FORT BELVOIR, Virginia –
Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing series describing the important services and support provided by the charities listed in the Combined Federal Campaign’s Catalog of Giving, as experienced by a member of the Defense Logistics Agency Energy workforce. This article highlights two charitable organizations in Arizona. The CFC drive ends December 31.
In this question and answer session, Doug Thomas, DLA Energy Strategic Programs and Policy Directorate program manager, discusses the charity he supports through CFC, the charity he supported in the past, and why it’s important to him.
Please tell me about the women's shelter in Phoenix, Arizona, that you support through the CFC charity.
In the past I gave to the battered women’s shelter in Phoenix, Arizona, because of the help they gave to two young ladies who went through some of the worst times I’ve ever witnessed. Their mother left them while they were teenagers and they basically raised themselves. Soon they got involved in some abusive relationships and found refuge in the battered women’s shelter in Phoenix. The program gave them a hand up versus a hand out and that’s all they wanted; they’re very proud individuals. Now they’re in their early thirties and are leading very productive and secure lives. This particular charity is no longer listed in the CFC, so this year I’m giving to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Phoenix and the Paz de Cristo Community Center in Mesa, Arizona.
According to its website, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Phoenix offers transitory housing and services to seriously ill or injured children and their families who travel to Phoenix for medical care.
The Paz de Cristo Community Center provides food, clothing, showers, employment assistance and other empowerment programs for the underserved in Phoenix East Valley. “These two programs offer similar services that the battered women’s shelter offered … hand ups and not handouts. I think giving a person a chance to get on their feet during their time of need is very important.”
How did you get involved with this particular charity? How long have you been supporting this charity?
I’ve been supporting Phoenix charities since 2001, through CFC and through volunteer work. I started supporting the battered women’s shelter in 2010 after I met the aforementioned friends at church.
What does CFC mean to you, especially this time of year and/or what personal connection (if any) do you have with the charity?
I’ve always given to different charities through the CFC over the last 35 years. When I first got involved in CFC it lasted just a little over a month, now it lasts for three to five months, which spans over Christmas. It’s a little more meaningful to see the campaign run through the holidays.
As a federal employee, how does donating to this charitable cause make you feel?
I’ve always been a giver even before I became a federal employee, giving is the important thing no matter where I work.
Information on CFC
CFC is the only giving campaign authorized for federal employees in the workplace. DLA Energy employees have three ways to make a donation or pledge.
Payroll deduction via the Defense Finance and Accounting Service’s
MyPay system.
One-time or recurring credit card donations via the
CFC Nexus system.
Cash payments or payroll deductions via paper pledge forms turned in to organizational CFC keyworkers.