Brigadier General Mark Stammer, acting senior commander, 101st Airborne Division presents a Fort Campbell Combined Federal Campaign Sponsor Eagle to Bill Cato, a Geico representative, with the help of Valerie Crocker, Fort Campbell CFC director, duri...
Major Brian Astwood, 426th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, accepts the Top Award from Brigadier General Mark Stammer, acting senior commander, 101st Abn. Div., during the 2014 CFC Awards Ceremony at Cole P...
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- The 2014 Fort Campbell Area Combined Federal Campaign awards ceremony, which recognized hundreds of Soldiers and civilians, was held at Cole Park Commons, Wednesday.
Brigadier Gen. Mark Stammer, acting senior commander, 101st Airborne Division, said the purpose of the ceremony was to celebrate the success of the campaign and recognize the outstanding contributions made by organizations and individuals.
"The CFCs mission is to support and promote philanthropy through a program that is employee-focused, cost efficient and effective in providing all federal employees the opportunity to improve the quality of life through their charitable giving," Stammer said.
The campaign aids funding to local and national charities, and Fort Campbell's contributions totaled more than $530,000.
Additionally, this year marked the first year of the merger between the Fort Campbell CFC and Louisville Combined Federal Campaign into a united operation which raised more than $1.1 million.
"2014 was a record-breaking year for our local campaign, raising over $1.1 million from almost 7,000 donors," Stammer said. "The Combined Federal Campaign is a vehicle for each of us and thousands of other federal employees in the area to show how much we care."
The CFC Top Award, which is awarded each year to the brigade with the most combined contributions, was awarded to the 1st Brigade Combat Team for the second consecutive year. The 1st BCT raised more than $83,000.
The 101st NCO Academy and the 922nd Contingency Contracting Battalion were both awarded gold status with 80 percent participation and $60 per capita gift amounts. The Logistics Readiness Center was awarded silver status with 70 percent participation and $36 per capita gift amounts.
More than 55 individuals were recognized with the Eagle Award, which is awarded to those who donate $600 or more to the CFC.
CFC Merger
This year, the local campaign grew after the Fort Campbell and Louisville CFCs merged extending the operation to include Western Kentucky and parts of Indiana, said Valerie Croker, Fort Campbell CFC director.
Although the two CFCs merged, Fort Campbell continued with an inside-the-gate goal of $800,000, with a goal for the combined area estimated at $1.9 million. While both goals fell short, more than half of the stated goal was met in each area.
"Louisville and Fort Knox raised about 60 percent of their goal, and we raised about 60 percent of our goal, so it was a learning experience," Crocker said. "We were going in kind of blind when we set our goals, but as we look at it -- any money raised is a good day."
Crocker said the CFC only has four months to lobby for donations and unexpected deployments made it difficult to reach donors.
"We are allowed to solicit from September to December, so that is a small window when these guys are coming and going as fast as they go," she said. "We were trying to catch them on their way out and catch them on their way back in -- a couple of big brigades, so we are still trying to juggle when we can catch them to make sure they can donate."
Donations
CFC donations are given to nonprofit organizations that are geared toward human and health welfare such as the USO and the Humane Society and benefit everything from environmental causes to animal welfare.
"These organizations consist of anything that is going to benefit the world around you," Crocker said. "The good thing about CFC is it's something those donors can look at -- they have that choice. They can donate their money to a specific cause."
Crocker said that every CFC organization is vetted each year which consists of a background check as well as looking at the organizations overhead expenses.
"There are some that always question if the money is going to that organization or if it is being used in the right way," Crocker said. "That 25 word statement in the brochure says where the money is being used, whether it is going towards research or to the animals in the shelters -- the money is going where you want it to go."
Crocker said there are thousands of organizations donors can choose from to provide help.
"Federal employees like to give back to their local area -- their home, so we want to make sure that every organization possible is in the brochure," Crocker said. "There are about 3,000 organizations in the brochure, and about 200 local organizations."
Universal Giving
This year marked the first year for Universal Giving, which allows federal employees to go online and donate to any nonprofit in the CFC no matter where they are located.
"If I was from California and I wanted to donate to the Boys and Girls Club of Los Angeles … I would put that number on the CFC pledge card and turn it into my local campaign here," Crocker said.
Crocker said the UG is a great tool for service members who move from installation to installation every few years, but still want to donate to organizations at previous duty stations.
"They may want to give to Manna Café after they leave, and that wasn't an option before," she said. "So now they have that option that no matter where they are at, they can go online and actually put in Manna Café and they can donate."
For an organization to be considered for the next year's CFC brochure, all information must be submitted to Valerie Crocker. For more information, call at (270) 697-4395 or visit ftcampbellareacfc.org.
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