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Giving Spirit Is "In The Jeans"
The folks at Fichman Eye Center in Manchester, CT like to do whatever
they can to promote charitable giving and community support in their
employees. So, when one of our coworkers had an idea about how to
incorporate giving with having a little fun during the workday,
the company jumped at the chance. And “$5 Jeans Day”
was born.
On the first Friday of every month, employees at Fichman Eye Center
can choose to wear jeans in exchange for a small donation of $5.00.
The money collected goes to a charity chosen by a different staff
member each month. One month we chose Paul Newman’s Hole In
The Wall Gang, a camp for children with life-threatening illnesses.
Another month we picked the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation. A sign
is displayed in our lobby explaining to our patients why we’re
wearing jeans on a given Friday.
For the month of June, because so many of us are baseball fans,
we chose The Tug McGraw Foundation as the recipient of our donations.
We raised $75.00! It may not sound like a lot, but we know every
little bit helps, and we have fun doing it. The staff truly looks
forward to these Fridays.
We’ve discovered that we can work variations into the program,
too. For example, in July, our recipient will be the Connecticut
Children’s Medical Center, but instead of $5.00, we’ll
each donate a toy. We may also do a food drive to benefit the local
food bank. Other charities we’ve given to have included the
Red Cross (Katrina victims), the Connecticut Humane Society, the
American Cancer Society, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
We find that ideas like these which encourage community support
can really boost morale and help the staff feel good about contributing
to a very worthy cause.
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