CFC deadlines extended at Tinker

Published Nov. 15, 2013
By Mike W. Ray
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The overall Combined Federal Campaign has been extended for a month, and the "open season" at Tinker AFB has been extended for a week, officials announced recently.

The "open season" at Tinker has been extended from Nov. 15 to Nov. 22, by Col. Christopher Azzano, 72nd Air Base Wing and Tinker installation commander. During that period the CFC will be the only official government fund-raising campaign permitted on base.

The CFC, the only Department of Defense-sanctioned fund-raising campaign, enables employees to donate to charities of their choice. Potential beneficiaries appear in a multi-page guide that includes literally hundreds of charities.
The CFC is open to Tinker military, civilians, and central Oklahoma military-affiliated organizations.

A CFC pancake breakfast earlier this month produced about $1,800 in donations, said Tinker CFC Coordinator Randy Hibbs of the 72nd Comptroller Squadron.

In addition, "a large spike in donations" through the MyPay online program occurred recently, Mike Slack, director of the CFC of Central Oklahoma, reported. Approximately 400 donors have made their pledges through MyPay, he said.

Military members will be asked to enter a CFC code. The Central Oklahoma CFC code is 0712, which enables a donor to select from local, national and international charities. Civilians already are entered into the Oklahoma system. Donors can choose up to 30 charities, but are required to pledge a minimum of $2 per pay period per charity.

Charities can be selected by their codes, which can be found by name or category at www.cfc-centralok.org.

"The challenges of the past year have not deterred many from organizing enthusiastic workplace campaigns," Mr. Slack said. To illustrate, the 564th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron held 30 "rallies," which are meetings where a loaned executive and CFC agencies educate military and civilian employees about the campaign. Constance Harrison and Barbara Wallace organized all of these meetings in September, Mr. Slack recalled.

"The shutdown forced the postponement of Connie's carefully planned meeting schedule, but that did not stop her," he continued. " After the government re-opened, her schedule picked up right back up where it left off."

Ms. Harrison was recognized on Thursday as one of two Key Workers of the Year for the CFC of Central Oklahoma.

"Her performance in her CFC duties went above and beyond this year," Mr. Slack said. "She organized approximately 25 rallies for their campaign, and I think nearly every rally had multiple speakers. Connie's dedication, perseverance and organization during this difficult year were inspiring and could be a model for any large organization to follow."