
St. Louis Assessor's Office staff have turned casual Fridays into a means of community support, raising $2,000 for local charities by donating the seemingly inconsequential sum of $1 each to dress down at work. The innovative fundraiser has become an annual tradition at the City of St. Louis Assessor’s Office, whereby the routine act of choosing comfort over formality has cumulatively amounted to a significant gesture of goodwill to assist those in need within the local community.
The office's Charity Committee takes the initiative to identify deserving local charities. The process involves meticulous scrutiny before presenting options to their colleagues, who then democratically elect the beneficiaries through a voting system. As per the announcement posted by the Assessor's Office, a total of four charities were selected by the employees to receive an equal share of the total raised funds this year.
This charitable effort comes to a pinnacle each holiday season when the donations are formally presented. For the year 2024, the gifts of $500 each were dispensed to The Little Bit Foundation, a charity committed to breaking down barriers to education for underserved students; the Real Estate Tax Assistance Fund (RETAF), which aids homeowners struggling to pay their property taxes; the North Newstead Association, active in neighborhood stabilization and improvement; and the Good Ground Pantry run by the 2nd Presbyterian Church, which addresses food insecurity in the community.
The gesture of dressing down may seem minor, but the implications for these community-focused organizations are substantial. It is the collective effort, the sum of individual contributions that amplifies the impact, turning a modest act of casual dress into a significant means of support for those striving to empower and assist the underserved of St. Louis.