10/27/2020
SUNY Cortland launched the 2020-21 State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA) campaign on Oct. 23. The email announcement to employees included a SEFA pledge form, instructions for making an online SEFA pledge, a brochure and a page about prize drawings.
The campaign, which normally relies on state employee volunteers to canvas co-workers for donations, will continue via email through Friday, Nov. 6. Contributors can choose one of three ways to pledge this year using the attachments emailed to all employees on Oct. 22. They can pledge online via the SEFA online pledge form, fill out the pledge form and return via email to sefa@cortland.edu or print the pledge form, fill it out and mail along with the pledge to Pam Schroeder, Miller Building, Room 404.
The only authorized fundraising campaign among state workers, SEFA is directed by the United Way for Cortland County and unites fundraising efforts for a group of agencies under a common umbrella.
Contributions to last year’s Cortland County SEFA campaign totaled over $50,000. The help and support provided through the campaign to those in need is immeasurable.
“No contribution is too small, and every little bit helps to support agencies in need,” said SEFA co-chair Wendy Sirvent, Residence Life and Housing Office. “For example, $5 per pay period can supply one month’s worth of diapers for a baby in the Cortland area.”
The university will offer incentives for employees who donate to the campaign. At the campaign’s end, a drawing for prizes will be conducted. First prize is a reserved campus parking space located in the lot closest to the winner’s building. To be eligible, an employee must pledge at least $130. Everyone who donates a minimum of $25 will be eligible to win one of three $25 Auxiliary Services Corporation (ASC) gift certificates. Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members who donate at least $25 will be eligible for a $50 gift certificate to a local restaurant.
SEFA campaigns also are conducted at the State Department of Labor, the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Department of Transportation, the Office of Court Administration and the State Police. Decisions are made locally about which agencies are included and how funds are distributed. The community-based SEFA committee is composed of representatives from state agencies and managers of human service agencies. Pledging takes place once a year.
Participants can choose to have their gifts shared among different organizations within Cortland County, used in another county of their choice or designated for individual local, state, independent or international organizations. Examples of local agencies include the United Way for Cortland County, Madison-Cortland New York State Arc, American Red Cross, Catholic Charities, Cortland County Child Development Center, Family and Children’s Counseling Services, Lime Hollow Center for Environment and Culture, Salvation Army, Seven Valleys Health Coalition, YMCA, YWCA among others.
Sirvent co-chairs the SEFA Committee with Maere Vunk, who works at The Learning Center.
For more information about SEFA in New York state, visit the website www.sefanys.org.