Employee picnic celebrates Our HSC initiative in Amarillo

• By Kelly Podzemny
• September 2, 2016

The employee appreciation picnic Aug. 24 also commemorated the inaugural year of the Our HSC campaign at the TTUHSC Amarillo campus. The outdoor event concluded a series of events showing appreciation for TTUHSC faculty and staff and raising awareness of the new employee giving campaign.

Employees gathered on the east lawn of the Amarillo campus for lunch catered by Tyler’s Barbeque, and TTUHSC President Tedd Mitchell, M.D., made the trip from Lubbock to attend. Local musician Dave Martinez provided live music while attendees ate and enjoyed each other’s company.

“We are blessed to work on an amazing campus,” Amarillo Director of Development Carley du Menil said. “It was wonderful to see everyone enjoying the lunch, their co-workers and the Our HSC events.”

The picnic was the last of a handful of employee apperception events sponsored by the Institutional Advancement team throughout August. Earlier in the month employees enjoyed free coffee and donuts, breakfast tacos and gourmet popcorn.

Our HSC is a giving campaign that provides employees the opportunity to make contributions toward enhancing TTUHSC facilities, development programs and more. The initiative began on the Lubbock campus last year, and grants have already been awarded for a mobile device charging locker, digital white board, CPR classes and hydration stations.

Those wishing to contribute can either pledge a monthly payroll deduction in the amount of their choosing, or make a one-time contribution with cash, check or credit card.

“The Our HSC campaign is made possible by the heart and dedication of the TTUHSC Amarillo employees,” du Menil said. “All funds donated through this campaign will be distributed based on applications received from employees and then evaluated by peer employees for funding. This truly is a for the campus by the campus initiative.”

During its first cycle on the Amarillo campus, Our HSC raised more than $5,000 in employee contributions to be distributed back to the employees through the Our HSC grant applications. The Our HSC Amarillo committee will meet soon to decide how the fund will be utilized on its campus.