University of North Texas

The annual State Employees Charitable Campaign, held each October, begins with a picnic Oct. 4. This year's campaign is chaired by Rhonda Acker and Tom Evenson. Find a message from President V. Lane Rawlins.

Sept. 30, 2011

Dear UNT Community,

It is that time of year again! The State Employee Charitable Campaign, known as the SECC, will officially kick off on Oct. 3. 

Last year the UNT community raised $224,729.08 with 39.4 percent of the faculty and staff participating. This year the goal is to quite simply exceed what we did last year, and the theme for this year will be “UNiTing North Texas.”

UNT has become more united than ever over the last year and now SECC gives all of us a chance to share that unity with people throughout the community who need a little extra support.

The SECC is the only statutorily authorized workplace campaign for Texas state employees and was created by legislation. State agencies, including universities, are asked to contribute to local, state and national charities through this annual workplace campaign. It is a collective effort that benefits both the givers and the receivers by strengthening communities. It gives employees an opportunity to make tax-deductible donations to more than 400 local and state charitable programs.

President V. Lane Rawlins will host a Kick Off Picnic from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 4 in the Library Mall area. Hamburgers and all the fixings, along with chips, a cookie and a Coca-Cola product will be served for a $5 donation to the SECC.

The College of Music’s Mariachi Aguilas will be there along with guest speakers from the United Way and our own basketball coaches Johnny Jones and Karen Aston. There will be representatives from several of the United Way agencies that the SECC supports, and you will have the opportunity to stop by their tables and learn about their services to our community.

We will also be hosting the Celebrity Waiter events at the Avesta Restaurant in the University Union every Thursday through the month of October (Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27). UNT Celebrity Waiters will be your server from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the generous tips that you leave will be donated to the SECC. This is a fun event that is entertaining for the volunteer administrators, deans and other celebrities, and the staff who come to support them - and most importantly - the proceeds go to charity. 

On Oct. 17, we will be hosting the 12th Annual UNT-Schneider Electric - SECC Golf Tournament at Oakmont Country Club. The tournament is a Florida scramble with four player teams. I hope all you who play golf will come out and join us. It is a great time!  Please contact Sue Delmark, director of recreational sports, 940-565-2275, for more information.

If your department or group is hosting an event to raise funds for SECC, be sure to submit the information to InHouse before the event. Be sure to take photos and submit them to the Share Photos function on InHouse, so the entire campus can enjoy your creativity and success.

Each department has a coordinator who will coordinate donation paperwork. Forms and related material will be delivered by Oct. 3. If you need more information regarding events, pledges or donation forms, please visit the SECC website or contact Rhonda Acker, 940-565-4592. 

We need your help to make this a great campaign. We are excited to be a part of this campaign and look forward to seeing you at the various events. 

Sincerely,

Rhonda Acker, administrative associate, Office of the President

Thomas Evenson, dean, College of Public Affairs and Community Service

Co-Chairs, State Employee Charitable Campaign