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"Tip-off" held for SEFA
Katrina relief focus as annual fund-raising campaign begins
By KEVIN FRYLING
Reporter Contributor
The need for relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina was a focus of the 13th annual State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA) campaign kickoff on Sept. 8.
In recognition of this year's SEFA chair, head men's basketball coach Reggie Witherspoon, the event was dubbed a "tip-off" and held in Alumni Arena.
Melanie Skomra of the Hawk Creek
Wildlife Center in East Aurora, a United Way agency, holds an Eastern
screech owl.
PHOTO: KEVIN FRYLING
"One of the things Hurricane Katrina has done is put a face on the needs of the needy," Witherspoon told the many departmental liaisons attending the tip-off. "Many of the people who were devastated by Hurricane Katrina were living in devastation prior to Hurricane Katrina. Many of the agencies that SEFA donates to are agencies that give to some very needy people."
The theme of the 2005 campaign, "SEFA Is About People," could not be more appropriate in light of recent events on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi, he added. "Yes, we're talking about agencies," Witherspoon said, "but we're also talking about people that are affected by the agencies."
President John B. Simpson noted that SEFA connects people to people and community to community.
"Our university community and the communities we serve are connected...to individuals and communities everywhere, not just locally but throughout the nation and the world. The tragic events of the past week, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, are a powerful and sobering reminder of this connectedness," Simpson said.
UB is the largest single SEFA contributor in New York State, and its campaign is the third largest SEFA campaign in the state, according to Alex Matich, director of operations for Community Health Charities of New York. UB is the largest university contributor to United Way on a per-employee basis in the United States, Matich added.
"We raise more money at UB than any other state agency," said Connie Holoman, deputy to the president and vice chair of the SEFA campaign. More than 600 agencies addressing "every kind of interest and concern" benefit from SEFA contributions, she said.
This year's campaign goal has been set at $900,000. In 2004, UB exceeded its goal of $825,000 by more than $5,000 and organizers are looking to top that amount this year.
"Nine hundred thousand dollars sounds like a lot of money, but the good news is we're not asking anybody to come up with $900,000 by themselves," said Witherspoon. A couple of dollars from each paycheck from those who have not donated in the past can help the campaign reach its goal, he said. He also encouraged past donors to give a little more.
"What we can't afford is to throw that envelope away—to turn the other way," he said. "Don't tear it up; open it up."
Ruth Bryant, assistant dean in the School of Architecture and Planning, also addressed the SEFA liaisons. She spoke as a member of St. John the Baptist Church in Buffalo, whose Rev. Bennett W. Smith Family Life Center benefited from UB volunteers involved in the United Way Day of Caring in August. The center can house between 150 and 200 people displaced by Hurricane Katrina, according to Bryant, although a final decision on whether those people will come to Buffalo has not yet been reached.
The Red Cross, the United Way and the Erie County Department of Social Services are helping to prepare the center to take in Katrina refugees, providing such basic needs as cots and food, as well as "human resources" like cooks, servers and counselors, Bryant said. "This is going to be a long-term process," she added. "We will do all we possibly can to make them feel warm and welcome in Western New York."
Arlene Kaukus, president of the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, said such efforts are possible due to the generosity of those giving to SEFA and the United Way.
"We want to make sure that each and every family who finds their way to Western New York—however it is they find their way to Western New York—is welcomed warmly and served appropriately, compassionately and fully," said Kaukus, a UB alumna. "We are able to do that because every year you're generous.
"The University at Buffalo is the best in a lot of ways, but certainly the best in class in giving. I congratulate you on your extraordinary leadership and generosity."