The Chamber of Commerce of Smyth County hosted its first joint Opportunity Fair and Student Government Day on April 28, 2022. Previously, the events were held on separate days but this year, they were combined to bring more exposure to the students from each event.
At the Opportunity Fair, roughly forty vendors were present, allowing the students to visit a large variety of businesses, organizations, volunteer opportunities and higher education facilities. The Chamber was also excited to add a veterans resource section this year thanks to a partnership with Virginia Employment Commission.
The Student Government Day was also a great success, allowing the seniors to learn more about our local government and career opportunities, while job shadowing and networking with local leaders.
In total over 250 high school seniors from Marion, Chilhowie, and Saltville participated in the events along with roughly 30 government offices and 40 vendors. There were also a number of job seekers from the local communities who were able to attend the Opportunity Fair. Anyone interested in more information about the vendors present can visit The Chamber of Commerce on Facebook for live video and contact information from a variety of employers. They can also sign up for the Chamber’s weekly email of job listings.
Thank you to our event sponsors, Food City, Food County USA, Highlands Distilling, Anthem HealthKeepers Plus, Chilhowie Christian Church, and 93.9 WMEV for making this event possible. We also want to extend a warm thank you to Mike Sturgill and the student government teachers of Smyth County.
