This is a strange time that we're living in and it's changing hour by hour. The COVID-19 pandemic is having radical, immediate effects on small businesses all across the world and will likely impact our economies for years to come. This is the time for us as human beings, as colleagues, as business owners and educators to band together. We will get through this together.

This blog post will continue to be updated as I find relevant information and resources for our members to use in navigating what all this means for their businesses. Believe me when I say I know how painful this can be. Shutting our doors means shutting off our income in many cases, but we need to do this. We all, every single one of us, need to do our part to protect ourselves, our loved ones, our community, and people we may never even meet. We are all in the same boat. There is not a single business or industry or family that is not being impacted by this pandemic. We all need to do what we can to be calm, be responsible, be kind, and help each other through this.

It is with that in mind that I have spent the last few days compiling resources to help you find the assistance that you need for your business during all of this. If you know of any programs that are available to you on a local or state level where you live, please forward them to me at communications@sewingprofessionals.com so that I can include them in the list. Things are changing rapidly and not all states and provinces are moving as quickly as others. Keep an eye on your inbox. Every time this list is updated I will be sending you an e-blast notification.

To get us started, our secretary, Terri Tipps brought this to my attention and I encourage all of you to participate if you are able:

STAKEHOLDER CONFERENCE CALL

There will be a stakeholder conference call from the White House TOMORROW, March 19 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time for information on disaster assistance resources for small businesses and Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidelines. This conference call will include updates from Senior Administration officials.

To attend the conference call, please fill out the link below. You will receive dial-in information upon registration.

Call Information
• Date: Thursday, March 19, 2020
• Time: 2:00 PM Eastern Time
• Call-In Registration: RSVP Link

Check back here regularly as more resources are added. Feel free to contact me with any questions, suggestions, or concerns.

Cisa Kubley

VP of Communications