MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz., -- The station kicked off the start of the Fall 2006 Yuma Area Combined Federal Campaign with a breakfast banquet on Oct. 3 at the Sonoran Pueblo here.
More than 70 individuals from station attended the breakfast to learn about the program and find out the goals for 2006.
The breakfast started with Col. Ben D. Hancock, station commanding officer and this year’s campaign chairman, talking about the program and why it was important to donate.
“Deep down, I believe everyone has something to offer to charities, whether it be through donating time or donating money. Charities bind communities, and a high level of involvement with the charity is the hallmark of a healthy society,” said Hancock, in a message for the 2006 campaign booklet.
The event also featured guest speaker Patrick F. Chorpenning, director of the Arizona Department of Veterans’s Services. Chorpenning also focused on the importance of the CFC and how donations could benefit fellow service members. He also talked about his service to the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and how he was aided by the same types of charities that are apart of the CFC.
The CFC provides service members with a great opportunity to give something to their favorite causes and give a little more back to the community, said 1st Lt. Troy Anderson, CFC committee chairman. But service members don’t have to donate just money. If there are service members who feel they can’t give they can always donate their time by volunteering for a local charity.
The purpose of this campaign is to get 100 percent awareness and give people an opportunity to help, said Anderson.
Service members can choose to donate as much or as little as they feel is necessary and can even donate to more than one charity if they want, said Anderson. But they need to make sure they aren’t spreading themselves too thin.
Marines should pick out a charity that interests them and makes them feel like they would be making a difference, said Staff Sgt. Daniel Melton, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron CFC representative.
They also need to make sure they are doing sufficient research on the charity of their choice, said Anderson. There are thousands of organizations to choose from and a general donation to the CFC will result in fractions of a cent going to each one. Plus, there are some organizations that service members may not want to donate to.
The program’s biggest challenge is getting everyone involved and letting everyone know what is going on, said 1st Lt. Leonard Rautio, last year’s committee chairman. But the station was able to reach and surpass its goal for last year of contributing $50,000.
This year the goal is to contribute $55,000 and get the word out to all the Marines on station, said Anderson.
This is going to be accomplished by establishing a CFC representative within each squadron on station who will then get the information and packets out to each section’s supervisor.
By utilizing the chain-of-command, each Marine will be able to donate.
“People may not realize the little that you give, someone’s benefiting from that,” said Anderson.
“It’s always a good idea to help those in need,” said Rautio. “Because there’s going to be a time in every one’s life when they could use a little help.”
The CFC was created in 1961 to give federal employees a chance to give to a charity of their choice once a year. Donations can be given on a one-time basis or paid throughout the year using a payroll deduction.
“… I believe together, through your generosity, we can each be miracles in ways we may never know,” said Hancock