A Message from the 2009 Chair
Jonathan Miller, Secretary
Finance and Administration Cabinet
You shall love your neighbor as yourself…
It is a timeless notion, at the heart of every world culture.
And it is also extraordinarily timely.
Because these are extraordinary times.
We are suffering through the worst global economic crisis since the Great Depression. Many of our neighbors across Kentucky are struggling. Some have recently lost their jobs. Others are working non-stop just to make ends meet.
Governor Steve Beshear is focusing like a laser on stimulating the economy and providing a safety net to those of our neighbors who feel like they are falling through the cracks. He calls this effort “Kentucky At Work,” using federal stimulus dollars as well as local know-how and expertise to help lend a hand to those in need.
This year’s KECC campaign will be working hand-in-hand with the Governor’s statewide mission. Our theme is “Compassion At Work: Serving Our Neighbors in Need.” It is our opportunity—indeed, our responsibility—as state employees to reach out to our neighbors who are less fortunate. While some of us may be struggling ourselves, there has never been a more important time to help our neighbors in need. Whether it is donating money to one of the outstanding charities within the KECC family, or donating time with volunteer service, no act of compassion is too small.
II urge you to support our KECC charities. While there never has been a more difficult time in recent years to ask state employees to reach into their pockets, our neighbors’ need has never been so significant. Your donation helps to feed the hungry, protect and educate our children, and care for those in crisis of health or home. Our support for these organizations builds a stronger, better Kentucky for ourselves and our future.
Together, we can make the KECC campaign the strongest ever, in the midst of our state’s greatest need. Together, we can remind our neighbors that this Commonwealth is built on, and sustained by, the compassion of all of us.
