Headlines

• 2009 CFC Theme:  "Make a Choice, Make a Difference"
• Congratulations to the 2008 CFC Award Recipients
• Please Join Us for the 2008 CFC Celebration Events
• Coordinators Wrap Up Campaigns
• "Work For Me, Boss" A Success at TSA
• Food Bank Benefits From Green-Wyatt Generosity
• BPA Auction a Huge Success!
• Federal Grain Inspection Coordinator Continues Service to CFC
• Campaign Rolling Along at FHA in Vancouver
• Tribes Try Not to Get Voted Off the Island in DHS-CPB "Survivor" Game
• BLM, Army Corps of Engineers, and Forest Service Partner for Campaign Success
• Silent Auction Showdown at Columbia River Gorge NSA
• Local Volunteer Receives National Award
• Pie-in-the-face at BLM Eugene
• CFC and Hurricane Relief
• Campaign Kicks Off September 29th!
• EEX Partnering with CFC for Online Pledging
• Campaign Coordinator Training Dates Posted
• Recruiting Begins for 2008 CFC Specialists
• 2008 Campaign Chair and Leadership Team Named
• New Name for Expanded Campaign
• Campaign Welcomes Lane County and Central Oregon Charities and Federal Employees!

2008 News Archive

2007 News Archive

2009 CFC Theme:  "Make a Choice, Make a Difference"

The CFC Leadership Team is pleased to announce the 2009 CFC Theme:  "Make a Choice, Make a Difference."  The theme was selected from entries in the CFC Theme Challenge, in which federal employees in our region submitted their ideas for a campaign theme.  Congratulations to Arturo Borja of the Transportation Security Administration in Eugene, who came up with the winning slogan.  As we prepare for the 2009 campaign, please "make a choice" to "make a difference" by volunteering with the CFC as a Specialist, Coordinator, or Keyworker, or by contributing to your office's campaign.  Thank you to Arturo and to all the other coordinators and employees who submitted their ideas!

Congratulations to the 2008 CFC Award Recipients

The Pacific Northwest CFC congratulates the agency coordinators, keyworkers, and leaders who received our campaign's highest honors, the Chair's and Innovation Awards.  The Chair's Award recognizes campaigns that achieve positive campaign results through running a campaign that incorporates executive-level endorsement, organization and training of volunteers, employee briefings and 100% consideration, publicity, education, fun, and a thank-you program.  
Right:  Guests at the Portland area event.

The Innovation Award recognizes campaigns that use innovative fundraising techniques or come up with unique approaches to campaign challenges.  This year, recipients were recognized for innovative practices such as running a "green" campaign, unique fundraising strategies (a "Survivor" game), partnerships with other federal agencies, and using a holiday, such as veterans day, to raise awareness and educate employees about a specific group that CFC charities help.  For both the Chair's and Innovation Awards, agencies are nominated by their CFC Specialist and selected by the Leadership Team.  
Right:  Brigadier General Bruce W. Prunk of the Oregon Air National Guard addresses the audience as our Portland keynote speaker.

 The awards were presented at three Celebration events:  a Portland breakfast and luncheons in Bend and Eugene.  We were honored to have three wonderful keynote speakers thank our guests and speak to the importance of charitable giving.  Brigadier General Bruce W. Prunk of the Oregon Air National Guard spoke in Portland, emphasizing his own experiences at home and abroad to help others, provide hope, and make a difference.  Carol Maartense, campaign co-chair and  District Manager of Social Security Administration in Eugene, addressed Central Oregon coordinators in Bend, speaking of how proud she is of the generosity of the federal community.  Doris Towery, COO and Developement Director of United Way of Lane County, in her keynote speach in Eugene spoke about the specific work being done to improve lives in Lane County and the importance of working together to make a difference.  Right:  The Oregon Color Guard opens the ceremony by posting the colors at the Portland area event.

We would also like to recognize our Merit and Leadership Award recipients.  Merit agencies are those which ran active campaigns and contributed to our campaign success.  Leadership agencies are recognized for campaign improvement, either through increased dollars raised, increased number of donors, or increased participation.  Congratulations to our Merit and Leadership agencies (click link to access list).
 
