The Defense Logistics Agency kicked off the 2018 Combined Federal Campaign season Oct. 22 with a goal to raise $300,000 to support causes ranging from cancer research to homeless veterans.
CFC is the world’s largest and most successful workplace charity campaign, having raised more than $8.3 billion since it began in 1961. The theme again this year is “Show Some Love.” Donors can choose from over 20,000 nonprofit charitable organizations, local and worldwide.
The National Capital Area is the most successful of the 36 zones currently in the CFC, said Louis Torchia, executive director of the NCA CFC. McNamara Headquarters Complex employees from DLA, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Defense Contract Audit Agency and the Defense Technical Information Center raised over $433,000 collectively in the 2017 campaign.
“Because of you, this helped keep homeless off the streets, fed hungry children, protected mothers from malaria, provided educational opportunities to orphans, provided jobs to veterans, planted trees in devastated areas and so much more,” he said. “These are just a few examples of how your donations are making an impact.”
A $1 donation plants one tree to help restore forests, he continued, while $30 provides one 30-minute crisis-line chat for a troubled teen and $50 secures jobs for four veterans.
Brian Gawne, vice president of community relations for the Fisher House Foundation, described how CFC donations touch people’s lives. The foundation runs 78 homes at military and Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers where service members and their families can stay for free while a loved one receives medical treatment.
“Tonight, there’s a father and mother of a service member injured in combat staying at one of four Fisher Houses at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio [Texas]. Tonight, there’s a service member on emergency leave whose wife is being treated for breast cancer staying at one of the five Fisher Houses at Walter Reed [in Bethesda, Maryland]. Tonight, there’s a daughter and a grandson of a World War II veteran who fought on the beaches of Normandy staying at the Fisher House at the VA hospital in Minneapolis [Minnesota] as their grandad fights his last fight,” Gawne said.
Employees can donate to one or more charities by going to the Office of Personnel Management’s online giving portal. The website replaces paper pledge documents previously used and allows users to search for their preferred organizations with an improved search engine.
Employees can also donate time instead of money by pledging volunteer hours. The new feature was implemented last year and was a huge success, Torchia said, adding that one-fourth of the time donated in the 2017 campaign were from NCA contributors.
The campaign runs through Jan. 11. For more information, see a campaign chairperson or visit the CFC website.