and more.
Last year, the Crossroads Regional Chamber put a pause on the luncheon due to COVID-19, but still wanted to welcome those new educators to their new job and community, so they invited newcomers from both this year and last to join in on the celebration. Deann Patena, president & CEO for Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce, noted it was simply the natural thing to do.
“We just want our teachers to know how much we appreciate them, because we know it can sometimes feel like a thankless job,” she said. “This is just one of the opportunities, of several, that we do for these educators throughout the year. It’s a nice opportunity for us to meet them, and let them know what we can do to help them out here in the community.”
The Chamber’s Education Committee organized the event including Committee Chair Jessica Hubbard, marketing director of Chick-fil-A Merrillville, whose daughter will be starting classes at Crown Point High School this year and is related to numerous educators.
“I have family members who are teachers, so it’s been really rewarding to welcome the next generation of teachers in and helping them feel some love from the community,” Hubbard said. “Giving back is just so huge for the Chamber and it’s something we do at Chick-fil-A all the time. We want to explore all kinds of avenues that are off the beaten path or outside of the box.”
Another member of the committee, Dr. Michael White, from Indiana Wesleyan University, has similar experiences – with his wife being a third grade teacher.
“It can be hard, especially for teachers moving to a new school, or new position oftentimes right out of college,” he said. “They often do not have financial resources, or know what their situation is going to look like. We want those teachers to know that the business community values and appreciates them, celebrates them, and is here to support them.”
Teachers and administrators from the different districts mingled as they ate, including Crown Point Superintendent Todd Terrill – who himself took up his position just last year.
“I’ll tell you, it speaks volumes to our new teachers as they come in that our business community and the Chamber has gone through so much effort to do this for them,” Terrill said. “I’ve always heard about Crown Point and how supportive everyone is here from our parents, to our businesses, to those who don’t even have kids in our system, and this is just one more piece of evidence of that very fact.”
To learn more about the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce, visit www.crossroadschamber.org.