Special thanks to our Celebration sponsors, Kaiser Permenente and USAgencies Credit Union, who financially support these Celebration events and allow us to thank our volunteers without raising our overhead rate.  

Follow these links for photos:    Portland            Bend            Eugene

CHAIR'S AWARD

142^nd Fighter Wing, Oregon Air National Guard

Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District

Bonneville Power Administration

Internal Revenue Service, Eugene

Internal Revenue Service, Portland

Portland VA Medical Center

Social Security Administration, Beaverton

Umatilla Chemical Depot

Transportation Security Administration, Eugene

Transportation Security Administration, Portland

United States Postal Service

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State Office

U.S. Forest Service, Columbia River Gorge NSA


INNOVATION AWARD

Environmental Protection Agency, Oregon Operations

Housing and Urban Development

Social Security Administration, Eugene

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. Forest Service, Willamette National Forest, Detroit Ranger District

USDA Offices:

• USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Oregon Field Office
• USDA Office of General Counsel
• USDA-AMS-FV, NW Marketing Field Office
• USDA-AMS, Livestock & Grain Market News

Please Join Us for the 2008 CFC Celebration Events

Campaign Coordinators, Agency Leaders, and Keyworkers are cordially invited to attend one of the annual CFC Celebration Events.  This year we will be hosting a breakfast event in Portland, and lunches in Eugene and Bend.  At these ceremonies we celebrate the close of the campaign, hear about the impact of our CFC region's contributions, and meet other CFC volunteers.  This event is also a chance for the CFC leadership to say a big "thank you!" to coordinators, keyworkers, and agency leaders for their work on the campaign.  

The events will conclude with awards presentations for our Chair's and Campaign Innovation Award winners.  Please check back to see who our featured speaker will be, and for additional details.

Thanks to Kaiser Permanente, which generously gives us a sponsorship to offset the cost of these events.

RSVP to Leslie Morrison at (503) 226-9557 or lesliem@unitedway-pdx.org.

Portland
Crowne Plaza Hotel
January 13th, 2009; 8:30am-10:00am
14811 Kruse Oaks Drive
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
Please join us for a hosted breakfast
Free parking is available in the hotel lot.

Bend
January 15th, 2009; 11:30am to 1:00pm
Forest Service, Deschutes National Forest
1001 SW Emkay
Bend, OR 97702
Please join us for a hosted picnic-style lunch

Eugene
January 22nd, 11:30am to 1:00pm
 Martin Luther King, Jr. Education Center
2727 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Eugene, OR 97401
Please join us for a hosted buffet lunch

Coordinators Wrap Up Campaigns

As the campaign draws to a close, we've visited coordinators again to pick up the CFC report envelopes and see how all the agency campaigns wrapped up.  In just a week or so we should have our final total!  

Thanks again to all the coordinators and keyworkers who worked hard this fall and winter to make our campaign a success.  Shown here are just two of our many campaign coordinators, submitting their final totals.  We are always happy to see those report envelopes coming in the door!

Right:  Desu Allinger, coordinator for Office of the Solicitor.
Right:  Randy Gould, coordinator for BLM Salem.

"Work For Me, Boss" a Success at TSA

 
Transportation Security Administration CFC Coordinator Donna McCary had a goal for her campaign:  to increase participation and awareness of the CFC at her agency.  To accomplish her goal, Donna organized a series of fundraisers at various TSA locations to raise money for CFC charities and build enthusiasm for the campaign.  She organized bake sales at two separate offices, sold hot dogs and chips, held a contest where employees could guess how many items were in a jar, coordinated a pot luck, and sold grab bags during her campaign. 

One of the most popular and creative campaign ideas was the "Work For Me, Boss" fundraiser, where TSA employees could bid to have managers do their jobs for a period of time.

Overall, this office increased its participation by more than 30%, and increased dollars raised by more than 60%!  Thanks to Donna McCary and her keyworkers for their efforts this year.

Left:  Eddie Kinateder and Vern Dasch during "Work for Me, Boss."
Right: Donna McCary and Irene Jacobson at the CFC bake sale.   

