Several hundred Hutchinson Regional Medical Center employees have signed on to participate in a Blue Jeans Friday promotion to raise funds for local non-profit organizations with the benefactor rotated monthly between area groups.

The program kicked off in September and participating employees were given the option of paying $3 weekly or a flat sum of $10 monthly for the privilege of wearing jeans to work on Fridays.

Carla Long, Executive Assistant for the hospital’s Human Resources Department, said that the promotion raised $1465 in September which is earmarked for the 2011 Reno County United Way campaign.

United Way Executive Director Tona Turner lauded the hospital for their long-term support of United Way and said that the $101,455 pledged from hospital employees and their affiliated companies in 2010 was the largest amount raised in last year’s campaign. “Of the more than $100,000 pledged from Promise Regional employees in 2010 nearly $8000 came from special promotions,” Turner said.

“Special promotions are very important in achieving the United Way goal along with the payroll deductions and, besides, Blue Jeans Friday provides an additional day of comfort for the employees,” she continued.

Employees can be seen walking the hallways of of the hospital on Fridays not only in their blue jeans but wearing a sticker that says: Supporting Hutchinson. Blue Jeans Friday.

Long said that Blue Jeans Friday is very popular with employees in that they love coming to work a bit more relaxed while making an impact on others in our community. “It’s great working for an employer and with co-workers who want to give back to our community,” Long said.

Kevin Miller, president and CEO of the hospital, said that Blue Jeans Friday will provide hospital employees with several opportunities each year to support a good cause within the community and to have fun while doing so.

“Our employees contribute thousands of hours of their free time each year volunteering for civic organizations and good causes throughout the community,” Miller said. “With the Blue Jeans Friday promotion, they can do so while they are on the job.”

Janet Hamous, Vice President for Human Resources said the promotion and the hospital’s wellness initiative go hand-in-hand in that there is an educational focus each month.

“We’ve tried to coordinate the organization that we support through Jeans Day with the wellness focus for that month,” Hamous said. “For example, October is Breast Cancer awareness month, and the organization benefiting from October Jeans Days is the Cancer Council of Reno County.”