by Webmaster

Giving Thanks For Our Members

This is a week of holiday traffic, airport screenings and millions of bargain seeking shoppers. It’s also precious time for us to reconnect with family and dear friends, share with those less fortunate and give thanks for the many blessings in our lives.

For too many in our community and nation, this has been another very difficult year. Millions are unemployed and even more are underemployed. It’s amidst this backdrop of austerity that we see the best in Angelenos: employers that take the time to tell their employees how much they appreciate their hard work, and employees who take the time to tell their employers how much they appreciate having a job.

We also see people with means and people who are living day-to-day come together in collective actions - like those who will serve food at the rescue missions on Thanksgiving Day and the five thousand people who showed they care by joining the recent Home Walk to fight homelessness. We also see compassion in thousands of individual acts of kindness like ringing bells for the Salvation Army, singing carols at the senior center or sending a care package to service members overseas.

Here at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, we are thankful for all the ways that our members help our community throughout the year. For 122 years, it’s been our mission to improve the economy and quality of life for everyone in our region. I am thankful for your support and your personal commitment to our mission. It is your commitment to making Los Angeles City and County a better place to live, work and create jobs that inspires us each and every day.

This weekend, as you wait for your flight, have a quiet moment in the car driving on a moonlit night or relax after a fulfilling Thanksgiving meal, I hope you will reflect on the blessings you have and the precious gift of giving to those who are less fortunate.

And that’s the Thanksgiving business perspective for 2010.