Employees eager to return to HOME following terrorist attacks, aftermath
In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, some Lab employees
are keeping a little closer to HOME — in this case, the campaign
to Help Others More Effectively
The HOME Campaign, the Laboratory’s annual fund-raising effort to
help community-based charities, along with umbrella agencies such as the
United Way and the Tri-Valley Community Fund, among others, returns on
Wednesday, Oct. 31. The Nonproliferation, Arms Control and International
Security Directorate will chair this year’s campaign, while Computation
will sponsor the annual Run for HOME and Agency Fair, which kicks off
the campaign
(see accompanying story).
Following the events of Sept. 11, employees began calling the organizers
of the HOME Campaign to see if charities such as the United Way’s
Sept. 11 Fund or the American Red Cross would be included in this year’s
drive. Those funds were quickly added to the campaign.
"Employees have a real interest in helping any way they can,"
said Roger Werne, this year’s campaign chairman. "The HOME Campaign
has always been about awareness of other people’s needs. That need
is pretty evident this year."
"With the crisis that is going on, now is an appropriate time to
think about giving and helping others," explained Wayne Shotts, the
associate director for NAI. "There are a great number of folks who
need help out there. HOME is an excellent way to reach out."
Each November, the Lab stages its annual campaign to "Help Others
More Effectively" by raising money for a long list of employee-chosen
agencies and umbrella groups. Employees may also select their own agencies
through a write-in campaign, making any school, church or nonprofit entity
with 501(c)3 tax status eligible to benefit from HOME.
Employees may contribute through a one-time donation, payroll deduction
or appreciated assets. However, donations made to the Sept. 11-related
funds will be through one-time contribution only.
This year’s goal is $1.3 million dollars, an slight increase from
last year’s tally of $1.26 million.
Werne and Shotts expect another successful campaign — for the past
three years, the Lab has eclipsed the million-dollar mark — but they
also expect a few challenges. "But meeting those challenges is worth
the effort for the benefits we can make in the daily lives of people who
are our neighbors," Werne said.
"Our employees realize how fortunate they are and have always had
an awareness of others’ needs," said Shotts. Although employees
are showing interest in contributing to Sept. 11 funds, Shotts emphasized
the growing needs in the local community.
Over the years, many of the employee-chosen agencies have come to rely
on HOME Campaign dollars. These are agencies with small operating budgets
that cannot afford to advertise or market their needs.
"Remember that the focus of HOME has always been the local community,"
Shotts said. "People need to realize that the attacks of Sept. 11
are not just focused on the East Coast. They’ve had a domino effect
on charities in our own community, which were already stressed."
As an example Shotts cited charities that provide counseling, grief support
and other crisis services. Many of these agencies found their resources
already tested due to rising unemployment in the area. The Sept. 11 attacks
are adding to that stress, he said.
So while employees are encouraged to contribute to the Sept. 11 funds,
both Werne and Shotts remind people to remember their own community as
well. "Just because many of us live in affluent communities, it doesn’t
mean the needs are not there," said Werne.
A good starting point for learning more about the agencies that represent
those needs is through the Agency Fair, which begins at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday,
Oct. 31, in the Z-1 and Z-2 parking lots (near Bldg. 111). During the
fair, nonprofit organizations that stand to benefit from HOME set up informational
booths on the work they do. Lab employees, who volunteer their time to
assist the various agencies, staff many of these booths.
The HOME Campaign began 27 years ago as a way to assist Tri-Valley agencies
that were, at that time, largely unsupported by the United Way. Over the
years, the campaign has become a major fund-raiser for many of the employee-chosen
agencies listed in the HOME Campaign packet. Groups such as Shepherd’s
Gate, Tri-Valley Haven for Women and Tri-Valley Animal Rescue have come
to rely on the HOME Campaign for a healthy percentage of their annual
budget. Even the United Way’s Bay Area chapter cites the Lab as a
top "corporate" contributor.
This year, the Lab received the Tri-Valley Community Champion Award for
its "exemplary record of employee volunteering and fund-raising,"
which includes the HOME Campaign. The Tri-Valley Community Foundation,
Shaklee Corporation and Tri-Valley Community Television presented the
award.
HOME Campaign packets will be distributed to employees the week of Oct.
29. The campaign will close Dec. 7. Johnson Controls, the Lab’s contractor
for supplemental labor, will once again provide matching funds for every
dollar contributed by its workforce.
As an incentive to participate in the campaign, NAI will offer a series
of weekly drawings, in which employees who return their contribution packets
will become eligible for various prizes – from restaurant certificates
to wine country tours.
The incentive drawings will be held Nov. 7, 14, 21 and 28 and Dec. 5.
The deadlines for turning in packets to become eligible for the drawings
are Nov. 2, 9, 16, 21 and 30.
For more information about the HOME Campaign, see the Website at
http://www-r.llnl.gov/home2001/