Brothers, as we approach the Holiday buying season, please be mindful of the impact that we, as African Americans and Omega Men, have on the economy in our communities. With that in mind, I would implore you to spend money on black owned businesses and Omega owned businesses whenever possible. As your Tenth District Economic Development Chair, I am asking that you make a special effort to save the receipts from purchases with black and Omega owned businesses between now and the end of the year so that we can document how much impact we have on our own businesses. After deleting any sensitive credit card or banking information on the receipts, bring those receipts to your next chapter meetings and have them recorded as part of our first-ever “Buy Omega Campaign.” We also need each chapter to designate a representative to collect the receipts work and document the purchases on the attached “Buy Omega Campaign Accountability Form.”
Gentlemen, it’s no accident that our communities are distressed when we don’t make an effort to support our own businesses and recirculate dollars among ourselves. Every dollar that escapes our community is helping to better someone else’s economic empowerment. Furthermore, if we don’t document our support of our own businesses, it’s difficult to demonstrate that our collective buying power makes a difference. That documented buying power will help make Omega stronger as we do business with anyone, including hotels, food vendors, employers, medical providers, insurance companies and others.
I urge each brother and each chapter to take the minimal time and expend the minimal effort on a project that will yield returns for us for years to come.
Respectfully,
Brother Andre Garner Tenth District Economic Development Chair
• The “Buy Omega Campaign” will encourage Tenth District Omegas to shop with Omega-owned businesses and other Black-owned businesses in their respective communities and track the associated spending between September 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014. • Each month, chapter members will submit receipts for purchases with Omega-owned businesses and Black-owned businesses to a designated chairman for their respective chapters. • An accountability sheet (attached) will log the name, address and other pertinent information regarding each Omega-owned business and each Black-owned business for which receipts are submitted. • Each dollar spent with an Omega-owned business will constitute two points as part of the program. • Each dollar spent with other Black-owned businesses will constitute one point. • Each chapter’s total points will be divided by the number of financial members in the chapter to reach their chapter’s “Buy Omega Ratio.” • As a final incentive, the undergraduate and graduate chapters with the top ratios at the end of the program (December 31, 2014) will each be awarded $150 gift cards during the District Convention in 2015.
The committee asks that each chapter participate by designating a “Buy Omega Campaign” liaison as soon as possible and forward that contact person’s name to me at economicdev@omega10thdistrict.org