THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 1, 1994 TAG: 9406290089
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02B EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KRYS STEFANSKY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
It looked like the company's dress code had gotten scrambled.
Andi Overton, personnel director, began the day in sailing gear - white shorts and matching polo shirt. John Wisner, systems consultant, showed up at the office in shirt, jeans, massive silver belt buckle and cowboy boots.
And mild-mannered Jim Bander astonished co-workers as he made his eyebrow-raising fashion statement in an orange and purple Hawaiian print shirt just this side of . . . well . . . loud.
Several area businesses laid aside formal office wear recently so their employees could participate in Casual Day, an event held to benefit United Cerebral Palsy.
The fund-raiser transformed the hallways of normally conservative corporations like Tidewater Consultants on Newtown Road.
At the data processing systems consulting firm sneakers and sandals rather than wing-tips and high heeled shoes ruled the day. For a $5 donation each, workers bought the right to let loose in casual clothes for the day.
They did it, they said, because they like coming to work in leisure clothes and because the money is going to a good cause.
``It's fun to see the different personalities of people that come out when they're dressed like this,'' said Virginia Miller, as she admired Wisner's substantial belt buckle. Miller was the company's Casual Day coordinator.
Getting her colleagues to participate in the United Cerebral Palsy fund-raiser for the second time was no problem this year, Miller said.
``Everybody's always in shirts and ties here so it's a quick seller for us,'' she said. Her company raised $315 for the organization.
Nationally, Casual Day is a big moneymaker for United Cerebral Palsy, said Kathy Prendergast, executive director of the agency's local affiliate. Cerebral palsy describes a group of chronic conditions that affect body movement and muscle coordination. About 500,000 children and adults in the United States are affected; about 5,000 babies and infants are diagnosed with the condition each year.
More than 12,000 companies and 500,000 employees participated nationwide this year in the fund-raiser and contributed $2.7 million. Locally, 32 companies signed up for Casual Day, allowing 275 employees the right to shed business attire for a day and donate more than $4,200 to the nonprofit organization. That's four times what the event made here last year, said Prendergast.
At the Newtown Road consulting firm, employees suited up in neckties and hosiery on Casual Day said they felt a little left out of the fun. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Casual attire was the order of the day for, from left, Barbara
Francisco, John Wisner, Tony Brothers, Virginia Miller and Wanda
Stroud.
by CNB