CEC Cares Employee Relief Fund

The CEC Cares Employee Relief Fund was established to help respond to our employees’ needs in times of crisis or tragedy.  CEC Cares is a charitable and organized way to help our fellow employees and their immediate family ease their resulting financial hardship.  The CEC Cares Employee Relief Fund may provide short-term assistance to employees experiencing severe financial hardship due to unexpected and unavoidable emergencies.  Documentation  of the emergency or crisis event will be required.

The CEC Cares Employee Relief Fund is managed and administered by the Tulsa Community Foundation (TCF), a U.S. Internal Revenue Service 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit charitable foundation.  Eligible applicants must be a CEC Entertainment employee at the time of the crisis event in order to be eligible to apply.

Eligible to Apply: CEC Entertainment employees are eligible to apply for assistance.

In the event of an unexpected and unavoidable emergency that causes a severe financial hardship, CEC Entertainment employees may apply for assistance within the following categories and qualifications (Please remember that not all emergencies will warrant the maximum assistance and there is a limit of one grant per incident):

• Home Catastrophe/Natural Disaster – Amount of Grant: Up to $2,000 (One award per employee per calendar year)
  Assistance with hardship from evacuation or after employee’s personal residence is rendered unlivable after a natural or localized disaster (hurricane, fire, flood, tornado, mudslide, etc.).
• Hospitalization Expenses (emergency hospitalization, injury, etc.) – Amount of Grant: Up to $1,000 (Two awards per employee per calendar year)
  Assistance with hardship from hospitalization expenses for serious injury or serious illness in employee’s household.
• Funeral Expenses – Amount of Grant: Up to $3,000 (Two awards per employee per calendar year)
  Assistance with hardship from memorial/funeral service and bereavement-related travel expenses related to employee’s death or death of a member of employee’s immediate family*.
• Military Deployment – Amount of Grant: Up to $750 (Two awards per employee per calendar year)
  Assistance with unexpected expenses due to employee or spouse’s sudden military deployment (combat duty or guard duty).
• Personal Emergency (theft, partner laid off, acts of violence) – Amount of Grant: Up to $2,000 (One award per employee per calendar year)
  For employees who have encountered financial hardships for unexpected, unavoidable reasons unrelated to their employment at CEC and beyond their control (spouse’s layoff, unexpected loss of income, non-routine vehicle or home repair that restricts ability of applicant to care for self and household, etc.).

Note: Program guidelines restrict assistance to employees experiencing severe financial need due to specific unexpected emergencies which can be documented. While all emergencies and financial hardships are unfortunate, incidents outside of program guidelines cannot be approved. 

Employees should use available resources such as medical/life insurance, PTO, short/long term disability, personal savings, assistance from family members, etc. before applying for assistance.  CEC Entertainment employees are also eligible for the Cigna Life Assistance Program, an employee assistance program.  To access Cigna Life Assistance Program, visit www.cignabehavior.com/cgi or call 1-800-538-3543.

Upon approval, grant recipients are typically mailed a check made payable to the vendor requesting payment (i.e. landlord, utility company, contractor, etc.).  We understand that each situation is unique so please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions. 

Situations that will NOT be Considered: Elective bills; bills related to routine vehicle repairs; child support payments by applicant; expenses/bills resulting from divorce or separation; attorney fees; medical expenses not related to medical emergencies; situations related to extended family members; or garnishments of an employee’s paycheck due to past debt. More info is available here.

*Immediate Family Defined: Legal spouse/civil-union partner; children; step-children; legal ward; parent; step-parent; legal guardian; sibling.