Food Bank Benefits From Green-Wyatt Generosity

Thanks to employees at the Edith Green/Wendell Wyatt Federal Building, local families will have more emergency food available to them this holiday season.  Monique Scarnato at the National Agriculture Statistics Service headed a food drive in October and November that collected more than 500 pounds of food for the local food bank.  

Food banks locally and across the nation are reporting skyrocketing demand for emergency food, as more and more families face food insecurity or shortage during these tough economic times.  Many visitors to food pantries are there for the first time.

Thank you to the employees at the Green-Wyatt building, and thanks to Monique and her team for heading this effort.

BPA Auction a Huge Success!

Coordinators, keyworkers, and employees pulled out all the stops for this year's CFC Silent Auction.  There were around 40 items to choose from, including a Hawaiian-style outrigger canoe; a guided Deschutes river fly fishing trip; a “High Tea on the Low Seas” outing that includes a cruise on the Willamette River on a 42-foot yacht; and breakfast or dinner for six followed by a boat cruise on Fairview Lake.  Or you could please your palette with wine-tasting events, a gourmet drink gift basket, homemade pecan sticky buns, zucchini bread, award-winning chocolate chip cookies and Belgian waffles with Quebec maple syrup.  Other items available include a one-hour therapeutic message, a gift certificate from McMenamins’ Ruby Spa, a treat for your feet and a hand-forged sterling silver necklace. There was also Olympic memorabilia and wool and knitting materials.

The Silent Auction was just one of the many fundraisers the BPA CFC team planned, including a teddy bear drive, charity fair, ugly tie contest, chili cook-off, bake sale, letters to Santa, and costume contest.  The costume contest was so popular it filled the lobby!

Thanks to everyone who donated items, bid, or organized this auction to make it a success!  Special thanks goes to co-coordinators Natasha Givens and Justin Mills for heading up the effort this year for BPA.

Right:  Auction items on display at BPA.

Federal Grain Inspection Coordinator Continues Service to CFC

A familiar face in the CFC is Campaign Coordinator Jim Gardner at the Federal Grain Inspection Service.  Jim has been volunteering with the CFC as a coordinator for about ten years, according to LFCC Chair Ron Johnson, and his efforts over the years have helped to raise tens of thousands of dollars for charity through his office.  Last year Jim had an especially successful campaign, increasing his office's total by 33%!

Each year we depend on CFC coordinators like Jim to help us raise funds for the many worthy charities in the CFC.  Thank you, Jim, for your longtime support of the CFC, and thanks to all the coordinators and keyworkers who contribute to the success of our campaign.

Left:  Jim Gardner in the Federal Grain Inspection Service Office.

Campaign Rolling Along at FHA in Vancouver

Employees at the Federal Highway Administration, Western Federal Lands Highway Division, kicked off their campaign with a creative twist on the typical charity fair.  While employees did have a chance to visit with representatives from local charities and pick up material about the charities' mission, they also had a chance to see something out-of-the ordinary.  

During the all employee meeting the Division Engineer, Clara Conner, was joined onstage by John Snyder, who made his entrance on a Segway.  Coordinator Bonny Sandy said that the Segway "got a lot of laughs," and they are hoping it will generate fundraising dollars as employees pay to take a turn on the Segway.

Left:  John Snyder and District Engineer Clara Conner.
Right:  FHA employee and charity representative Roxanne Bash brought her search-and-rescue dog.

Tribes Try Not to Get Voted Off the Island in DHS-CPB "Survivor" Game

Fans of "Survivor" will appreciate the strategy of this year's campaign at DHS Customs and Border Protection office.  Employees in the office are grouped into tribes and compete against each other each week to avoid being "voted off" in the Survivor Challenge.  Each tribe first chooses a name and decorates their CFC contribution jar around the "Survivior" theme, as you can see in the accompanying photos.  Then for one week employees try to raise as much as possible in their coin jar.

Employees can, of course, contribute their own change, but the tribes have also become very creative at organizing their own fundraisers, to try to get other employees to contribute to their coin jar.  For example, one tribe is selling raffle tickets good for a homemade pie in the winner's flavor of choice.  Another tribe is working on a silent auction with items like an auto detail and Trailblazer tickets.  Carnival games and coffee delivery are also options...for a donation!  The tribes all have plans in the works to try to get their co-workers to contribute to their jar.

