DAHLGREN, Va. – During the 2020 Halloween season, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) created a new fun virtual event to bring awareness to the program. This unique idea encouraged others to be creative while raising money for charity.
This year, the CFC hosted a virtual costume contest. “We needed a way to get people involved virtually. One way was to do something that is fun and bring a face to a name. Halloween costumes are always fun, sometimes really funny and creative; so, it’s just a fun way to share what CFC is about,” Navy Fire Controlman 1st Class (SW) Jessica Coburn said of the event.
To participate in the event, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) team members submitted photos of their costumes or homes adorned for Halloween via email to Coburn. Winners were selected from four categories: individual costume, couple costume, family costume, or haunted house. Winners of each category shared their favorite charity category.
This event did not benefit one specific charity. “This contributes to CFC because when an event is held it sheds light on the cause. It is a fun event so more people are likely going to share their photos and get the word out,” said Coburn.
Coburn created this event to raise awareness for the various charities CFC helps, and to highlight what CFC stands for. Coburn expressed the importance of both this CFC function and future CFC events. “COVID hit a lot of charities hard, and they need donations more than ever to help keep their organizations up and running for the greater good of the communities. Some are about to shut down; the donations, volunteer hours really make a difference to those struggling to even stay open. I hope people either match last year’s contributions, or, if able, donate a little more; or add volunteer hours. They are really in need.”
Coburn took time to thank the others who played a role in making this event possible. “I would say thank you to the NSWCDD chief of staff, Terri Gray … for running this whole CFC campaign, and to retired United States Navy HMC (SW/AW) John Motichka for always answering any question I had about CFC- this is my first time participating on the management side. I always donate, but this is new for me.”
Coburn emphasized the importance of both volunteer and monetary donations. “It is important to emphasize the opportunity to donate volunteer service, which is then converted over to a dollar amount which counts toward our overall NAVSEA goal of $1 million.” Coburn continued, “It’s important to note that it’s not either donate monetarily or donate community service. If there is an inclination to donate monetarily but the donor also has bandwidth to contribute volunteer service, they can in fact do both.”
Whether you were able to participate in this function or not, keep an eye out for the upcoming CFC events. A few to look out for: the best DIY home projects, a scavenger hunt, virtual learning on how to donate to CFC monthly, a fitness challenge, your pet twin and so many more.
In the meantime, figure out which charity you would like to help, and then participate in as many of the CFC functions as you can. Do not forget, spread the word and get as many involved as you can.
In closing, Coburn would like to remind everyone, “Just to keep an eye out for emails!”
For more information, and to learn additional ways to make a CFC pledge, please visit givecfc.org today and show some love.