"I remember crying a lot at night," recalled John Farnan of his childhood years that were spent in an orphanage. John, who works for the Department of Social Services (DSS), was the youngest of a family of nine brothers and sisters. His mother left soon after he was born and his father couldn't be home to take care of the children because his work involved travel. "The courts decided the best thing to do was to put us in the hands of Social Services," John explained. "Ironically, years later I ended up working for DSS."

John was three years old when he and three of his brothers were sent to an orphanage in 1954. Over the years, each of his brothers left to go live with their father. John spent three long years on his own at the institution. "It was tough, especially after all of my brothers left," he said. "Sometimes at night I'd look out a window at a beacon light atop a radio antenna and make a wish that my family could one day all be together again. At 13, my wish came true when I left the orphanage and was reunited with my brothers."

While his institutional home was emotionally cold and lonely, John, who is married and has two children, is thankful for the orphanage. "As I got older, I considered what the options might have been had the orphanage not been there and realized that we could've been fostered out," he explained. "That would have meant my brothers and myself would have been separated."

In those years, the orphanage and many other local human service agencies were funded through the Community Chest Appeal. Many of those agencies are now funded by SEFA. John pointed out that several human service organizations have touched him throughout his life. When he left the orphanage, a mentor from a community agency helped get him on the right path. Through another agency, John was able to locate his mother in Arizona and saw her for the first time when he was 33. More recently, in 1994 John's brother Dave, 48, lost a battle with cancer and during his illness received daily visits from a health service organization.

John first heard about SEFA 18 years ago, the year after he joined State service, and has been involved with the campaign ever since. John started out as a solicitor and today is the DSS Statewide Liaison. He finds that the payroll deduction process makes it simple for State employees to donate to SEFA. "Just one dollar a week can go a long way in helping children, families and communities," said John.

If you would like to contribute to SEFA, contact your agency's campaign manager.

If you would like to submit a SEFA story for inclusion on the website please contact Regina Morse at NYS Department of Labor, (518) 457-1993.

John today with wife Kathy,
son Ryan and daughter Kimberly.