County Staff Pumps Up Pep for United Way

More than 325 county employees whooped and cheered their way into the County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday to kick off the annual United Way fund-raising drive.

Led by a T-shirt-clad Tom Berg, who heads the county’s Resource Management Agency, the cheerfully unruly group crowded into the boardroom for a rally.

United Way helps finance local charities such as Project Understanding, AIDS Care and Boys & Girls Clubs.

County workers hope to raise $255,000 by soliciting their colleagues.

As the crowd waved balloons and banners, Supervisor Maggie Kildee said, “These are the most enthusiastic county employees I have ever seen.”

After the rally, workers headed out into the Government Center courtyard where they munched on donated hamburgers and good-naturedly stumbled through an obstacle course and relay race.

“I do it because it’s a good cause and it’s nice to get out of the office for a while,” said Silvya Villafana, a medical records technician at the Ventura County Medical Center.

County planner Judith Ward agreed. “With all this screaming, I feel like I’m back in a high school pep rally.”