If you visit one of 34 of the Dimond Bros locations on a Friday you might find a bit more casual attire than you're used to seeing! Every Friday, Dimond employees have the option to sport some denim and wear jeans on Friday, in exchange for a small donation.

It is one of our favorite things to pull together those donations and select a few worthy causes to support with that money.

Since 2006, employees have donated roughly $43,000 to various local charities as a part of our Jeans Day Program and in alone 2014 over $6,600 alone was raised.

The four charities that were recipients of these donations for 2014 are:

Bureau & Putnam Area Rural Transit (BPART):

Providing public transportation since 1988, BPART buses travel throughout Bureau and Putnam County, the LaSalle-Peru/Oglesby area, and Ottawa and Peoria. Operating hours are Monday-Friday, 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. BPARTs two county service area alone spans beyond 1,000 square miles, and serves a population of over 40,000 people. Last fiscal year, they travelled 650,000+ miles and completed more than 75,000 one-way trips. BPART has grown 71% in the past several years. For more information, visit www.ridebpart.org

Camp New Hope:

Camp New Hope is a year around recreational experience for those aged 8 and above with developmental and physical disabilities. Camp New Hope lies on 41 rolling acres on the shores of Lake Mattoon, which bring campers the opportunity to try their hand at fishing and pontoon water activities. Their shoreline gazebo and chapel are serene spots to gather for activities or just to relax. Their AED-equipped facility includes a three-foot swimming pool, a mini-golf course, easy access asphalt trails, a playground, and the Camp New Hope Train. Cabins are air conditioned and our beautiful respite building features a large basement for activities of all sorts. With a Summer Camp Program, Respite Programand Camp New Hopes Bowling Program they truly have given so many the opportunity to experience fun and companionship, while in a safe and caring environment For more information, visit www.cnhinc.org

United Way of South Central Illinois:

The United Way of South Central Illinois provides financial support to 16 agencies and 23 programs in four southern Illinois counties: Jefferson, Marion, Washington and Wayne through an annual fundraising campaign. In addition to funding programming provided by local non-profit agencies, United Way also manages their own programs that impact the areas of Education, Health and Income. Their work is to identify the true community needs in each of these impact areas and then assist the community in directing and allocating its precious resources be it money, volunteers or services towards impacting those needs. These impact areas are intertwined with each other so that deficiencies in one area directly impact the others. Their goals are to make a direct impact in the area of Education and most specifically early childhood development, learning and school readiness. The United Way also oversees management of community based programs such as Emergency Food and Shelter Funding, The Dolly Parton Imagination Library, Stuff the Bus, Nutrition on Weekends (NOW), My Free Taxes and the Born Learning Trail and United Way 211, an easy to remember telephone number that connects callers with free information and referrals for community services

For more information, visit http://www.uwsci.org

Salt and Light Ministry:

Salt and Light Ministry programming is rooted in the belief that everyone has skills, talents, gifts, and abilities given to them by God. Their intention is to work with each person -- instead of for them -- to identify each of these things, and increase their capacity to use them for themselves, their family, and their community. Every day they turn faith into action, meeting people where they are in life and walking with them on their journey. Their programs range from advocacy to financial counseling and everywhere in between, allowing many opportunities for those living in poverty to create lasting change in their own lives and the lives of others around them. For more information visit http://www.saltandlightministry.org

If you are a part of an organization that would like to be considered as a recipient of our Jeans Day Donations please contact your local Dimond Bros. Office to share information about your organization.

Wearing denim never felt so good. Thank you to all of the employees that participate throughout the year to make this program possible.