Casual for a Cause

What do a fish, a pair of jeans, and The Liberty Group have to do with helping needy kids? It’s not the setup for a cheesy joke, it’s how we’re giving back to the community as the holiday season draws near.

The Fish

First, a little explanation (let’s start with the fish). When filmmaker John Christensen visited the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, he was struck by how much fun the workers were having, playfully tossing fish around while engaging positively with fellow employees and customers. The employees’ enthusiasm led directly to excellent customer service and teamwork, and lines of repeat customers – not what you’d typically expect to find at a fish market.

Inspired by what he saw, Christensen created the FISH! workplace philosophy, and at The Liberty Group we’ve adopted the FISH! philosophy into our corporate culture. For example, we hold monthly events to build strong teams, provide a fun place to work, and encourage giving back to the community.

The Jeans

The FISH! philosophy has several basic principles, but one of our favorites is “Make their day.” Getting to wear jeans every Friday until Christmas is a real treat that makes my day, and I’m sure my coworkers would agree – but we knew we could take the “Make their day” principle even farther.

Every year, the Toys for Tots program helps less fortunate children experience the joy of Christmas by delivering new toys to kids who need them the most. The Liberty Group is also doing our part to “Make their day”. Through the holidays, each employee who wears jeans on Friday makes a $2 donation to Toys for Tots. Right before Christmas, we’ll total up all the cash and send it in to the charity. And we’re making good progress – after just one week, we’ve collected close to $200!

The Liberty Group

Here’s our Houston team participating in Jeans Day:

Houston-jeans-day — Top row: Joshua May, Gary van Syckle, Lauren Mixon, Robbie Stevens, Desiree Boykin, Mercedes Serrano, Kristi Riddle, and Patti Kohlenberg
Bottom row: Arely Peña, Rebecca McDonald, Allyson Price, and Cheri Ziegler

Here’s the Liberty Dallas team on Jeans Day:

Dallas-jeans-day — Libby Reyna, Candice Lopez, Jann Villanueva, Laura Juarez, and Christie Infante

And here’s the Liberty Austin team being casual for a cause:

Austin-jeans-day — Cindy Williams, Shonna Schneider, Cheryl Wood, Sarah Graham, and Matt Smith

So that’s the story of the fish, the jeans, and The Liberty Group. But let’s add one more: the challenge. As the holiday season approaches, what can you do to make someone’s day just a little brighter?