FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 21, 1999

CONTACT: Michael Orenstein (202) 606-2402 mworenst@opm.gov

OPM Authorizes Special, Federal Workplace Solicitation for Kosovar Refugees

Washington, D.C. Janice R. Lachance, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, has acted upon a White House request and authorized a special solicitation for cash donations from federal employees and military personnel who wish to provide help to the Kosovar Albanian refugees.

From the White House, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the special solicitation and other humanitarian efforts for the Kosovar refugees. Thank you for what you have done. Thank you for what you will do, said Mrs. Clinton.

The special solicitation period is effective immediately and runs through August 31, 1999.

In a statement, President Clinton today said, We can best help alleviate the suffering in the Balkans by providing financial support to relief agencies on the front lines.

Each year, federal employees and military personnel may participate in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), the federal governments annual charity drive, and the only solicitation permitted in the federal workplace. The CFC has been a fixture in federal offices and at military bases each autumn since 1961 when President John F. Kennedy approved the campaign and the form in which it exists today. In 1998, a record $205 million was pledged to CFC charities.

The OPM Director may grant exceptions that permit fund-raising activities outside the CFC. In her letter to the White House, Lachance called the exodus of refugees an appropriate circumstance for the solicitation of funds from federal employees.

The Kosovar Albanian refugees are in dire need of food, clothes and all of the every-day basics that will help them through this human tragedy, said Lachance. The most effective way to provide help is through the contribution of monies to the appropriate relief organizations.

This is another opportunity for federal employees to show their compassion and concern for all peoples around the world, and, as in the past, I am sure they will continue to show their generosity.

Federal employee donations can be directed to any of more than 50 charitable organizations located on the web site www.info.usaid.gov, or they can call 1-800-USAIDRELIEF for more information.

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