MERRILLVILLE, IN…
While casual days might be the norm for many companies in corporate America, the staff at DirectBuy’s Corporate Headquarters in Merrillville, Indiana, has turned the opportunity to wear jeans to work into a way to generate donations for local causes. For a $2 donation, DirectBuy employees purchase the right to dress down on a predetermined workday. The most recent casual day, or Spirit Day (as it’s referred to at DirectBuy), was held on Wednesday, March 17, 2010, and raised $3,254 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana (BGCNWI).
“Spirit Days have been very well received by our employees, but the fact that this one occurred on St. Patrick’s Day gave us the opportunity to make an event out of it,” said Candice Baeza, a team leader at DirectBuy’s Corporate Headquarters. “So, to really drum up donations and get in the spirit of the day, we served a traditional corned beef and cabbage lunch with a Green River punch and raffled off a Nintendo Wii for staff who participated.”
A special guest, Greg Reinholt, development manager for BGCNWI, drew the winning ticket held by Josie Gonzalez, an administrative assistant in DirectBuy’s IT department. “I kept telling everyone my name was going to be pulled, but I never really expected it to happen,” said Gonzalez.
In addition to drawing the winner of the Wii, Reinholt spoke to DirectBuy staff about BGCNWI and its special relationship with DirectBuy (in 2009, DirectBuy employees contributed more than $3600 to BGCNWI) and what their donations meant to the organization. He cited the story of Andrew King, a young man from Gary whose life was greatly impacted by his time spent at several Boys and Girls Clubs throughout his youth.
“I am very happy to be working with DirectBuy. We share a common set of values for our respective members in that we both pride ourselves on individual care, assuring our members receive excellent service,” said Reinholt. “A natural relationship has developed between our organizations and I believe it will be a long-lasting one. Already DirectBuy and its staff have been very generous – 2009’s gifts enabled 20 children to become members of the Clubs!”
“Our Spirit Days are a lot of fun, especially ones that fall on a fun day like St. Patrick’s Day, but hearing Andrew King’s story really made an impression on everybody,” said Senior Director of Merchandise Services, Patti Titus. “In addition to having some fun and getting to wear jeans to work, our Spirit Days are making a difference to people in the communities in which we live and there’s certainly nothing casual about that.”
About DirectBuy Club
For more than 39 years, DirectBuy Club has been showing thousands of consumers unparalleled ways to save as they shop for virtually everything for in and around their homes – from furnishings, home improvement and flooring, to entertainment and outdoor products, accessories and much, much more. With more than 150 locations in North America, DirectBuy Club offers its members access to more than 700 brand-name manufacturers or their authorized suppliers in the US, and more than 500 brand-name manufacturers or their authorized suppliers in Canada.
Consumers interested in seeing DirectBuy Club’s savings, service, and selection up close may obtain a Visitor’s Pass to attend an Open House by visiting www.directbuy.com or www.directbuycares.com.
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