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Welcome to our sixth edition of “What’s going on atHOME” a monthly newsletter of the HawkinsvillePulaski Chamber of Commerce. This newsletterwill feature news and happenings in and around ourcommunity. If you have an article that you wouldlike to share with the community, please feel free tosubmit it to the Chamber office. Deadline for submission to be included in the next newsletter will beApril 6 2020. It can be dropped by or emailed toinfo@hawkinsvillechamber.orgWhat’s atgoing onHOME#comehometohawkinsvilleTABLE OF CONTENTSTRH Procedurespage 2Resource Guidespage 3Things to Rememberpage 4Community Happeningspage 5Harness Festivalpage 6CGTC Message/ Now Hiringpage 7Opera House Upcoming EventsSpring Charrettepage 8,9page 9Save the Datepage 10Pulaski County Schoolspage 11Blood Drivepage 12Red Cross News Releasepage 13Hargray Remote Learningpage 15Taylor Regional Hospitalpage 16Miss Hawkinsville Pageantpage 17GOLDMembersSILVERMembers1

COVID-19 INFORMATION RESOURCE GUIDESCDC Recommendation(s) for Business Pr epar ednessand Response to COVID-19 [cdc.gov]Sign up for CDC.gov email updates [tools.cdc.gov]Latest Updates from the SBA Regarding DisasterAssistance for Businesses: stance [sba.gov]Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH)webpage: ia.gov]U.S. Travel Association webpage: https://www.ustravel.org/toolkit/emergency-pr epar edness-and-r esponse-coronavirus-covid-19 [ustravel.org]Georgia Department of Public Health:dph.georgia.govGeorgia Chamber of Commerce: gachamber.com/covid19/3

Things to Remember

HARNESS FESTIVALApril 4-5, 2020It is with a heavy heart that we, the board and staff of theChamber, inform you that because of the challenges we as aCity, County and Nation are facing due to the Coronavirus, the2020 Harness Festival has been cancelled.We wanted to take this opportunity to Thank everyone whohelp in anyway with the planning of this year's festival. As asmall town, it takes us all working together to make positivethings happen and grow our community. We look at this asjust a minor setback as well as a learning experience and willtake what we have learned and build on that experience fornext year.Thank you again for all you do for our community and theChamber. At this difficult time, we wish good health to youand your family.Community HappeningsMARCH20th-22nd—Spring Downtown Charette27th—Bridge Reopening Ceremony28th - Miss Hawkinsville pageantStay tune for updates on eventsand meetings in the community.We will try to keep you abreast ofchanges on our Facebook pageand thru emails.SAVE THE DATESThis is open to all events that benefit thecommunity. Please send in events for thenext newsletter by March 6th. It can bedropped by or emailed to info@hawkinsvillechamber.org2021 DatesApril 10-11, 2021Regular Monthly Meetingsin 2021 County Commission meets the 1stMonday of the month @ 10AM City Council meets the 1st Mondayof the month @ 6PM School Board meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month @ 6:30PMSOCIAL MEDIA STRIDES We now have 890 followers on FacebookWe have registered our own hashtag for the community and it is#comehometohawkinsville.Our social media presence has made such an impact that Snapchathas added our new logo as a filter.@chamberhawkinsvilleWe post our “Spotlight Friday” on Facebook every Friday highlighting a person, business or local group making a difference in our community.2

The CDC is asking that gatherings of more than 50 people should be cancelled for the next 8 weeks. Although it saddens us to have to cancel HarnessFestival for this year, the safety of our community, membership, and staff is thetop priority for the Chamber.With the growing number of cases confirmed in Georgia, it is prudent thatwe be prepared and ready to deal with the situation equipped with the facts.While there is still much to learn about this virus, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Georgia Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS) areall excellent resources that businesses and families can turn to when looking formore information on the virus.The Hawkinsville-Pulaski Chamber of Commerce and our Board of Directors takethe health and safety of our community very seriously. We are actively monitoring the situation regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) and are in communicationwith health officials. We will keep everyone up-to-date with any information weobtain.

Dear Community Partners,Due to the abrupt challenges of COVID-19, the Hawkinsville Workforce DevelopmentCenter of Central Georgia Technical College will defer all scheduled/community meetingsand/or in-house activities held at the site during this time until further notice. The Collegeis committed to the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. Furthermore, CGTC activated the stages of its Pandemic and Emergency Operations Plan on March 3rd, and sincethat time, faculty members have been developing online and technology-enabled contentfor non-online course. The majority of this instruction will be conducted off campus,whether through Blackboard, email, or another distance education platform.As always, we will be able to communicate effectively through our various channels. Additionally, we care about health and security welfare of our constituents, internal and external stakeholders during this crisis. Again, we thank you for your cooperation and I willkeep you updated and informed going forward.Warm regards,www.centralgatech.eduA unit of the Technical College System of GeorgiaMarcus Early, Ed.D.Director of HWDC and PCRWDCSatellite Operations Division243 Warner Robins HighwayHawkinsville, GA 31036P: (478) 218-32307:00PM5

