Oakland County Hustles Hardest Facebook Group Aims for Fun and Discussion
(Derek Werenka, April 5, 2019)
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Oakland County, MI – Oakland County admittedly is the land of a million Community Groups.  Most of them do a great job of keeping residents entertained and informed on current events, but many tend to be quite similar.  However, there is one Community Group that is trying to break the mold.  Enter Oakland County Hustles Hardest!!
Oakland County Hustles Hardest is a group that is dedicated to all things Oakland County and there are plenty of discussions about current events, pop culture, music, local events and more.  However,  this group kicks it up a notch with frequent polls, and contests including a recent contest where the person who picked closest to the final score of the Super Bowl received a gift card.  Prior to that, there was a random drawing among members who were hosting Super Bowl Parties.  The winner received a fully catered meal for their Super Bowl party.
The whole idea behind the group is to keep members of our community entertained and engaged with one another while showcasing local small businesses in a way that is informative but never pushy or salesey.  In an effort to keep the discussion during the week free of spammy business posts, group members who have something to promote or sell are free to make one post every Friday.  Aside from that, discussions tend to cover many topics ranging from the best opening act ever seen at a concert to how many wins the Lions will end up with at the end of the year (sadly, not many).
As a newer but rapidly expanding Community Group, we have the ability to kind of throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.  The things we do that get the most engagement from members are things that we will continue to go back to.  Contests and gift card giveaway drawings are obviously popular, but so was our recent discussion about the ramen at Ima in Madison Heights.  Another popular topic happens most Wednesdays when group members are invited to share good news about their day.  It seems like a burst of group positivity is just what people need to get them through the second half of the week with a glass half full attitude!
Another idea that was just started doing is the Oakland County Hustles Hardest Hero of the Month.  Group members are able to nominate people from throughout the community who are going above and beyond to help others, then the group votes on the winner.  In March, after some vigorous debate, the winner was Blessings in a Backpack which is run locally by Lindsay Gonska, a teacher at Ferndale Upper Elementary.  Blessings in a backpack provides weekend meals to students in need.  Every Friday, they are sent home with enough food to last them the weekend.  On Monday, they bring the backpack back to school where it is refilled the following Friday.  As the winner for the month of March, a donation was made to Blessings in a Backpack in the name of Oakland County Hustles Hardest and their link was made available to the group for anyone who wanted to donate themselves.
If you are looking for a fun group to be a part of on Facebook that tries to do some good for the community while not taking itself too seriously, come check us out by clicking HERE.
Thank you to Bosco Lounge at 22930 Woodward Ave, Ferndale, MI 48220 for sponsoring our “Get Involved” series featuring local nonprofits, clubs, and groups.  Check out a city by city list here. Want to contribute a write up of a group you care about?  Message editor@oc115.com with your idea.