As part of KRA Corporation’s 5th Annual Community Care Day Campaign (CCDC) to support our community neighbors who are hospitalized, or living in assisted-living/nursing-homes, the KRA/San Diego One-Stop* partnered with the Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego to support the Hospital’s mission to make a difference in the life of a critically ill or injured child.
To raise $400 for the Hospital, KRA/San Diego created Blue Jeans Friday, wherein for 12 Fridays, employees could wear jeans to work in exchange for a $5.00 donation. And, for each donation, the employee received a Blue Jeans Friday Badge that read, “I am wearing jeans today because I donated to charity”, and the “winner” with the most badges would present the check to Lori Mathios, the Hospital’s Director of Annual Giving.
Stated Diana Wong, KRA Social Media Coordinator, and CCDC Site Coordinator, “With 15 enthusiastic staff participating in the initiative, we exceeded our goal, by another $50! Also, Charlie Matan [KRA Career Agent] had accrued the most badges, which made him the Blue Jeans Friday winner. But, out of kindness, he relinquished his badges to Sonia Hansen who was eager to present the donation to Ms. Mathios.”
On the left, Lori Mathois, Director of Annual Giving, with Sonia Hansen, KRA Career Agent.
Mathois shared with us, “Diana Wong and Sonia Hansen visited Rady Children’s to make a $450 donation from a fundraiser that they held in the San Diego Metro Region Career Centers and to take a tour of the Hospital. We visited various departments within the Hospital including the Emergency Department, Medical Surgical Unit, the Peckham Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders, the NICU, and the Warren Surgical Suites. The donation will go to the Hospital’s highest and greatest needs, supporting children that have little to no private medical insurance, healing arts, chaplaincy, and psycho-social support to help kids heal quickly so they can return to a normal life as soon as possible. Rady Children’s thanks the San Diego Metro Region Career Centers for choosing Rady Children’s as their charity of choice.”
KRA San Diego Staff on a Blue Jeans Friday
Several KRA/San Diego Career Agents, who participated in the fundraiser, shared their feelings with us:
- Hansen commented, “Community Care Day was an effective way to give and support Rady Children’s Hospital, and everyone is just a little bit more joyful now. It’s a good feeling that, in a small way, my Blue Jeans Friday donation helped to bring some measure of comfort to those children in need. Each KRA Community Care Day gives me the opportunity to share some of the blessings I’ve received.”
- Edith Winters-Drake shared that, “Participating in the Community Care Day Campaign has been an honor, as it resulted in a successful outcome for a very important cause. This has been a great experience and feeling knowing that you play a part with a group of people that are doing small things with great love! It’s nice to know not only how we can make a difference, but rather that we can make difference in the lives of others. Great effort and teamwork!”
- Barbara Perkins commented, “It sure was nice to work in comfort and at the same time make a contribution to a worthy cause! I love kids and have worked with children of all ages during my lifetime. So, when the opportunity presented itself for me to do something that would make a difference in a child’s life, I grabbed at it! Participating in Blue Jeans Friday was more than just being able to wear blue jeans–the real inspiration, the kids at Rady Children’s Hospital–brought the heartwarming joy that only a child’s smile can bring. I look forward to our next Community Care Day venture!”
*Funded by the San Diego Workforce Partnership, the multi-site San Diego Metro Region One-Stop Career Center Program provides comprehensive workforce services for jobseeker-customers eligible through WIA as Adult/Dislocated Workers. Employer-customers with specific workforce requirements are provided a full range of job-readiness, placement, and retention services; Labor Market Information guidance; and contracted, customized, and On-the-Job Training programs that prepare workers for sustainable employment.
