Your Employer's Annual Giving Campaign

Do you work with one of the employers listed below?

Many of you can now give directly to the Tennessee Health Care Campaign and to your other favorite charities.

THCC is a member agency of Community Shares which has charitable giving campaigns with employers listed below. Most employers give you the option to donate to three or more charities through payroll deduction. The Charity Code # for THCC is listed below with the employer:

• Belmont University: 11019
• Board of Regents College: C02-019
• Federal employees - In East Tennessee: Check your booklet under Community Shares
• Federal employees - In Middle Tennessee: 16063
• Federal employees - Fort Campbell: 16063
• Federal employees - In West Tennessee: 16063
• Nashville Electric Service: 11019
• Nashville Metro Government: 11019
• Nashville Public Schools: 11019
• Tennessee Employees Charitable Campaign: CS320
• United Methodist Communications and other UM institutions, but not all: 11019
• University of Tennessee: You can just write in Tennessee Health Care Campaign
• Vanderbilt University and Medical Center: 11019
• These are only the main employers. Please ask if your employer has an annual payroll deduction campaign.

Not-for-profit working for you and your family: THCC is a not-for-profit organization. It is not a state agency and does not receive any state or federal funds. It's largest donor is the Public Welfare Foundation. They fund health care advocacy across the country. Another important funding source are individual donors through employee payroll deduction campaigns. Last year, THCC received about $8,000 from donors through payroll deduction.

The next few years are critical: Over the next few years, your gift will be even more important as we in Tennessee and others across the country work for a just health care system that leaves no one behind, making health care more affordable for all and not allowing insurance companies to deny you or others coverage because of pre-existing medical conditions.

Volunteers are needed: THCC will conduct its advocacy work on the local, state, and national levels through volunteers living in small communities and working with local media. Local efforts by volunteers will be key for any long term victories in expanding affordable, continuous and quality health care for all Tennesseans.

Do you want to lead an effort in your community? THCC is only a staff of three people, but it is a volunteer network of hundreds. It is the volunteers who put the rubber to the road. In fact, volunteers are not only important, but they are the key to success. Without the grassroots speaking out and multiplying its efforts to educate and get others to speak out, we will be ignored by the current powers. In America, there are two sources of power, money and people. THCC's power is not in its money, but it is in its people, volunteers.

It takes money, even for a small not-for-profit: Paying salary, benefits, copying, postage, and travel for staff to coordinate the efforts of volunteers is critical to winning health care for all. Currently, THCC is conducting its work with a total budget of less than $200,000/year. To conduct its advocacy work within this budget means that volunteers are critical. So call today! Call 1-877-431-7083. Get involved! Step up! You probably have a family member or a friend who is in some medical crisis and cannot afford their care. This should not be happening, especially in a country as wealthy as we are and prides itself as a caring country.

So what is your challenge and what can you do:

1. Donate to THCC through payroll deduction. If you do not work at one of the employers listed above, donate through THCC's web site, http://www.thcc2.org/donate/index_donate.html;
2. Volunteer to help in your community by calling 1-877-431-7083; and
3. Call your member of the U.S. Congress and ask them to vote to the State Children's Health Insurance Program to guarantee coverage for all children in America by calling 1-800-828-0498 or 1-866-544-7573. This is a current campaign. If we cannot guarantee coverage for children, we will never be able to get it for adults.

Sincerely,

Tony Garr, Tennessee Health Care Campaign
1103 Chapel Ave., Nashville, TN 37206
1-877-431-7083 Toll Free or 615-227-7500