Rock Creek Area Chamber of Commerce disbands

By STACY MILLBERG - Staff Writer - smillberg@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

October 05, 2008 01:40 am

— ROCK CREEK — The Rock Creek Area Chamber of Commerce is disbanding because of lack of interest among businesses in the area, the group announced Friday.
Chamber President Rose LeBaron said the group had the welfare of the community as its main focus when making decisions toward community projects. The chamber officers made the decision to disperse the chamber’s remaining moneys to groups in the Rock Creek area that have the same interest of the community at heart.
“We had $4,000 laying in an account that isn’t doing anybody any good,” LeBaron said.
The remaining funds were distributed equally among the Rock Creek Methodist Church Food Pantry, the Rock Creek Public Library and the Morgan Hose Volunteer Fire Company. Each group received a check in the amount of $1,294.09.
LeBaron said she knew the three groups were in need of the money to help local families throughout the year.
“We’re too small of a town to be that big of a chamber,” she said. “We just did not flourish as we’d hoped.”
LeBaron said Rock Creek just does not have the area needed for the chamber to grow.
“We just don’t have enough businesses,” she said. “It was a wonderful chamber and wonderful people we worked with and it is a wonderful community. I love this community, it’s just not growing like it should. A chamber is supposed to be for growth and development.”
LeBaron said the Rock Creek Area Chamber of Commerce ended up being more of a community chamber, catering to programs and events to get the community involved, rather than for growth.
The chamber sponsored various events throughout the year including a circus and Christmas event to name a few.
“With the way the economy is right now, the money can be put to better use than sitting in a checking account,” she said.