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Now is the time to give back

  • Published
  • By Maj. Allen Specht
  • 62nd Airlift Wing Plans & Programs
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  Have you ever received a military discount when you made a purchase? Or have you received a free meal from a local establishment on Memorial Day or Veterans Day? Well here's your chance to return the favor by helping your local or national community.
 
By now most of you have probably received some sort of contact regarding the Combined Federal Campaign. This program allows us the opportunity to provide charitable outreach to a variety of agencies, but it focuses the effort to one time during the year so we aren't peppered with requests throughout the year. Donations are obviously voluntary but there are numerous agencies you can support in areas ranging anywhere from scouting, to animal welfare, to medical research, to supporting people with disabilities. Odds are good that if you have an interest, there's an agency out there that you can support to further the cause.

Your unit CFC representative can provide you with a catalog and a donation sheet. One thing to consider when choosing which organization(s) to donate to is the amount of your donation that will go to overhead which may include staff pay, advertising, etc. Some agencies only use one to two percent of their funds for overhead while others spend in excess of 30 percent. There isn't a "right" amount of overhead cost, but give consideration to how much of each dollar will truly go to your cause. Finally, if you are interested in an organization but aren't completely familiar with its function, do some research on it before committing your money. You may find that a seemingly worthy organization has a value set that differs significantly from your own, while a more obscure agency caters specifically to your favorite cause.

In any case, please give some consideration to donating to the CFC this year. Our community and nation as a whole have been overwhelmingly supportive of service members and the CFC is an exceptional means for us to acknowledge their beneficence.