Offutt’s CFC drive comes to an end but payoff keeps going

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Peter R.O. Danielson
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  The 2009 Combined Federal Campaign came to an end Nov. 13, with Team Offutt's contributions exceeding its goal of $325,000.

This is the first time in several years that Offutt has reached its monetary CFC goal.

"We knocked this one out of the park," said Chaplain (Capt.) Travis Allen, the 55th Wing Staff CFC coordinator and an Offutt chaplain at the SAC Chapel.

Chaplain Allen said the goal for wing staff, composed of various support agencies spread around the base that don't directly fall under a specific group, was $11,000. The donation record for the 55th Wing Staff was $19,000, collected for the 2008 CFC drive.

"The last donations (for 2009) took us up over $23,000," said Chaplain Allen. "You can do the math on that one."

The CFC has run every year since 1961, when President John F. Kennedy approved it to be the only fundraising campaign to ask and collect contributions from federal workplaces for charities.

According to its Web site, the CFC is the world's largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign. Every year, more than 300 independent CFC campaigns around the globe help raise millions of dollars for a wide variety of causes.

The individual donor chooses where his or her donation goes, said Chaplain Allen.

Each of the registered charities is thoroughly screened by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to ensure each non-profit provides services on a local, state, national or international level, and maintains public and financial accountability.

"The credit for this year's campaign is a direct result of the hard work and dedication of the 67-unit campaign managers who contacted 5,936 personnel on base over the seven-week campaign," said Capt. Raymond Spohr, 55th Strategic Communications Squadron director of operations and one of Offutt's CFC coordinators. "At the end of the campaign, Offutt had 1,454 donors, an increase of 135 from the 2008 drive."

Offutt's contribution was a factor for the Heart of the Midlands CFC drive achieving their goal of $1,194,000.

International fundraising for the CFC continues through Dec. 1.

At the end of this year's successful drive, the Offutt CFC coordinator had one simple thing to say.

"Offutt, we did it!" said Captain Spohr.

For more information about the Combined Federal Campaign or to donate, visit http://www.opm.gov/cfc/.