NC Community College Small Business Center Network
encourages consumers to 'Shop Small For All'
cpffflAL TO THE CHRONICLE
With the holiday shopping season upon
us, the North Carolina Community College
Small Business Center Network (SBCN),
which includes Forsyth Tech's Small
Business Center, is encouraging communi
ties to support local small businesses on
Saturday, November 28, and to use
#ShopSmallForAli on social media.
Nestled between Black Friday and
Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday?
has quickly become a nationally recog
nized day to support local independent
merchants.
The Winston Salem Black Chamber of
Commerce is also urging the support of
small businesses on that day. The Chamber
is providing a tour of its members' busi
nesses.
"Statistics show that more jobs are cre
ated through small businesses than big
businesses," says Allan Younger, director
of the Small Business Center at Forsyth
Tech. "Here at the Small Business Center,
we serve hundreds of potential and exist
ing small business owners each year?and
that number is growing. A community that
supports its small businesses is a commu
nity that can thrive economically."
Small Business Saturday? was found
ed by American Express in 2010 as a day
to celebrate local businesses through the
launch of the holiday shopping season.
The day has since grown into a powerful
movement in support of local small busi
nesses that make communities unique.
Consumer spending with independent
retailers and restaurants during the 2014
Small Business Saturday? neared $14.3
billion according to the results of a survey
conducted by the National Federation of
Independent Business (NFIB), with a total
of 88 million consumers shopping "small"
on the day, up 14.9% from 2013.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that
more than 50 percent of the working pop
ulation works in a small business. A small
business is defined by the Small Business
Administration as one with 500 or fewer
employees. Small businesses generated
more than 63 percent of new jobs between
1995 and 2013.
About the Small Business Center
Network
The mission of the NC Community
Colleges Small Business Center Network
(SBCN) is to increase the success rate and
number of viable small businesses in
North Carolina by providing high quality,
readily accessible assistance to prospective
and existing small business owners, which
will lead to job creation and retention.
The SBCN assists in starting an aver
age of more than 700 businesses each year.
Small Business Centers have an economic
impact in 90% of all NC counties each
year, including helping to create and retain
over 3,600 jobs annually.
About the Black Chamber of
Commerce lour
The Winston-Salem Black Chamber of
Commerce is sponsoring a Shop Small
Business Tour from 10:30 aan. to 2:30
p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28. The 32-passen
ger bus will leave from The Enterprise
Center, 1922 Martin Luther King Jr Dr. ,
and stop at the local businesses of the
members of the Winston-Salem Black
Chamber of Commerce. The cost for the
trip is $20 per person.
If you would like your business to be
included on The Small Business Bus Tour,
call 336-575-2006 for more information.
WSSU fraternity to
host Sleep-Out for the
Homeless on Nov. 20
SPECIAL TO
THE CHRONICLE
The Delta Alpha
Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma
Fraternity, Inc. at Winston
Salem State University
(WSSU) will conduct its
19th annual overnight
sleep-out to raise aware
ness of homelessness in the
Piedmont Triad on Friday,
Nov. 20, beginning at 6
p.m. near the Clock Tower
on campus.
Activities during the
past week have included
the collection of nonperish
able food items, school
supplies and clothing items
for the homeless. The cam
paign will culminate with
the all-night sleep-out that
will have members of the
fraternity and other stu
dents supporting the initia
tive by spending the night
in cardboard boxes, sleep
ing bags and tents. A
makeshift cardboard city
will be set up near the Phi
Beta Sigma monument on
the university's Greek plots
area outside of the
Thompson Student
Services Center.
Clothing items donated
will go to the Winston
Salem Rescue Mission,
while the nonperishable
food items will be given to
the Second Harvest Food
Bank of Northwest North
Carolina. The school sup
plies will support Project
Hope of the Winston
Salem/Forsyth County
School System and the
monetary donations will go
to the Samaritan Ministries
Annual Penny Campaign.
In 2014 members col
lected $330 for Samaritan
Ministries, approximately
17 boxes of clothing and
shoes for the Winston
Salem Rescue Mission,
740 pounds of non-perish
able food items for Second
Harvest Food Bank and
$150 cash for Project
Hope.
This year, the fraterni
ty's goal is to raise $1,000
in cash donations for
Samaritan Ministries and
Project Hope, 1000 pounds
of canned goods and other
non-perishable items, and
at least 20 boxes of cloth
ing. The drive this year is
putting special emphasis on
collecting old blankets and
toys.
Donations may be
made from 6 p.m. Friday,
Nov. 20, through 6 a.m. on
Saturday, Nov. 21, at the
Clock Tower on the WSSU
campus.
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