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News of MERIT
Greetings!
Fall is in full swing at MERIT. Currently, we are running an Explore and Define Your Business class in Salem and are preparing for classes to begin in Independence and McMinnville in October. Also, expect to learn more about our new Launch Your Business class in the near future.
If you know people who are considering self- employment, please forward this newsletter to them. For more information about MERIT, please visit www.merit-microenterprise.org.
Thanks for your support of MERIT!
Forrest Peck
Program Director |
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Register Now for Information Sessions in Independence and McMinnville
Do you have a business idea and don't know what to do with it? Explore and Define Your Business is just for you! To learn more come to an information session on October 11th in Independence and October 12th in McMinnville from 6:00 - 7:00pm. Attending the information session is necessary to enroll in Explore and Define Your Business. To register for the information session, click here. |
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Start Your Business Workshops
Thinking about a business idea? Not sure if self-employment is right for you? Want to know more about what you might be getting into? If this describes you or someone you know we have good news.
MERIT has a class where you can explore self-employment in an informal setting. We call this Start Your Business, and we now offer it monthly in five locations. Best of all it's free!
- Salem (English)- October 13th from 9-10AM at WorkSource Salem, 605 Cottage St NE
- Salem (Spanish)- October 13th from 10-11AM at WorkSource Salem, 605 Cottage St NE
- Grand Ronde - October 20th from 10-11AM at Adult Education Center, 9615 Grand Ronde Road
- Dallas - October 20th from 12-1PM at WorkSource Center, 580 Main St. Suite B
- McMinnville - October 20th from 2-3PM at WorkSource Center, 370 NE Norton Lane
- Woodburn (English)- October 13th from 12-1PM WorkSource Center, 120 E Lincoln St, Suite 115
- Woodburn (Spanish)- October 13th from 1-2PM WorkSource Center, 120 E Lincoln St, Suite 115
To register for the next Start Your Business class, please call the Chemeketa Small Business Development Center at 503- 399-5088.
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MERIT Client Success Story
 Marci Hines took MERIT's microenterprise training last fall. Since then, she has been incredibly busy with her three partners launching Can-B-Clean, LLC, a garbage can cleaning service that is proving to be successful. Read the full success story here.
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Special Thanks
 MERIT has recently received a grant from Wells Fargo to help provide technical assistance to low-income entrepreneurs. We appreciate the investment that Wells Fargo is making in our community, and are grateful for the opportunity to partner with them. Thank you Wells Fargo!
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MERIT Welcomes Teri Alexander as New Board President
MERIT welcomes its new board president, Teri Alexander! Teri has been on the board of MERIT since 2006 and is excited to move into the president role. Teri had this to say: "I'm really excited about the further development of MERIT. MERIT transforms lives by empowering low-income individuals to move out of poverty through small businesses. MERIT levels the playing field for all different types of people by guiding people to pursue their dreams and visions. I am delighted to take on the role as president and to continue to be part of team that is focused on community gain." |
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MERIT's New VISTA Volunteer
April Simmons has joined the team at MERIT for this year working on important projects like developing a volunteer program and working on Expo Negocio. April has this to say: "Hi! My name is April, and I'm here from Charlotte, North Carolina. I graduated from UNC-Charlotte with a degree in philosophy and organizational communications. I'm going to be developing a volunteer program for MERIT in my year here, along with some other duties. I'm so excited to be working for MERIT and to be in Oregon, thank you for having me!" |
Volunteer Opportunity
MERIT is looking for a database entry volunteer! Check out our posting on Idealist for more information. For questions, call April Simmons at 503-399-5088. |
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Financial Literacy Classes at Salem-Keizer CDC
Salem-Keizer Community Development Corporation has recently launched its new financial literacy classes. You can take individual classes or you can take the complete 4 session class series. Click here for more information. |
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Get Your Tickets for Expo Negocio!
Join us November 18th and 19th for the Second Annual Expo Negocio! On Friday, Jose Ibarra the former Chair of the Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs and the United State Council of Latino Affairs will be the luncheon keynote speaker. Following the luncheon, there will be panel discussions on the impacts of Latino businesses in the Mid-Willamette Valley. The day's events will be primarily held in English. Luncheon tickets are $25 and are on sale now at www.exponegocio.org.
Saturday's events are open to the public and are geared towards Spanish speaking business owners to learn best practices for their existing or start up business. Workshops will be held throughout the day on special topics like how to start a business, obtaining a contractor's license, and the basics of tax preparation. In addition to the workshops, there will be exhibitor booths. Reserve your exhibitor booth now at www.exponegocio.org. |
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Celebrate Nature's Pet 1st Anniversary BarkDay Fest!
Nature's Pet in Salem will be celebrating its first anniversary Saturday, October 1st from 11am to 3 pm at its location on 4555 Liberty Rd S at Sunnyslope. There will be door prizes, pet physic readings, pet portraits, treat tastings, and more! 10% of sales will be donated to Willamette Humane Society, Fences for FIDO, and Hopes Haven & Healing Hearts Rescue. |
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Consider investing in a Donation to MERIT
Your donations to MERIT allow us to better serve our clients. MERIT is a 501c3 organization. Thank you for your support!
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