UP-COMING EVENTS21 MAR25 APRT. Robert’s Patented Magic & Variety Show POSTPONEDSaturday 5:00 pm 22The Ultimate Oldies 70’s and 80’s ShowSaturday 7:00 pm 25 or 2/ 45Ticket Office Hours: Monday 12:00pm – 4:00pmTues - Fri 10:00am – 4:00pm478.783.1884 Tickets on salewww.hawkinsvilleoperahouse.com8

Rebecca HowellSeason 16 Contestant featured onNBC’s “The Voice “Performing onMay 2, 7:00PM@ theOpera HouseRebecca got involved in singing competitions in the fifthgrade, and after placing severaltimes, she became a localstandout. Rebecca's grandmother encouraged her to pursue music and was her biggestsupporter. Sadly, she recentlypassed away, but Rebeccaplans to honor her grandmother's memory by continuingto sing. Rebecca plans to go tocollege and spends her timesinging at her church, whereshe serves as worship leader.“The Voice” was Rebecca’sChance to share her musicbeyond her small town ofCochran.CharrettePOSTPONED"At this time,the Hawkinsville Food& Beverage Establishment Charrette toreimagine downtownbuildings, which wasscheduled for March20-22, 2020, has beenpostponed.Please staytuned in the future aswe work to move forward with this projectat a later date.”

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SNAPSHOTS11

BLOODMOBILEBLOOD DRIVEMarch 26, 20201:30PM—6:30PMin front of theHawkinsville-Pulaski Chamber of Commerce46 South Lumpkin Streetdirectly across from thePulaski County Courthouse Annex12

AMERICAN RED CROSS News ReleaseMedia contact: Ronnika A. McFall, 678-614-3643, @RedCrossBloodGARedCrossBlood.orgAmerican Red Cross faces severe blood shortage as coronavirus outbreak threatens availability of nation’s supplyNearly 2,700 Red Cross blood drives have been canceled across the country due to coronavirus concerns, resulting in some86,000 fewer blood donations.(March 17, 2020) – The American Red Cross now faces a severe blood shortage due to an unprecedented number of blood drivecancellations in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Healthy individuals are needed now to donate to help patients counting onlifesaving blood.As the coronavirus pandemic has grown here in the U.S., blood drive cancellations have grown at an alarming rate. To date, nearly2,700 Red Cross blood drives have been canceled across the country due to concerns about congregating at workplaces, collegecampuses and schools amidst the coronavirus outbreak. These cancellations have resulted in some 86,000 fewer blood donations.More than 80% of the blood the Red Cross collects comes from drives held at locations of this type.Here in the Georgia Region, 166 blood drives have been canceled, resulting in 7,713 fewer blood donations. The Red Cross isadding appointment slots at donation centers and expanding capacity at many community blood drives across the country overthe next few weeks to ensure ample opportunities for donors to give.Volunteer donors are the only source of blood for those in needThe Red Cross expects the number of cancellations to continue to increase, which is causing heightened concern for blood collection organizations and hospitals across the country. This blood shortage could impact patients who need surgery, victims of caraccidents and other emergencies, or patients suffering from cancer.“I am looking at the refrigerator that contains only one day’s supply of blood for the hospital,” said Dr. Robertson Davenport, director of transfusion medicine at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor. “The hospital is full. There are patients who need blood andcannot wait.”“In our experience, the American public comes together to support those in need during times of shortage and that support isneeded now more than ever during this unprecedented public health crisis,” said Chris Hrouda, president, Red Cross BiomedicalServices. “Unfortunately, when people stop donating blood, it forces doctors to make hard choices about patient care, which iswhy we need those who are healthy and well to roll up a sleeve and give the gift of life.”The Red Cross is committed to blood drive safety“We know that people want to help, but they may be hesitant to visit a blood drive during this time. We want to assure the publicthat blood donation is a safe process, and we have put additional precautions in place at our blood drives and donation centers toprotect all who come out,” said Hrouda.The Red Cross has implemented new measures to ensure blood drives and donation centers are even safer for our donors andstaff, including: Checking the temperature of staff and donors before entering a drive to make sure they are healthy. Providing hand sanitizer for use before the drive, as well as throughout the donation process. Spacing beds, where possible, to follow social distancing practices between blood donors. Increasing enhanced disinfecting of surfaces and equipment.At each blood drive and donation center, Red Cross employees already follow thorough safety protocols to help prevent thespread of any type of infection, including: Wearing gloves and changing gloves with each donor. Routinely wiping down donor-touched areas. Using sterile collection sets for every donation. Preparing the arm for donation with an aseptic scrub.There is no data or evidence that this coronavirus can be transmitted by blood transfusion, and there have been no reported casesof transfusion transmission for any respiratory virus including this coronavirus worldwide.“Volunteer donors are the unsung heroes for patients in need of lifesaving blood transfusions. If you are healthy, feeling well andeligible to give, please schedule an appointment to give now,” added Hrouda.