Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce

The Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce, a SMUD Sustainable Communities partner, connects business, government, education and community leaders to enhance the quality of life not only in Citrus Heights, but in the Sacramento Region.

 Citrus Heights Chamber of commerce logo

In early March 2020, our community began to feel the impact of the spread of the COVID-19 virus – both physically and emotionally. The growing pandemic brought the world to a virtual halt, including the closing of all area schools, stranding students from kindergarten through high school at home.

Parents who still needed to report to work were left without adequate childcare. So, the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce decided to leverage their resources to help a chamber member, Single Mom Strong, provide a solution.

Single Mom Strong is also a SMUD Sustainable Communities partner. Their mission is to empower single mothers and their children through various enrichment and educational programs. Although childcare is one of the services they offer, they required a huge increase in funding to handle the sudden influx of Citrus Heights families in need.

Young student writing on chalk board

One young enrollee expresses his feelings about
the program.

This is where the Chamber and SMUD stepped in. With financial support supplied by Sustainable Communities through our partnership with the Chamber, Single Mom Strong was able to expand their services and provide COVID-19 emergency childcare scholarships for students of parents working in essential service fields.

“It is in times of need when we depend on each other the most,” said Single Mom Strong founder Tara Taylor. “This partnership has displayed the importance of this and speaks to the power that we have in coming together.”

This collective impact partnership meets the goals of our Sustainable Communities program promoting community education, community safety, as well as providing a healthy environment in order to thrive.