YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Servicemembers and federal employees serving overseas now have the opportunity to contribute money to various charitable organizations as the Combined Federal Campaign-Overseas starts this year’s campaign.

According to the CFC Web site:

¶ The campaign began Monday and will run for six weeks.

¶ Contributions can be made to almost 1,900 participating charities, from A Better World Fund to the Zigen Fund. To participate in the Combined Federal Campaign, a charity first must be recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a charitable organization, then must apply to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which has oversight duties for the overseas giving campaign.

¶ Unit representatives are to hand out pledge cards for donors to select charities to which they’d like to contribute.

¶ Those who wish to see their CFC-O contributions go to their installation community can donate to the Family Support and Youth Programs. In 2005, more than $544,000 was returned this way to U.S. military communities overseas. All donations collected by the CFC in 2005 totaled $268.5 million.

¶ Donors may contribute to their local installations’ family support programs by recording the code letters “FSYP” on their pledge cards. No administrative costs are deducted from FSYP contributions; 100 percent is given to the installations.

Yokota boosts efforts for CFC-O campaign

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Yokota officials appear to have taken to heart the saying, “To get more, give more.”

Toward boosting participation in this year’s Combined Federal Campaign-Overseas, those in charge of soliciting pledges at Yokota have planned a giveaway drawing in which anyone who fills out a pledge card is entered, regardless of whether he or she makes a donation.

Prizes include a $1,000 savings bond, two airline tickets and a new Harley-Davidson Sportster. Winners will be chosen in a March 2007 random drawing.

According to an article in the Fuji Flyer, Capt. Cary Brunger, the 2006 CFC-O community area project officer for Yokota, said this year’s campaign goals are to receive $383,000 in donations, a 2 percent increase from 2005, and participation by at least 60 percent of Yokota servicemembers and federal employees.

Brunger said donations to the Yokota-based 374th Air Wing through its Family Support and Youth Programs will go toward the specific programs or base agencies in support of quality-of-life initiatives.

— Stars and Stripes

Migrated