US Federal Employees Donate to Charities Through CFC

By Mariama Diallo

Whether it is donating to help homeless children or improve senior care or treatments for autism, American federal workers can give money every year to their favorite charities through the Combined Federal Campaign.

Vicki Brimmer, CFC manager at the Broadcasting Board of Governors, said the CFC was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 “as a means to enable charities — local, national and international — to come into the federal workplace and … talk to federal employees about what they do.”

Adeyemi Jimason, a telecommunication specialist, said he has been contributing through the program since he started working at the BBG in 2009.

“As long as I can receive, then I can give, no matter the amount,” he said. “And, if they give you the opportunity to give 1 percent or 2 percent, so 1 percent of even my small amount is still a great deal for those people who have nothing.”

Employees can donate to their charities of their choice — as little as one dollar per pay check, and the process is easy, Brimmer said.

“We like to encourage everyone to go payroll deduction because usually it is painless,” she said. “And charities love it because it provides them with a funding stream throughout the year.”

Claudia Lewis works for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington D.C., which provides parents with a place to stay while their children are hospitalized. The group also uses mobile clinics to give basic health care to those who cannot afford it.

“A lot of people say I can not write a big check but … $7 per pay period can provide up to five inoculations through our care mobile,” Lewis said.

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