Edwards units raise CFC funds, awareness through tours

  • Published
  • By Jet Fabara
  • 412th Test Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Every year the Air Force raises awareness and encourages participation in the Combined Federal Campaign, a program that that allows federal employees to give back to local and national charities.

This year, two base organizations, along with the local CFC committee, decided to initiate a new way of giving back by hosting fundraising tours of historic and significant Edwards sites through the use of e-auctions, which are open to any base employee and their family.

"I came up with the idea with the driver being, in addition to raising money for charity, highlighting the different missions of the base to all the employees and families that help support what we do on a daily basis," said Maj. Maryann Karlen, 418th Flight Test Squadron Tanker flight commander and CFC installation representative. "The decision was ultimately made by the [412th Operations Support Squadron] commander and the [412th Electronic Warfare Group] commander, both of whom were eager to showcase their facilities and the professionalism of their people."

Since the CFC kick off Oct. 27, Karlen noted that the 412th OSS included a tour to the top of the Edwards air traffic control tower with the opportunity to overlook aircraft parking ramps, base runways and the base's expansive lakebeds.

"We wanted folks to learn how our air traffic controllers keep aircraft safe in the air and on the ground, while contributing to the CFC," said Master Sgt. Mary Cicle, 412th OSS flight chief and CFC squadron representative. "Tower tours began and finished at Base Operations and ran for approximately 45 minutes which were led by an Edwards AFB air traffic controller."

A total of $630 was raised for the tower auction, which has since closed, but more is expected as a result of the Benefield Anechoic Facility tour that is still ongoing and being hosted by the 412th EWG since the CFC's final date is Dec. 12, according to Karlen.

"This is the very first time anything like this has been done at the 412th EWG involving a tour of the BAF and we look forward to its success," said Linda Vincent, 412th EWG CFC representative. "The idea was pitched to me by Maj. Karlen. As the EW Group point of contact, I thought it was a great idea but the final approval, on behalf of the organization, rested with our commander, Col. Kevin Muckerheide, and he thought it was a great idea. We are currently running the second round of the e-auction for the BAF tour with round three to follow."

Although bidding is still open, Vincent said that the final date to bid for the BAF tour is Dec. 8.

As for the funds that are collected as part of this CFC fundraising initiative, Karlen said the money raised from these events would be donated as "undesignated funds" and help charities listed within the CFC.

"Funds raised via e-auctions are put into the undesignated funds, which are then pooled with all other undesignated funds in the SoCal region and then distributed among the different CFC charities by the percentage of money that was received via designated funds," added Vincent.

Karlen also noted that other base-wide fundraisers included those hosted by Panda Express and Dominos, which will donate a percentage of their sales to the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), supporting local and national charities.

"Execution of the Tower and BAF fundraisers are being led by Master Sgt. Cicle and Ms. Vincent, respectively; both of whom have done an outstanding job. As you can imagine these events are too large for any one person to put on, so they have worked with many people in their organizations to make it happen," said Karlen. "Every unit is also hosting a smaller unit fundraiser. Since the Edwards CFC campaign will end next week, we encourage those wanting to donate to do so before then."

For base employees who would like to bid in the BAF e-auction, email 412ewg.ewb.workflow@us.af.mil with the following information: name, number of slots, bid amount per slot. The starting amount is $15 per slot and bids are accepted in increments of $5. An employee can bid on more than one slot since there are 15 slots. At the end of each round, the highest bids will be announced and bidding will begin again, starting at the announced amounts. If there are tying bids the individual who submitted first will win. At the end of the last round, winners will be notified and the total amount raised for charity will be announced.

The CFC is one of only two fundraising campaigns officially sanctioned by the Air Force every year.

To make a donation, or for more information, talk to your unit CFC representative. You can also donate through your MyPay account by clicking on the Combined Federal Campaign link. 

Visit  http://www.cfctoday.org/_root/ also to donate and find out about the different charities available.