CFC offers Airmen chance to make a difference

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Abigail Klein and Airman 1st Class Laura L. Valentine
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  With hundreds of choices for making donations, McConnell Airmen have collectively made a huge impact during the 2011 Combined Federal Campaign.

22nd Air Refueling Wing and 931st Air Refueling Group members donated almost $96,000 to this year's CFC.

The annual campaign concluded Dec. 15, 2011, with final donations submitted by the 931st ARG. Donations by 22nd ARW Airmen concluded Dec. 2.

The three 22nd ARW squadrons to raise the most money were the 22nd Civil Engineer Squadron, the 344th Air Refueling Squadron and 22nd Director of Staff.

In 2010, the 22nd ARW and the 931st ARG raised $87,671.

This year's campaign, themed "Give what you can," differed from previous years in one major way - there was no monetary goal set.

The decision to eliminate a goal for 2011 was made by McConnell leadership. It was not meant to set the bar low for McConnell, but to allow members to donate to charities they really connect to, said Capt. Brian Slocum, 22nd Comptroller Squadron budget officer and the 22nd Air Refueling Wing's CFC point of contact.

"Team McConnell responded beyond my expectations," said Slocum.

The most obvious evidence of not setting a goal was the absence of a CFC sign at the main entrance to McConnell. The sign is traditionally used at Air Force bases to inform members how close the base is to its goal.

"[We] wanted people to give from their hearts and give whatever they could," said Slocum. "As people in the military, we give our time all the time. We donate our talents and our efforts to a lot of services, but a lot of these services need funding so they can make our community's quality of life better, and this is a chance for us to be able to get out and give to them in a streamline platform."

Slocum knows firsthand how CFC donations can aid people. While deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan in 2010, he received news that his grandmother passed away. To return home in time for the funeral, he needed the American Red Cross to provide information to his unit. After Slocum's family contacted the agency and provided the necessary information, Slocum was able to return to his hometown and attend his grandma's funeral within 24 hours.

"It was amazing to see all the effort and precision that made sure I got home in time for the funeral," he said.

The American Red Cross was one of the more than 2,000 non-profit organizations listed in this year's CFC brochure. In past years, McConnell has been South Central Kansas area's largest contributor. Base donors have supplemented one fourth the CFC contributions, said Mark Stump, CFC coordinator for the United Way of the Plains.

CFC is different from other national fundraising campaigns because it's the only government-approved program authorizing the solicitation of funds from federal employees in their workplaces on behalf of charitable organizations. .

Whether participants' goals were to honor military veterans, support medical research, facilitate community improvement projects, protect rainforests or endangered species, the brochure provided something for everyone. .

"[CFC] is about providing people opportunities, whether it's helping a child with a disability or keeping a family in their home," said Stump. "It's simply helping people fill a hardship they haven't experienced before and helping them find the next step."