Staff Emergency Fund among the many nonprofits supported by the campaign
The 2024 State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) will kick off Sept. 3, providing UT Health San Antonio staff members the opportunity to support any SECC charity to assist those who are struggling during a difficult time in their lives. The theme, “Be Someone’s Hero,” speaks to the benevolence of so many who contribute to the campaign every year.
“You never know who will need support from the SECC nonprofits,” said SECC program manager Cindi Adcock. “It doesn’t have to be a catastrophic need. There are many types of support and they are all beneficial.”
One of the great benefits of the SECC is the wide variety of charities and causes represented — there’s something for everyone. They range from small local organizations to large and well-known national and international groups.
Click here to visit the SECC site and here to view videos about the charities and testimonials from those who have received support from an SECC nonprofit.
While there will not be an online auction this year for the charitable campaign, the university’s departments are welcome to hold individual fundraisers. Please be on the lookout for these upcoming fundraising announcements as the campaign approaches.
UT Health San Antonio Staff Emergency Fund
Among the many SECC charities is UT Health San Antonio’s nonprofit Staff Emergency Fund. The fund is made possible with the support of employee contributions, along with the efforts of the State Employee Charitable Campaign and the Staff Advisory Council. It is intended to provide limited financial assistance when a UT Health San Antonio staff member is unable to meet immediate and essential expenses due a temporary hardship.
The fund may provide qualifying applicants with temporary financial hardship up to $250 taxable dollars and up to $500 taxable dollars for an emergency financial hardship.
For details about eligibility and more, visit the Staff emergency Fund website. You can also watch this video to learn more.
Making a difference
Since the fund was launched in 2014, employees in need have received support during a crucial time in their lives.
“This fund has helped almost 200 staff employees with life-altering events that might otherwise have left them without the financial support they needed to get through an unforeseen emergency,” said Beth Wueste, PhD, MAEd, LSSBB, director, Academic Assessment and Compliance and committee chair for the Staff Emergency Fund.
As of early July, the fund has disbursed nearly $71,000 in SEF funds to staff.
“We are a family and sometimes family members face unexpected challenges where they need a helping hand,” Wueste said. “This fund allows our UT family to step up and take care of our own so they can weather the storm with grace and respect. [It] is vital to ensuring our staff have a place to go when they need help in several different ways and allows them to take care of themselves and return to work knowing they have a community that cares.”
How the fund began
When now Staff Emergency Fund Committee Chair Beth Wueste became the chair-elect of the Staff Advisory Council (SAC) years ago, the council chair at the time attended a meeting at The University of Texas System and learned about the existence of a Staff Emergency Fund at The University of Texas at Tyler. The chair felt that UT Health San Antonio could initiate this fund as well. Wueste, then the Staff Advisory Council chair-elect, agreed to add this goal to her list as the incoming chair of the SAC.
“I built an “A” team around me [whom] I knew had the networking ability to start having the conversation,” Wueste said.
Wueste met with University President William L. Henrich, MD, MACP, Andrea Marks, MBA, CPA, senior executive vice president and chief operating officer and the then head of Human Resources. After assembling the infrastructure and coordinating with leadership and the State Employee Charitable Campaign, the fund was up and running by 2015. Today, the fund’s committee is made up of four consistent voting members plus a revolving member who holds the position of Staff Advisory Council chair.
UT Health San Antonio is the second institution in The University of Texas System to have a Staff Emergency Fund. The University of Texas at Tyler was the first. The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Texas at San Antonio offer an emergency fund for students.
Anyone can donate to the SEF. Donations can be made anonymously and in any amount. All donations go directly to the fund.
Collective generosity goes a long way
Thanks to the generosity of others, the SEF continues to provide for staff members year after year, Wueste said.
“Today, I sit in awe of the kindness shown by faculty and staff each year that offer one-time and recurring donations through the SECC to ensure our staff always has a soft place to land when they are in their deepest need,” Wueste said. “The Staff Emergency Fund could not exist without the volunteer work of the committee members, the generosity of our campus community and the leadership support and encouragement given during its creation from President Bill Henrich, Mary DeLay, and Andrea Marks.”
Sharing success stories
Staff members who have personally benefited from the Staff Emergency Fund or any other SECC nonprofit are invited to share their story, which may be included in a future article and testimonial. To share a story, please contact communications@uthscsa.edu with “SECC Success Story” in the subject line.