Members of Tobyhanna Army Depot’s (TYAD’s) workforce continue to make a real difference in their communities through participation in Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) initiatives.
Per the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s website, the CFC is an annual initiative that “offers the federal community the opportunity to donate to thousands of participating charities. Every year, federal employees and retirees give thousands of volunteer hours and millions of dollars.”
TYAD Organizational Development Specialist Tara Floyd serves as co-chair for Tobyhanna’s CFC efforts. The CFC may be viewed by some purely as a fundraising initiative, but Floyd emphasized that the CFC facilitates an opportunity for employees to make a difference through their time in addition to their treasures.
“I think often times, people associate the CFC with raising money. Although it’s great to raise money for all of the different CFC organizations, it’s not limited to that. This also provides an outlet for people to get out there and get involved in their communities,” said Floyd.
The most recent Tobyhanna CFC event is proof positive of that. Members of Team Tobyhanna participated in a day of caring on Oct. 25 held at Camp Freedom, a nonprofit organization that provides outdoor adventures for disabled veterans and first responders, their family members, and Gold Star families in Carbondale, PA.
Members of Team Tobyhanna volunteered their own time to construct eight individual building structures, relocate large deer stands, and power-wash recreational vehicles for use by Camp Freedom staff and patrons.
TYAD Division Secretary and CFC keyperson Lisa Walter was one of the volunteers. Walter said she jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the day of caring, citing her connection to Camp Freedom’s mission as well as the opportunity to join her teammates in making a positive difference in the community.
“Once I researched Camp Freedom’s mission, I found that it connected with my own mission in life - to help heal others. This solidified my decision to sign up to volunteer. The experience reminded me of being back in social work, coordinating with a team of people dedicated to assisting others in need,” said Walter.
This year, the CFC co-chairs have been aided by a new addition, the CFC committee, in developing a robust portfolio of CFC events including a scavenger hunt, the day of caring, a chili cookoff & food pantry drive, pet photo contest, giving tree, and heritage food festival. Floyd said the addition of the committee has been critical in event planning and fostering participation and hopes to offer more volunteer opportunities like the day of caring.
Floyd pointed to the giving tree as a particular point of pride due to the tangible impact it had on the community. Last year, items valued at $13k were donated and distributed to shelters serving people that are experiencing homelessness, women’s resource centers, and several other area facilities.
One other group that benefits from CFC participation is the workforce itself. Floyd said in the process of giving back to the community, members of the civilian workforce develop camaraderie and create a more inclusive and efficient workplace in the process. This directly aligns with the Invest in Our People line of effort in TYAD’s long-range strategic plan, TOBY2035.
“I think we all spend more time at Tobyhanna than we do at home. We’re invested in the mission and vision of Tobyhanna’s future. We may as well make it a place where everyone feels they belong, is a positive place to be, and is inclusive of everyone,” said Floyd. “Feeling like you have a sense of community and people at your workplace that you can reach out to as a support system is also important for mental and emotional health. All of these are different facets in this overall picture of having a positive work environment.”
In keeping with the message of inclusivity, she encouraged members to get involved with the CFC in whatever manner suits them and their interests.
“(CFC) is a good way to feel good about yourself – you become a part of something bigger than yourself. If you want to give money – that's awesome, if you want to give volunteer hours – that's awesome, if you want to help plan CFC events – that's awesome, you’re on the team.”
Federal employees, retirees, and contractors can all donate to CFC. Members of the federal community can visit www.givecfc.org to check out all the different organizations and ways they can support them.
Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna’s Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the joint C5ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners.
Tobyhanna’s unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum logistics support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, post production software support, technology insertion, modification, foreign military sales and global field support to our joint warfighters.
About 3,300 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the command’s mission is to deliver integrated C5ISR weapon systems, business systems, and medical sustainment to enable full spectrum combat operations at the point of need.
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