Corboy & Demetrio Employees Dress Down for a Good Cause with “Jeans Fridays”

For more than 15 years, Corboy & Demetrio employees have made thousands of dollars in charitable contributions through “Jeans Fridays”, a program that encourages staff to make donations in exchange for wearing jeans on Fridays.

Staff members Janice Fleming and Dana Ligue run the fundraiser, gather information about the charities that are proposed by co-workers, choosing the charity of the week, collecting donations, and delivering the money to the charities.

“It’s a ‘no-brainer’ as the charities we choose have a personal connection to someone. Plus, who doesn’t want to dress down on a Friday?” Janice said.

Throughout the year, Corboy & Demetrio staff propose charities that they are personally interested in for the funds to go to. The firm usually donates to five to six charities per year through this fundraiser. “Jeans Fridays” can result in a donation of anywhere from $300 to $700 for a charity.

Some of the recent “Jeans Friday” charities have included Special Olympics, the Les Turner ALS Foundation, Lurie Children’s Research Fund, and the Ovarian Cancer Symptom Awareness Organization.

“A lot of companies do this,” Dana said. “But what is unique at Corboy & Demetrio is that everyone has a personal connection to the organization we are donating.”

In its biggest fundraiser to date, Corboy & Demetrio raised more than $1000 for the Monarch Center for Autism in early 2017. The Monarch Center for Autism is a living and learning community for adults and adolescents with Autism.

An upcoming “Jeans Friday” is being planned for the charity, Cocktails and Chemo, an organization founded to provide a support group for caregivers and spouses of cancer patients.

“I met the founder at an event and was completely moved by her story and the organization that she founded. I immediately decided to use it as a ‘Jeans Friday’ fundraiser. That is the best part about this fundraiser; you get to help someone to make a difference for a cause they really care about,” Janice said.