Governor urges donations for hurricane victim relief

Gov. Rod Blagojevich has put out the call for Illinois state employees to offer aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

“As American citizens, and as public servants, it is our duty to do what we can to assist the many displaced individuals and families,” the governor said Thursday, announcing a two-week fundraising drive to assist victims of the natural disaster.

To facilitate that effort, the state will use the infrastructure already in place for the State and University Employees Combined Appeal (SECA) campaign. For this special and urgent campaign, SECA ambassadors will serve as facilitators and points of contact to gather your contributions

“SECA gives you the opportunity each year to contribute financially toward helping those less fortunate in our state. This year, we need to stretch those contributions even further and open our hearts even bigger. People of the Gulf Coast need our help,” Blagojevich said. “It is my hope that we can make a real difference in helping the relief and recovery efforts.”

The guidelines for making contributions are as follows:

Click here or go to www.hr.niu.edu > Documents > Informational Documents Section to access a SECA contribution form. Print a copy of the form and include your name, employer, and home address.

Attach your check or money order, made payable to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Please list in the Memo Hurricane Katrina. (Cash and goods will not be accepted.)

Submit your SECA form and contribution to Barb Rice, NIU SECA ambassador – Human Resource Services, by Friday, Sept. 16. Please make a copy of the completed form for your records.

All donations will be delivered directly to the American Red Cross.

Donations to any of the 2,200 SECA Qualified Charitable Organizations, including the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, will be accepted during the annual campaign from Sept. 16 through Nov. 11.

If you have any questions, contact Barb Rice at (815) 753-0458 or the Human Resource Service Center at (815) 753-6000. Jodi Schrage, SECA statewide coordinator, also is available to answer inquiries at (217) 557-6744 or via e-mail at jodi_schrage@cms.state.il.us.

9-2-05