Deployed service members ‘make a world of difference’ in overseas CFC

  • Published
  • By Franciela P. Itule
  • Combined Federal Campaign-Overseas Pacific Campaign coordinator
MISAWA AIR BASE --  Each day, courageous men and women who serve overseas face extreme hardships. Their commitment to serve their country and the American people is further evident in their generous support of the Combined Federal Campaign-Overseas, the charitable workplace-giving campaign for the Department of Defense.

The five combatant commands raised $15.6 million in 2009, including more than $5.2 million raised by the U.S. Central Command. The 2010 campaign goal of $15.7 million recognizes that demand for charitable services continues to increase. Volunteer campaign coordinators throughout the combatant commands are working to meet the goal, knowing that funding will help individuals and communities back home and around the globe.

Overseas DoD uniformed and civilian personnel contribute to CFC-O as a natural extension of their duty to their country, and DoD leadership is visible and tangible in support of giving generously. Many contributors from all branches of service have seen CFC-supported charities in action and know from personal experience how vitally important their services can be to soldiers and their families and the hundreds of thousands of people who benefit, most of whom they will never meet.

"The work of CFC charities affects all of us in some way," said Master Sgt. Cheek, a CFC-O representative who lost a friend during his tour of duty. "I joined the military to serve, and this is part of that duty."

The CFC-O features more than 2,300 organizations working to address critical needs throughout the world. Money raised through the CFC-O will serve the needy, comfort the ill, search for cures, protect the environment and reach out to help in countless other ways. Additionally, contributors can support their local overseas military communities by making a contribution to the Family Support and Youth Programs. Donations to FSYP are returned to the installation to support quality of life programs for overseas service members and their families.

Sgt. Jorge Anaya, an information management NCO with the 40th Quartermaster Company, 110th CSSB, and a native of Salinas, Puerto Rico, donates to a CFC-O-supported charity that helps Latin America's poorest communities alleviate poverty through childhood literacy and education programs.

"I've been through extreme poverty," Sergeant Anaya said. "I know what it's like. It's personal."

Maj. Robert Dye has been aware of the CFC since he was a child. His father was a soldier, too, and he grew up seeing fundraising signs go up each year on bases wherever his family lived. The true value of the campaign became real when he enlisted in the army himself.

"These charities make such a difference. They support veterans trying to recover and learn new skills," Major Dye said. "They fund prosthetics for soldiers who have lost limbs. They reach out to the families of those who have died in combat and give educational scholarships to their children."

The CFC-O runs through Dec. 3. CFC-O contributors can give using the traditional paper Pledge Card or through e-Giving at www.cfcoverseas.org/. A public service announcement featuring a personal story from a soldier helped by a CFC-O-supported charity can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzpBzXDFVEQ.