Hero Story

The Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce is turning ripples of influence into tidal waves of positive impact through an initiative that they created called Community Impact Day. This is a powerful initiative connecting businesses, nonprofits, and communities through an afternoon of service and celebration. What began as a small part of the Chamber's Leadership Class has become one of our fastest-growing programs. This year, they launched Statewide Community Impact Day. In partnership with Chambers and communities across Michigan, they’re amplifying their collective impact by volunteering on the same day, at the same time, in the same blue shirts. This effort builds vital connections, boosts visibility for local causes, fuels civic pride, and drives non-dues revenue to each of the Chambers. The West Coast Chamber offered the leadership, tools, and funding to help other Chambers bring this impactful program to life in their own communities by inviting everyone to join them in building something bigger, an effort that sparks meaningful change and unites people across Michigan and beyond. The statistics from the program this year are amazing: 139 non-profit organizations served at 191 locations, 3,334 volunteers providing 10,002 hours of service, for a total value of labor of $347,969.58. And this is just the beginning. Imagine this...If every Chamber that participated invited just one other Chamber every year for the next 5 years, the impact would be truly remarkable -- we would have 166,188 Volunteers serve 7,321 Locations, creating $6,027,559 Non-Dues Revenue to the Chambers, while saving Communities $18,326,193 in labor costs.