Feds contribute more than $1 million to Sept. 11 relief fund

The generosity of federal employees in the weeks since the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center has helped raise more than $1.1 million for a fund to help the families of victims. The Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA), a charity that helps federal employees and their families in need, has given out more than $200,000 to families affected by the attacks. Executive Director Steve Bauer said he expects that amount to double in the next two weeks. Bauer said FEEA representatives have met with all the families who requested assistance, and that 35 to 40 families have received help so far. "That translates to hundreds of people because when we say families, we mean spouses, children, sisters, brothers and other relatives who needed assistance in one way or another," Bauer said. Some of the financial assistance helped relatives of Pentagon victims pay for transportation to Washington and housing while they were in town for funerals or memorial services. "Some relatives came from out of town to Washington to wait for the body to be recovered and not all of those people are in jobs that would enable them to get paid if they are not at work," Bauer said, describing one form of help the fund provided. "They are in D.C. as they should be and back home their bills aren't getting paid." Bauer recounted several stories of people the fund has helped, including a young man who dropped out of college to take care of his father after his mother was killed in the attacks. FEAA is paying for the young man to attend community college in the town where his father lives. Another fund beneficiary would have lost his business without FEAA's help. Federal employees have found different ways to raise money for the fund, such as selling flag pins. One office in Arizona created dog tags engraved with the names of the civilian federal employees who died in the Pentagon and distributed them to people who donated, Bauer said. "This is a gift from America. The vast majority of individual donors are federal employees, and they are doing it individually and collectively," he said. Money that is not used for immediate emergency relief will be funneled into an educational fund to provide scholarships for approximately 65 children who either lost a parent or whose parent was permanently disabled in the attacks. "We're not done yet and people need to know that," Bauer said. "We're probably only half way to what we're going to need to provide college scholarships to all of the children. It's important to get funds up front that we can invest." FEEA has helped employees during other crises, including the Oklahoma City bombing, the plane crash that killed former Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and 32 other Americans, flooding in the Midwest and the 1996 government shutdown. Families may register children for the educational scholarship program by calling FEEA at 800-323-4140. For more information on donating to the fund or to FEEA Combined Federal Campaign Pledge #2808, go to www.feea.org.