Each week the three tribes with the lowest total contributions will be eliminated, and the remaining teams will keep trying to raise more money to stay in the game.  Lead coordinators Terri Murdock, Cynthia Pelfrey, and Naomi Charboneau have gone all out for the Tribal Council (where the teams are eliminated), with Survivor music and fake torches to extinguish for the unlucky teams.  

Thanks to Terri, Cynthia, and Naomi, their key volunteers, and the employees at DHS-CBP!

Above left:  Tribe Obi Tafari's table and CFC coin jar, ready to receive contributions for the CFC to avoid getting voted off!
Above right:  Tribe Maleko's table and CFC coin jar.

BLM, Army Corps of Engineers, and Forest Service Partner for Campaign Success

The Bureau of Land Management State Office, Army Corps of Engineers Portland District, and Forest Service Regional Office share one office building, and their coordinators have a history of partnering for campaign success.  This year is no exception!  Robert Duncan Plaza has seen an exciting October, filled with fun activities to raise money for the CFC.  

The campaign kicked off October 3rd with Opening Ceremonies featuring a yogurt parfair breakfast bar, a charity fair, skits, an overview of events, and a moving video from one of the charities in attendance.  Liz Agpaoa, Deputy Regional Director of the Forest Service, Col. Steven Miles, Commander of the Army Corps of Engineers Portland District, and Jim Kenna, Associate State Director of the BLM also spoke of the importance of charitable giving through the CFC.  Left:  Col Steven Miles interviews a charity representative at the Opening Ceremonies.

A week later employees had a chance to participate in the Walk Around the Esplanade fundraiser.  Employees could take a break and get some exercise and fresh air while they raised funds for the CFC.  From the photos, it looks as though teams even formed for some friendly competition.  Right:  Sunny weather and team spirit at the Walk Around the Esplanade.

The activity only stoked the appetites of employees for the Chili Cook-Off later in the campaign.  Employees brought their family chili recipes and served them to colleagues, who then voted on the best chili.  Below left:  Three chili chefs and their entries.

Last on the agenda for these agencies was a silent auction, which was the most successful fundraiser of all.  Employees could choose from a variety of baskets donated by departments within the three agencies and make bids on the baskets they liked.

Thanks to the hard-working team of coordinators and keyworkers from these three agencies, led by Gail Lovell and Vandi Leheny from the Army Corps of Engineers, Leah Dailey and Cathy Harris from the BLM, and Alison Nelson and Jose Linares from the Forest Service. 

 

Silent Auction Showdown at Columbia River Gorge NSA

Employees at the Forest Service Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area are used to fun and exciting activities during the CFC, and 2008 is no different.  An employee meeting with a charity speaker and giveaways was followed by an agency-wide chili feed to kick off the campaign, but the real fun was just beginning.  

As you can see in the photo at right, the competition was fierce for items at the Silent Auction.  In the final minutes before the 3pm deadline, employees tried to make sure that their bid was the winning one.  The competition was all in good fun, and ended up being a great fundraiser.

Thanks to coordinators Pattiann Monzie and Melissa Hayes for all their work on the campaign, and thanks to the Columbia River Gorge NSA employees for their support of the CFC! 

Local Volunteer Receives National Award

Leadership Team member Crissy Gartska of the Federal Bureau of Investigation was honored with a National Combined Federal Campaign Hero nomination award for her work on the 2007 CFC.  The award was presented by Kevin Mahoney, Associate Director of the Office of Personnel Management, at the October 7th Oregon Federal Executive Board Policy Committee Meeting.

Ms. Gartska was nominated for this award by the Pacific Northwest Combined Federal Campaign for her production of the 2007 campaign video, "Change for a Better Future."  With this theme in mind, Ms. Gartska produced a creative, fresh, and informative animated video expressing the mission of the CFC.  

At the CFC Regional Workshop in April, our campaign had the opportunity to show this video to other campaign managers from across the nation, and the feedback was overwhelming.  The video was so popular that it was distributed nationally and is being used in many 2008 campaigns.  The efforts of Ms. Gartska, and the generosity of her federal agency, have saved our campaign and other campaigns valuable time and resources.  

