forms Testing at Center for BrainHealth

Creating a future
- for everyone

Congratulations! UT Dallas raised $138,100 from 574 givers in the 2009 campaign!

Thermometer

The 2009 State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) ran Sept. 28 – Oct. 30.

Please Return Completed Pledge Forms and Payment Options to HRM, AD10

State Employee Charitable Campaign 2009

The State Employee Charitable Campaign is the only statutorily authorized workplace campaign for state agency and higher education employees throughout Texas. Last year, the SECC marked its 14th year by raising $9.7 million for charitable organizations throughout the Lone Star state. The SECC is a great opportunity for state employees to help improve the quality of life for tens of thousands of individuals.

You made it happen!
Our final numbers for 2009

Number of Donors: 574

Amount Donated: $138,100

Leadership Donors: 54

Participation: 28.7% of Faculty and Staff (2021 total)

How does it work?

Each fall, we get the opportunity to learn about the charities in the SECC, choose which ones we want to help, and then fill out a pledge form to indicate how much we wish to donate to which groups. We can make a one-time gift by cash or check. Or, even better, our gift can be deducted from each paycheck beginning at the first of next year.

Profiles in Giving

Iryna, Web Services,
McDermott Library

Iryna ShevchukAn active volunteer in her church, new employee Iryna says she enjoys participating in fund-raisers and volunteering for the city of Grapevine as well as the Grapevine Historical Society. Having attained the knowledge, skills and experience through her volunteer work, she now looks forward to participating in the SECC 2009 drive and working with Senior Librarian Loreen Phillips on this year’s McDermott Library bake sale. The proceeds from the sale will go toward the SECC 2009 fundraising effort.

“I decided to participate in the SECC 2009 because I like to help. Helping and giving makes my life valuable.”

Barbara, Enrollment Service Advisor
Enrollment Services

Barbara BoydMany of you know Barbara Boyd in Enrollment Services. Barbara has been at UT Dallas for 20 years; first at Callier Dallas and for the past 10 years as an Enrollment Service Advisor. Ten years ago, Barbara's first grandchild, Gianna, was born.

This event changed Barbara's life in many ways. First, the joy of having a grandchild to spoil. But second, Barbara had to learn a lot very quickly about a disorder she had never heard of. This is because Gianna was born with extreme bilateral anophthalmia, the absence of all ocular tissue; her eyes did not develop.

Over the years, Barbara has been a strong advocate for Gianna helping search out the best treatments and services. One example is when Gianna was 6 years old she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. One symptom of this disorder is a strong contraction of the leg muscles causing the legs to scissor making it extremely different to walk.

Barbara BoydThe first doctor recommended an invasive surgery but Barbara said "I don't think so!" She went on to find a specialist at Medical City Dallas who recommended Botox injections to relax the muscles and physical therapy to help Gianna gain strength in the right ways. Today Gianna walks with small ankle braces, an arm crutch and her long white cane. Thanks Grandma!

Gianna gets a lot of support from not only Barbara but also her mom, brother, cousins and teachers. And she stays busy! Gianna takes golf lessons to improve her balance; she went to summer camp this past year and is now learning to read in Braille! Gianna also takes piano lessons from UT Dallas' own Mary Medrick.

As you can tell, Gianna is a happy and growing young girl with beautiful chocolate brown prosthetic eyes. But this would not have been possible without lots of help from local agencies. Barbara recently looked through the SECC Directory of Charities and found eight different organizations that are either helping Gianna today or have helped in the past. Eight! Barbara is an SECC donor and volunteer. She knows the SECC gives her a way to donate to organizations that help her family, and other families, every day.

Updated: October 30, 2009