FORSCOM kicks off 2009 CFC campaign

By Dorothy Young, FORSCOM Public AffairsSeptember 18, 2009

LTG Joseph Peterson discusses importance of CFC
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AGFB supports CFC Kick-off event
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UNCF rep attends FORSCOM CFC Kick-off
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lakiesha Hampton (right), representing the United Negro College Fund, speaks with a FORSCOM staff member during the CFC Kick-Off Rally. Hampton received tuition money from UNCF when she was an undergraduate student at Clark-Atlanta University. U.S. ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT McPHERSON, Ga. (Sept. 18, 2009) - U.S. Army Forces Command's kick-off rally for the 2009 Combined Federal Campaign was held Sept. 16 at its headquarters here.

This year's CFC theme is "Give Today and Change Tomorrow."

Brig. Gen. E. Eric Porter, FORSCOM Deputy Chief of Staff, G1, hosted the rally, which was held in the G1 atrium of Building 200. Porter also is serving as Director of Division 2, Atlanta Area CFC.

Porter gave kudos to Lt. Col. Hillary "Gus" Luton, Public Affairs Office, who is this year's FORSCOM CFC Coordinator. She led CFC campaigns when she was assigned to U.S. Army Reserve Command (USARC) and volunteered to coordinate FORSCOM's campaign.

Porter also praised Mike Chapman, CFC Atlanta Area Division 2 Coordinator.

Chapman is a retired FORSCOM civilian employee who is back for 90 days to coordinate the local campaign. This is his 16th year working for CFC.

"We are aware that the current economic situation may deter some previous givers from donating this year, but we're hoping to at least match what we raised in 2008," said Chapman. "There are 15 military organizations in the division, including FORSCOM; Army Central Command; U.S. Army Reserve Command; Installation Management Command; First Army and U.S. Army Garrison Fort McPherson," Chapman said. "FORSCOM raised more than $150,000 of Division 2's overall $500,000 (last year)," he said.

Lt. Gen. Joseph F. Peterson, FORSCOM's deputy commanding general, was the event's keynote speaker again this year, "since he gave such an inspirational speech last year," said Porter.

"CFC is an opportunity to give something back to the community, to give something back to the nation. Don't procrastinate," Peterson told FORSCOM staff members. "The CFC makes it easy for you to give. Open up that book [Contributor's Guide] and see all the agencies that are asking you to help them help others. HOOAH!"

One of the favorite parts of the rally is the raffle. Lucky employees with winning tickets received little teddy bears dressed as pilots; key chains; lunch bags and letter openers.

As the FORSCOM Army Ground Forces Band's woodwind quintet played softly in the background, staff members visited with representatives from 13 Atlanta-area agencies that receive CFC contributions. One such representative, Sandy Johnson, corporate administrator of Angel Flight, discussed the services provided by her organization.

"We are the original volunteer pilot organization serving this side of the Rockies," said Johnson. "We've been here for 26 years and we provide free air transportation to anyone who needs it for medical reasons. In 2008, we provided mission coordination for 2,266 missions," she said.

"We have about 900 volunteer pilots scattered across the southeast who have their own planes or they rent a plane for their mission," said Johnson. "We use our funds for pilot recruitment and community outreach, which is the biggest challenge. If you don't know we're here, you can't ask for our help," she said.

Mack Secord is one of the original 15 volunteer pilots with Angel Flight. He is a retired Air Force colonel who has been flying for 56 years.

"We get requests from doctors, nurses or social workers to fly a patient to, say, Johns Hopkins Hospital (Maryland) or the Mayo Clinic (Minnesota). We put the request on our Web site and a pilot volunteers for the mission," said Secord. "We've never lost a patient," he said proudly. "We do whatever it takes to fulfill the mission."

Lakiesha Hampton, who represented the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), was a recipient of UNCF monies when she was an undergraduate student at Clark-Atlanta University.

"I am an alumnus of the foster care system in Georgia. I was in the system for 13 years, so I didn't have parents to pay for college. Through scholarships from UNCF and others, I was able to get an undergraduate degree in psychology. I'm working on my master's degree in social work from Georgia State University," said Hampton.

"I found out about UNCF through my high school counselor and was able to get money for tuition. They mainly pay for tuition, but sometimes if there's a need for housing or books, they may try to move funds around so they can pay for that as well," she said.

"If you could give up one day of lunch money, say, five, six or seven dollars, and donate that money through your workplace to UNCF, that would be enough to pay for books for a semester or maybe housing or even a meal plan. It doesn't take much if a lot of people do that little bit. It all adds up to a lot."

CFC runs for six weeks and concludes on Oct. 30, 2009. FORSCOM Soldiers and civilian workers may make contributions through the key workers assigned to each of the command's offices or divisions.

For more information about CFC, contact Mike Chapman at 404-464-6396 or visit the CFC Web site at www.opm.gov/cfc.