County employees raise nearly $20k to support hurricane victims

Oakland County employees donated $19,484 during a special Casual Week to support the victims of Hurricane Harvey. On Casual Day, employees in participating departments and divisions may donate $1 to charity to wear jeans to work. County Executive L. Brooks Patterson called for a special Casual Week from Thursday, Aug. 31, to Friday, Sept. 8, when employees could dress casually every day in exchange for a donation to the victims of Hurricane Harvey.

“As county executive, there are many reasons I am proud of your commitment, professionalism, and hard work,” Patterson said in an email message last week to employees thanking them for their donations. “This week, it was your generosity for the victims of Hurricane Harvey which exceeded my expectations.”

To put the employee Casual Week donations for Hurricane Harvey in perspective, when Patterson annually hands out Casual Day checks to a variety of charities at Christmas time, the combined total of those checks is usually somewhere between $30,000 and $35,000. In one week, Oakland County employees raised more than a half-year worth of Casual Day donations.

The Casual Week donations will be sent to Harris County, Texas officials who have identified a number of individuals who lost their homes due to Hurricane Harvey flood damage and need help with basic necessities.

Since its inception more than 24 years ago, Oakland County employees have donated over $850,000, touching the lives of thousands of people. No taxpayer funds are used in the Casual Day program.