Clothing choice can help kids

By Paul Phelan Jr.

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Adults have an inherent need to look out for the best interests of all children. We want to do our part to ensure each child is safe, happy and cared for.

Although the desire to help is strong, we often do not know how to begin. I believe it takes a village, or in this case a Corridor, to raise a child. During our second annual Corridor Goes Casual for Kids on Aug. 31, employees at Corridor businesses are encouraged to dress casual in the workplace and pay $5 for the privilege, with the dollars raised going to the local children's charity of their choice.

Our idea is simple but the impact is huge. The Corridor will be buzzing with activity that will enhance the lives of children who live here.

This one-day fundraiser grew out of my desire to support local children's charities. I have served on non-profit boards for many years and I know how incredibly hard these organizations work to raise funds to support their work. Once I started talking about this idea, I quickly found that other people felt the same way.

Soon a Corridor Goes Casual for Kids committee was formed. Joannie Bruns from Linn Area Credit Union took charge of communications and Larry Crain from

websitesCR.com created our website, corridor

goescasualforkids.com.

Last year, 140 businesses raised money for more 50 children's charities. This year, our goal is to have 200 businesses participate. This should be attainable. Our committee makes it easy for businesses to say “yes” to getting involved. We simply ask companies to allow their employees to participate. We are not asking for a donation from companies.

This year, we've added ideas and examples to our website. And if wearing jeans or khakis doesn't fit your company's culture, put your own spin on it. You can create a special event sticker or pin for employees to wear (event logos are available on our website). Have fun with the event and make it your own.

I believe Corridor Goes Casual for Kids can - and should - raise $500,000 in one day. The top 25 employers in the Corridor have a total of 100,000 employees. If each employee donates $5, that's $500,000.

This fundraiser is easy to understand and easy to implement. Everyone has fun and children's charities benefit. With no overhead, every penny goes straight to the non-profits. And equally important, we feel good about ourselves when we help others, especially when we do it as a team, a company, a city or a Corridor. This is our chance to demonstrate to the non-profits that we value their work and we do have their backs as they care for our children.

Paul Phelan Jr. is executive vice president and chief operations officer of Phelan Interiors, Cedar Rapids. Comments: paul@phelansinteriors.com