(Federal Employees Education & Assistance Fund)
We have now arrived at the final week of FEEA’s May fundraiser, and thanks to 161 feds who so far have donated a total of $12,345. With our special “triple the impact” match from the BlueCross/BlueShield Association and GEICO, our total heading into the homestretch is $37,035. But we still need to raise at least $12,655 in individual donations to ensure we receive the full $25,000 match from both of our generous corporate sponsors. If you have not yet made your gift, please do it today.
During this final week of the campaign, we have a special additional match: for the next $5,000 we raise, Long Term Care Partners will also match donations. That’s four times the impact for the next $5,000 in individual donations made by Thursday, May 31! If you’ve thought about becoming a Friend of FEEA, now is a terrific time to do so knowing your annual donation of $150 will be worth $600 to FEEA and monthly donors will give $12.50 for a $50 impact.
The stories below from Debra Hunt, Judith O’Neal and Cynthia Dean clearly show the impact emergency loans have on the lives of federal employees every day. Please give $10 or more today while our limited time corporate match will quadruple your donation.
Real Feds Helping Feds Stories, Part 3
Loans and Grants Make a Difference
The stories below come from telephone and email interviews with men and women who have benefitted from FEEA’s Emergency Assistance program in the past few years. Each willingly came forward to share his or her story in hopes it would spur others to give or seek help.
These profiles can also be found on our website.
Debra Hunt has been a proud member of the Army National Guard for more than 15 years and a proud federal employee for more than five. While going through a divorce, her car’s transmission gave out and, added to the monthly car note, the repair bill was going to be more than she could afford. She briefly considered taking a loan from her TSP, but learned about FEEA from an EAP counselor instead. Hunt appreciated the difference between a FEEA no-interest loan and a traditional bank loan and was glad not to need to raid her retirement account in order to get to work every day. Easy payroll deductions to repay the loan meant she hardly missed the money over time. Hunt is now a proud CFC donor to FEEA #11185 and really likes that, “I know where the money goes and I know it works!”
Judith O’Neal has been an HHS employee since 2007 and first learned about FEEA a little over a year into her federal career. O’Neal was struggling financially due to the unexpected loss of a second income in her household and confided in a friend who worked for the Small Business Administration. The friend told her about FEEA, and then:
“I contacted FEEA, filled out the application and the agency was so generous to offer me a no-interest loan which helped me tremendously. I was able to bring that money to the gas company, thus making my heating bill much more manageable and allowing me to work out payments with the gas company. It was truly a blessing for me that FEEA was able to be a viable resource for me with this hardship situation I was thrust into. I am forever grateful to FEEA and have since become a contributor to this wonderful organization through CFC. Again, many many thanks and blessings for the help and aid from FEEA to federal employees.”
Cynthia Dean began her federal career as a student aide while still in college and was hired full-time after graduating. More than 28 years later, she is still happy and proud to be a federal employee. She’s also sorry she didn’t learn about FEEA until much more recently, though very glad the emergency loan program was there for her when she needed it. Dean got in a bind when her car kept breaking down, over and over. As a single mom with a daughter in college, she skimped on other bills to get the car repaired time after time and finally just couldn’t catch-up. A no-interest FEEA loan helped her get back on track and the small amount that comes out of her paycheck has been easy to deal with as well as convenient. Says Dean, “FEEA is an awesome thing, especially for single parents who find it hard to save for emergencies. I was really grateful not to have to ask family or friends for help.”
