One Southern Indiana launches assistance program

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — One Southern Indiana has announced an initiative to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. 1si Cares! can be found at the organization’s website to provide the latest information from federal, state and local governments as it relates to businesses during a pandemic.

The first prong of the three-pronged program is 1si Connects, which is an online effort to connect businesses who have products/services to those businesses in need. A survey is available on the organization’s website, which allows 1si staff to determine the needed help. 

The second prong, 1si Collaborates, allows team members to work directly with businesses and community partners to provide direct relief help. The organization is currently designing a program to help Clark and Floyd County businesses in partnership with The Caesars Foundation of Floyd County and the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana. Details of the program are expected to be announced this week. 

The final prong is 1si Calls, which is already underway and includes daily Facebook Live events to allow business owners to ask direct questions of experts in real-time. The conversations deal with several topics, including marketing and sales during a pandemic, SBA government help and information on how to manage employees during a pandemic. 

1si President and CEO Wendy Dant Chesser said, “This is bigger than just our members. One Southern Indiana will always prioritize its members’ needs but our business community is interconnected. This initiative, 1si Cares, is about doing everything we can to keep our entire community of businesses viable through the distribution of updated, concise and relevant information.”