Employee Crisis Fund

housefireDuring the week of Christmas 2014, a City of Springfield staff member lost his home to a fire in Polk County. The employee is married with two children and the family had to live in a hotel until they were able to locate an apartment to rent on a monthly basis. This situation underscored the need for a City of Springfield Employee Crisis Fund, as many employees stepped forward wanting to offer monetary donations to this family.

Fellow City employees wishing to make a donation to assist the family during times of crisis now have an avenue to do so through a City of Springfield Employee Crisis Fund. The fund is a legacy project of the 2013 City Ambassadors Program (CAmP) graduating class. CAmP provides employees an opportunity to learn about the many departments and divisions within the City’s government services.

“Our class members want to show their appreciation to fellow employees and leave a legacy. Our ideas was to create an avenue for providing assistance to City’s employees during a time of crisis,” said Cora Scott, 2013 CAmP class president.

Donations to the fund may be sent to the Finance Department, Attn: Accounting Manager. The Finance Department is located in the lower level of the Busch Municipal Building, 840 Boonville. Make checks payable to: City of Springfield Employee Crisis Fund. Funding comes from a variety of different avenues, including one-time donations and through special fundraising efforts throughout the year.

The Employee Crisis Fund is held in a bank account, separate from City funds and managed and audited by the City’s Finance Department. Recipients must be current active employees who are experiencing a one-time crisis. Recipients must have made a reasonable attempt to exhaust other avenues of assistance.

An Employee Crisis Fund Committee appointed by the City Manager and staffed by the Department of Public Information oversees the application process. An application must be completed by the employee or designee. The application is confidential and requires specific information to determine if the applicant qualifies. The application is reviewed by the committee to determine if the applicant qualifies. If you are interested in seeking help from the fund, you can access the application on CityShare or in person in the Human Resources department.