The Pacific Northwest CFC was also honored with a nomination for the Innovation Award for efforts to increase efficiency through creative means.  2007 Leadership Team members Ron Johnson, Jeff Sargent, Stacia Nunn, Crissy Gartska, and Leslie Morrison received the nomination award from Mr. Mahoney.

Picture:  Leslie Morrison, Stacia Nunn, Crissy Gartska, Kevin Mahoney, Ron Johnson, and Jeff Sargent accept the Innovation Award nomination on October 7th.

Pie-in-the-face at BLM Eugene

The Bureau of Land Management in Eugene has a long history of running creative campaigns.  This year they hosted weekly lunchtime events.  The first week's pizza lunch was a success, but last week this office raised the bar with a taco lunch accompanied by a special fundraiser.

Four brave Eugene District Managers volunteered to let employees take aim with whipped-cream pies for $2 a pie.  The fundraiser brought in $70, which adds up to a lot of pies!  As you can see in the picture at right, the employees had good aim.

Next up for this office is a soup-and-salad lunch, and on October 21st the BLM will partner with the Willamette National Forest for a joint fundraiser, including charity speaker.

Special thanks to Doug Huntington and his team of coordinators for their work on this year's campaign!

Picture:  Four Eugene District Managers recover after the Pie-in-the-face fundraiser.

CFC and Hurricane Relief

In response to the damages caused by Hurricane Gustav to the Gulf Coast area, which is still in the midst of recovering from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Office of CFC Operations (OCFCO) has released a list of charities identified by Federal Emergency Management Agency as involved in Hurricane Gustav relief efforts.  You can find the list here.  

Thank you for supporting Combined Federal Campaign charities, including those charities helping with relief efforts for this tragedy.  Imagine what we can do together!

Campaign Kicks off September 29th!

Our official campaign kick-off date is September 29th!  Campaign coordinators are hard at work in your agency planning how they will raise awareness for CFC charities this fall.  Please keep an eye out at your agency for CFC activities!  Coordinators, if you need to reach your CFC Specialist you can find them here.

EEX Partnering with CFC for Online Pledging

New to the 2008 CFC, employees at a select group of federal agencies has the opportunity to try online pledging when they make their CFC donations.  If your federal agency already uses Employee Express to manage payroll information, there's a good chance that you will be able to donate online in 2008.  

The process will be easy--log on to Employee Express, select the CFC link, select your charities of choice (the list is exactly the same as in the print charity list), select your donation amount, and your pledge will be automatically processed by your payroll office and submitted to the PCFO for designation processing.

The agencies that will have the opportunity to use online pledging are:

Department of Education
Department of Interior
Department of Transportation
Department of Treasury
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Federal Trade Commission
General Services Administration
International Trade Commission
National Labor Relations Board
Railroad Retirement Board
Small Business Administration

All employees will still have the option to give using a regular paper pledge form and charity list.  However, online pledging offers many benefits, including:

• Confidentiality and Security: EEX has secure links directly to your payroll providers. No SSN information is passed to a campaign or mailed to another office for input.

• Accuracy: All pledges are received electronically by the payroll office and no math calculations to correct or printing to decipher.

• Searchability: Query the charity database to search for and select charities from your local campaign area and the National-International list.

• Flexibility: Donors can pledge to up to 30 charities, and change their pledge through the end of the official campaign season -- December 15.

• Recordkeeping: Employees may print a copy of the pledge form for their records.

• Speed:   Information is processed immediately, in real-time, to the CFC reports site and to the payroll providers daily..  Local campaigns retrieve reports and distribute them as needed to agencies in their campaigns.

• Availability: CFC-EEX E-Pledge is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week beginning on campaign kick-off  to December 15th  via the Internet:https://www.employeeexpress.gov

• Assistance: Is available through the EEX help desk from 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or phone:  478-757-3030. Passwords for Employee Express can be requested On-Line or through the Employee Express Help Desk. 

To inquire whether your agency is able to process pledges through EEX, contact Leslie Morrison.  

