Submitted by the Downtown Camas Association
The Camas community has shown great support for Downtown Camas businesses during the COVID pandemic. In response to community suggestions to offer a way for residents to support Downtown Camas on an ongoing basis, the nonprofit Downtown Camas Association (DCA) has started a “Household Membership” donation option. Supporting the efforts of the DCA helps support the downtown businesses and contributes to the overall health of the vital heart of Camas.
The DCA is an accredited WA State Main Street Program and works year round to strengthen and promote Downtown Camas through partnerships, events, beautification and historic preservation projects, economic development, advocacy, and tourism functions.
You can become a supporter by signing up for a small recurring monthly donation of $3, $5 or $10 per month. All household membership contributors are listed on the DCA website. You can sign up for a Downtown Camas Household Membership here.
“We have been humbled by the community support of our downtown businesses during this pandemic,” says Carrie Schulstad, director of the DCA. “The benefits of donating to and having a strong downtown association helps businesses in many ways as well. People are not always aware of what the DCA does as a Main Street Program. We are known for organizing robust events that help the downtown merchants and the community, but we do much more than events. We keep our businesses informed and connected and help provide resources and educational initiatives so best practices can be followed. We promote our downtown through social media, regional tourism advertising, weekly newsletters, walking maps, downtown website, press releases and more. We help keep our downtown aesthetic charming and vibrant with downtown lighting, flower baskets, murals, pennants, street emblems, wayfinding signs, bronze art, clean up days and more. We work closely with many community volunteers who all bring their talents and interests to the table to support downtown efforts. We help recruit businesses that will create a strong business mix and provide for the needs of the community. We are close partners with the City, Port, Camas School District and other local nonprofits and advocate for our downtown on local, state and national levels. We routinely mentor students in the DECA program or students for their senior projects as we know that our students are our future business owners, customers and leaders. We understand the importance of our downtown buildings and our structural and cultural history and encourage preservation and maintenance of our buildings as well as provide heritage education. We believe wholeheartedly in our downtown and the power it has in creating a strong community. We ask for your support for our organization which in turn helps strengthen the economic and cultural climate for all our downtown businesses.”
For more on all the initiatives of the Downtown Camas Association, visit https://downtowncamas.com/dca/four-point-approach-committee-activities
