Outreach, Love 2 Fly Co-Host Foothills Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours – Tryon Daily Bulletin

COLUMBUS — On Thursday, Nov. 21, the Foothills Chamber of Commerce held its monthly Business After Hours networking event in the Thermal Belt Outreach Conference Room. The event brought together local businesses for networking, food and camaraderie. Love 2 Fly—Drone Works co-hosted the event, which took place in Columbus.

Margot Carter, executive director of Thermal Belt Outreach, expressed her excitement for the partnership.

“It was wonderful to partner with Love 2 Fly for this event,” she said. “It’s always great to meet new businesses in the community. Gwen came to meet us about co-hosting the event and immediately became a regular volunteer.”

Outreach has been a mainstay of support in the community since 1991, addressing the needs of people facing both short-term crises such as not being able to pay their electricity bills or put food on the table, as well as those living in persistent poverty. One of its current initiatives, the Christmas Gift Program, provides gifts, toys and gift cards to Polk County children ages 0-18 and over one hundred senior citizens.

Carter praised the Foothills Chamber of Commerce for supporting the local economy.

“I like the Chamber. They work very hard to promote local businesses and bring local businesses together to help the community,” Carter said.

Love 2 Fly – Drone Works, operated by Tim and Gwen Ryan, provides photography and videography services and search and rescue operations, primarily for lost pets. Whether enhancing a real estate listing or assisting in disaster response, their drone technology efficiently captures compelling visuals and critical data.

Gwen Ryan remarked about working with Outreach, saying, “Outreach is fabulous, all the good work they do for the community. We are proud to work with Margot, and after meeting the wonderful people here, I also became a volunteer.”

Tim Ryan detailed their recent engagements.

“We offer various services, including video and photography, but after Helene, we found ourselves helping in other ways,” he said. “We went out one day to check a couple of houses to see if they were still there. We have also participated in searches for lost pets and more recently we were called to help find a missing horse.”

For more information on Thermal Belt Outreach, visit thoutreach.org, and for details on Love 2 Fly – Drone Works, visit love2fly.us. To learn more about the Foothills Chamber of Commerce, visit carolinafoothillschamber.com.