TRENTON, NJ — Commissioner Rolando Torres, Jr. of the New Jersey Department of Personnel was inducted as the new chair of the New Jersey State Employee Charitable Campaign. Sharon A. Harrington, Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, was named Vice Chair.

“When you make a donation, you automatically become part of the solution and help to create lasting changes in your communities,” said Commissioner Torres. “This year we are setting ambitious goals and with our public employees help, we will provide unprecedented support to the more than 1,400 charities participating in this worthwhile campaign,” he said.

The Employees Charitable Campaign gives state employees the opportunity to contribute to charitable organizations through an annual campaign, which will kick off October 2007 and run through 2008. Last year, New Jersey’s public employees donated more than $2.1 million to benefit approximately 1,400 state, national and international non-profit organizations.

As part of the chair’s responsibilities, he or she is to name the incoming chair. Last year’s 2006-2007 NJSECC chair Herman Saatkamp Jr., President of Stockton College. The term is for two years.

In 1985, the New Jersey State Legislature enacted a law, which provides employees of state and local governments the opportunity to contribute to a multitude of charities through payroll deduction. Determined by the NJ State Treasury Department, administrative costs are kept to a minimum with 10 percent of the total dollars pledged. United Way of Greater Mercer County manages the campaign on behalf of all participating federations and unaffiliated agencies.

The official kickoff event for the 2008 Employee Charitable Campaign will take place October 1, 2007 at the New Jersey State Museum. For more information about NJSECC, please visit http://www.njsecc.org.

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The mission of the New Jersey Department of Personnel is to attract, develop and retain a high quality workforce for State, county and municipal governments and to partner with management and labor to develop a fair, efficient human resource delivery system rewarding quality, merit, and productivity.