State employees, thanks a million.
Wednesday marked the kick-off for the Missouri State Employees Charitable Campaign (MSECC), which raised more than $1 million in charitable donations last year.
The $1,077,000 total also marked the 11th year the campaign has exceeded $1 million and the sixth-highest combined giving in the history of the campaign, now in its 27th year.
The campaign, according to its website, is organized and administered by the Office of Administration and directed by a six-member executive committee and the MSECC steering committee, which is composed of representatives from each department of state government and the offices of elected officials.
The campaign "provides a unified fundraising campaign that demonstrates state employees' generosity, concern and compassion for others," said Doug Nelson, acting commissioner of the Office of Administration. "For the past several years, state employees have done exceptionally well in donating to their favorite charities in record numbers."
Among those numbers from last year's campaign:
• Contributions were received from 8,411 donors, an increase of more than 2 percent.
• The average donation amount was $128.
• Charities in Central Missouri received $414,929.
• The United Way of Central Missouri, which will kick off its area campaign Thursday, received $137,870.
A campaign of this magnitude also relies on gifts of time and effort. Trained coordinators serve a valuable role in increasing awareness, organizing the campaign at the agency level and informing employees about the human needs being served by charitable organizations.
The tradition of generosity established through the charitable campaign is yet another indicator of state employees' valuable contributions to their fellow Missourians.