Campaign Coordinator Training Dates Posted

Thank you to all who have already volunteered as a 2008 CFC Coordinator at their agency.  If being a Campaign Coordinator is something you are interested in, please speak to your agency director and ask to be nominated.  

This year training will take place in a variety of locations to accomodate coordinators throughout our region.  At these sessions coordinators will:

• See new campaign marketing materials.
• Pick up supplies
• Meet their CFC Specialist
• Learn how to make their campaign a success!

Training Sessions:

Region	Date	Time	Location	Address	Parking	Directions	Notes
Portland Metro (downtown)	September 8th	1pm – 4pm	Green/Wyatt Federal Building	1220 SW 3rd Ave., Suite G-70., Portland, OR  97205	Smart Park 1st and Jefferson, carpooling or MAX recommended.	Map	Room G-70 is one floor below entrance level.
Portland Metro (NE)	September 9th	9am – 12pm	USPS Glenn Widing Facility	11855 NE Glenn Widing Dr., Portland, OR  97220	Free at facility.	Map	Easily accessed by I-205 from SW Washington.
Mid-Willamette	September 16th	9am – 12pm	BLM	1717 Fabry Rd SE, Salem, OR  97306	Free at facility.	Map	NA
Lane County	September 16th	9am – 12pm	BLM	2890 Chad Dr., Eugene, OR  97408	Free at facility.	Map	NA
Central Oregon	September 17th	11am-2pm	Forest Service	1001 SW Emkay, Bend, OR  97702	Free at facility.	Map	NA
Northeastern Oregon	September 18th	9am – 12pm	Forest Service	2517 SW Hailey Ave, Pendleton, OR  97801	Free at facility.	Map	NA

Recruiting Begins for 2008 CFC Specialists

Our campaign is currently looking for motivated individuals with strong management skills to serve as CFC Specialists for the 2008 campaign.  A Specialists' responsibilities are to support and assist campaign efforts at their assigned accounts.  The Specialist position is an excellent opportunity to develop leadership and management potential through challenging and rewarding work.  In the Pacific Northwest CFC Specialists have been essential to campaign success and their efforts benefit the campaign coordinators and keyworkers they assist, the charities their work supports, and the spirit of the federal community.  Please see the Specialist Position Description for more information, and contact Ron Johnson at 503.326.2060 with any questions.

2008 Campaign Chair and Leadership Team Named

The Leadership Team is made up of volunteer representatives from a variety of federal agencies who make decisions about campaign marketing, outreach, management, recruiting, and new initiatives.  In short, these committed federal employees ensure that our CFC is run in an efficient and effective manner.  The team members and their agencies are listed below:

Bill McNamee, Chair        DHS, US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Carol Maartense, Chair    Social Security Administration
Karen Angus                  Bureau of Prisons, Sheridan Federal Correctional Institution
Gail Dreckman                Bonneville Power Administration
Crissy Gartska                Federal Bureau of Investigation1000 SW 3rd Ave, Rm 440
Portland, OR 97201
Ron Johnson                   Oregon Federal Executive Board
Stacia Nunn                    Bureau of Land Management
Connee Pierson               Internal Revenue Service
Jeff Sargent                    Oregon Federal Executive Board
Lynn Yut                         US Postal Service

New Name for Expanded Campaign

Due to two recent mergers which have expanded our service area the Local Federal Coordinating Committee has approved a name change to our campaign.  The campaign will be called the Pacific Northwest CFC, to reflect our service of coastal regions, the Columbia Gorge, Southwest Washington, the Willamette Valley, Northeast Oregon, Metropolitan Portland, Central Oregon, and parts of Southeast Oregon.  Please visit the Territory Map to see our new campaign service area.

Campaign Welcomes Lane County and Central Oregon Charities and Federal Employees!

The Pacific Northwest CFC is pleased to welcome Lane County and Central Oregon CFCs into our campaign.  Both mergers have been approved by the Office of Personnel Management.  We are excited to serve the Lane County community and the Central Oregon region, which already have strong ties between local charities and federal agencies through the CFC.  If you are a Lane County or Central Oregon federal employee, please visit the Contact Us page to get information about how to contact the PCFO or LFCC.  If you are a Lane County or Central Oregon charity, please visit the Charity Info page for information about how to apply.