'Together We Care'
. . . continued from page one
In the capital area alone - where most state employees reside - for 2009, the Teacher Retirement System employees led donations with $110,956. The other state agencies in the capital area top five among givers (excluding higher education) were the Texas Department of Transportation with $81,854, the State Comptroller's Office at $76,768, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality at $71,573 and the General Land Office at $70,289. The University of Texas at Austin led the capital area higher education donations with $641,443. Most of these donors work in some of the state's largest agencies and thus there are more employees who are potential donors. So smaller donations by smaller agencies with fewer employees are never discounted.
The recipients of the funding can be both local charities and charities in other states and other countries. "Charities apply to be part of the campaign each year," said Jackie Rogers, manager of the Capital Area State Employee Charitable Campaign. To qualify as a recipient for the funds, each must meet regulations set by statute. The applications undergo an initial administrative review and then a review by a local employee committee (pictured on previous page with Rep. Diana Maldonado and Sen. Kirk Watson). That committee approves the charities to be listed in the brochure sent to state employees from which they can select the recipients of their donations.
"Together We Care" is the mantra for this organization that was created in 1993 so that employees of Texas state agencies, institutions of higher education and junior and community colleges could donate to their favorite charities through a campaign at work that features a convenient payroll deduction plan. It gets more successful each year.
As donations continue to grow, the Texas campaign has become one of the largest state employee campaigns in the country. Today, more and more state employees are signing up to donate money to organizations that can make the difference in the life of a child who is ill, an elderly person who is home-bound or an individual with a disability.
Local United Way organizations from Laredo to El Paso and San Antonio to Galveston are eligible for funding. But the funds can also be dedicated to local or statewide organizations that support everything from adoption to assistance dogs and wildlife conservation - and that help fight cancer and AIDS and support victims and families affected by Alzheimer's, family violence and sexual assault.
Last year, more than $9.58 million was raised through the campaign. Most of that money stays in local communities throughout the state. "Thousands of state employees have donated to charities through the SECC since 1994 and continue to give more and more every year," said Rogers.
