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Remarks Delivered by
U.S. Secretary of Labor
Elaine L. Chao
2006 DOL Combined Federal Campaign Kick-off Rally
Frances
Perkins Building, Washington, DC
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Thank you, Vicki [Lipnic, Assistant Secretary, Employment Standards
Administration]. And thank you for serving as the Vice Chair for the
Combined Federal Campaign this year.
Good morning, everyone! Thank you for joining us for the annual
kick-off of the 2006 Combined Federal Campaign!
I would like to thank our CFC Campaign Manager, Thomasina McPhail; our
Co-Campaign Manager, Donna Childs; this year's Loaned Executive, Dr. Aprille
Ericsson, and all of the CFC Coordinators and Agency Chairs. Thank you for your
hard work to make today's kick-off and this year's program a success.
The Combined Federal Campaign is the largest and most successful
workplace charity campaign in the country. Last year, federal employees and
military personnel in the National Capital Area raised $57.6 million dollars
— making it the largest campaign in the history of the CFC program. Here
at DOL, we raised $1,037,645 — reaching 109 percent of our goal! DOL was
one of 22 departments and agencies to receive the Million Dollar Circle Award
for raising more than $1 million. You did an outstanding job!
And having served as President and CEO of United Way of America, I can
assure you — those contributions make a real difference in the lives of
the people who benefit from them.
This year, I have great confidence we can do even better. The theme of
the 2006 campaign is, "Be a Star in Someone's Life! Support the
CFC." We have all had people in our lives we consider stars —
perhaps our parents or grandparents, teachers, coaches, members of clergy, or
personal mentors. At different times in our lives, these people made a
difference by providing direction, inspiration, or a helping hand. The CFC
campaign affords us a wonderful opportunity to make a similar difference in
others' lives.
Some of you may know an individual or a family helped by one of these
charities. Over the past year, we witnessed the widespread assistance provided
by organizations, like the American Red Cross and United Way, to the ongoing
Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts in New Orleans. And that is just one
example. There are more than 1,400 national and international federations and
charities, and some 40,000 local charities qualified for CFC each year. These
organizations are making a real difference. And they rely on the generosity of
people like you to help fund their efforts.
Last year, 60 percent of DOL's workforce participated in the CFC
program. Our goal this year is to achieve 100 percent participation! You can
choose a specific charity or type of organization, determine the amount you
would like to give, and either set up an allotment or make a one-time payroll
deduction — you can choose whatever works best for you. And there are
well-trained CFC coordinators within each organization who can help answer
questions or provide any assistance you may need.
All of us have much to be thankful for — whether it's our health,
our jobs, our families. And we have a wonderful opportunity here to help others
less fortunate than ourselves.
Last month, DOL employees raised $4,410 at our annual DOL Day. This
morning, on behalf of the Department of Labor, I would like to kick-off this
year's Combined Federal Campaign by presenting the check for this amount to Ms.
Annece Perry, the Associate Director of the Combined Federal Campaign National
Capital Area. This is a great start towards achieving our goal of $975,000!
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