ATF Promotes the Greater Los Angeles Combined Federal Campaign Kickoff in the City of Hope

LOS ANGELES — The co-chairmen of the Los Angeles Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), Special Agent in Charge John A. Torres of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (ATF) Los Angeles Field Division and Martha Flores, Chief of Staff of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (US CIS), District 23, announce the CFC kickoff for 2011 at the City of Hope, Duarte, Calif. The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) mission was first established in 1961 to promote philanthropy through a program that is employee focused, cost efficient, and cost effective. CFC provides all federal employees the unique opportunity to improve the quality of life within our communities. Federal employees created the CFC to have one campaign, once a year, to allow their contributions through payroll deductions to support thousands of worthy causes. The campaign which kicks off during this morning’s breakfast at the City of Hope will run through December.

“The CFC is a great organization that gives all Federal employees a single point of contact for all their charitable groups, which has raised over $62 million in the past 19 years just in Los Angeles alone,” said Torres. “The CFC is extremely successful because of the support it receives from federal managers, coordinators, and the key workers that give their time and resources to give back to the communities”.

“Today’s kickoff of the CFC and the donations distributed in 2011 will greatly impact our communities for the better”, said Flores. “The CFC would like to thank all the donors, key workers, the members of the CFC, for without them we could not accomplish our mission.”

Benefits to charities

•Over 2,500 charities participating in CFC assist people who really need help – the sick, homeless and disadvantaged youth. CFC charities also help with education expenses, cures for life-threatening diseases, the environment, animals and disasters.

Pledging to charities through CFC is efficient, cost effective and has many advantages:

•Workplace giving through payroll deduction, federal employees can make a larger contribution over time by having small amounts deducted each pay period.

•CFC consolidates many pledges into one check, conserving time, resources and money that would be spent on processing and tracking multiple gifts. Helps keep fundraising cost and effort to a minimum.

•Helps replenish and maintain a charity’s general fund so they can be prepared to and have the resources to immediately respond to emergencies or disasters.

•Provides CFC charities with a steady monthly income for a year so they will have more time to plan and provide their much needed services.

•CFC provides a forum through which many potential donors can be reached at once through the website, charity list or charity fairs.

More information about ATF and its programs is available at www.atf.gov. For more information on the CFC please view http://www.greaterlacfc.org/.