2006 Combined Federal Campaign Heroes

Mr. Brown is a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel, who served 28 years on active duty. He joined the civilian workforce in 2003 and stepped mid-campaign in the 2006 CFC as the NORAD-USNORTHCOM CFC project officer, charged with the planning, implementing, and overseeing all aspects of the campaign on behalf of more than 1300 employees. His campaign leadership resulted in the collection of $16,000 above the previous year's pledges, an increased participation rate, an increased Average Gift, and an increased Per Capita Gift. He also had the highest number of unit award winners in NORAD-USNORTHCOM history.

Mr. Brown oversaw Peterson Air Force Base (PAFB) base-wide Unit Project Officer Training and Keyworker Training where he helped organize 1500+ boxes of CFC materials for region-wide delivery and coordinated transportation for 300 base personnel to attend the Air Force wide campaign kick-off at the AF Academy.

Mr. Brown volunteered more than 1,000 hours of his personal time to causes working with the Air Force community, and annually sponsors USAFA cadets, providing surrogate family support. He was also recently recognized as the NORAD-USNORTHCOM Civilian of the Quarter.

As campaign manager for the US Postal Service, Ms. Cash-Carter took on a goal that was $20,000 above the 2005 goal, even though her agency had 366 less employees. She not only met the lofty target but exceeded it by raising over $650,000. An inspirational speaker, Sheila's talents were put to use to motivate employees at various agencies and she served as a keynote speaker at the NCA mid-campaign rally, inspiring loaned executives and campaign managers with her infectious enthusiasm and commitment to the CFC. She dubbed the annual "catalog of caring" the "catalog of life, "passionately encouraging others to use the catalog as a year-round daily resource. She also initiated a campaign manager alumni program at the USPS, creating a repository of CFC campaign synopsis, strategies and successes. Information was compiled into a historical document that will enable the USPS to build on their past success.

As a youth minister at her church, Sheila serves as a mentor for many children in the neighborhood, with her home always being open for youth to stop by, share concerns, and be mentored. Additionally, she is the founder of a female support group which hosts monthly meetings to help women from all walks of life remain focused and positive as they discuss job situations, financial concerns and child rearing strategies. The program has been so successful that it now has chapters in Baltimore and Florida.

We now recognize David Cowgill from the Three Rivers CFC in Pittsburgh. He spearheaded the most successful campaign in the history of the Pittsburgh Healthcare System. Although it was his first year serving as the Campaign Director for his agency, he oversaw a 145% increase in pledges, 332% increase in participation, and 109% increase in the number of Eagle Club givers.

Without any formal guidance, Mr. Cowgill developed a comprehensive strategic plan that detailed 25 steps for CFC success with constant communication serving as the foundation. He introduced branding incorporating the VA and CFC logos as well as the "Be the Miracle" theme on everything from cafeteria tentcards to emails. He also encouraged competition between the sections and coordinators, and provided incentives that included weekly random prize drawings and gift certificates to the VA Canteen Retail Store.

In his personal time, Mr. Cowgill volunteers as an instructor of pre-marital classes and has served as a volunteer youth football coach, youth wrestling coach, youth baseball coach, and youth basketball coach. Congratulations.

Throughout the years, Cheryl Foster-Anderson has proved herself to be a true professional who is totally dedicated to improving the quality of life of members of the community and the multitude of worthy charities her campaign represents. The most recent example of her unwavering support occurred during the 2006 CFC when the Army installation exceeded its $250K goal by more than $65,000. She was tireless in her effort to touch base with every coordinator making it her priority to meet with each coordinator and their activity representatives and personally assist them if they needed further information, supplies or motivation. Many times she did this after hours, during lunch or on a Saturday morning.

Mrs. Foster-Anderson assisted in coordinating the 2006 kickoff luncheon, which had over 400 people in attendance and tables decorated by the different organizations represented in the campaign. Each table told a story about the charity it represented and served as an awareness campaign. The kickoff luncheon was an absolute success that assisted the campaign tremendously in setting the pace and achieving excellent results.

Mrs. Foster-Anderson has been an employee of Morale, Welfare and Recreation since May, 1987. She is a staunch supporter of both Fort Sill and the Lawton community, having served over the years as a parent volunteer for the schools where her children attend and as a volunteer for hundreds of fundraising initiatives on Fort Sill. In addition, she volunteers as the pianist for her church and served as the lead coordinator for installation-wide Easter Egg Hunts, Fashion Shows, and Carnivals held on Fort Sill for families of deployed Soldiers.

SMSGT Henderson's contributions go well beyond the outstanding results of the 2006 CFC. What makes her a hero is how she embodies the Air Force Core values of Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence in All We Do. She volunteered to take over for a deploying Installation Project Office and postponed plans to retire in order to ensure successful completion of the campaign. This included providing additional training before and after normal duty hours to facilitate cadet and other non-traditional work schedules. She also integrated the enlisted professional organizations into a CFC base fundraiser, the first time many of these professional organizations had participated. Throughout the solicitation she updated installation CFC signs, tallied funds, and checked over 3,400 contribution slips for accuracy. She provided Powerpoint briefings to senior leadership and made recommendations to the Superintendent. Her leadership resulted in Air Force Academy's highest contributions ever: over $550,000 for the 8,012 people assigned to the US Air Force Academy.

Her personal volunteer activities include escorting handicapped players for Joan Mann Sports Day, donating blood platelets and marrow, volunteering for a children's ministry, and assisting Guam village clean up after massive typhoon.

Estelle Jammes has been an active participant as a volunteer with CFC for over 20 years. She felt since she had personally used the services of several of the charities supported by CFC, she could give back more to the campaign by becoming a loaned executive five years ago. She promised herself that she would contact each individual on a one-to-one basis and has lived up to that promise. Her time with the CFC has included five years as a Loaned Executive, five years on the review eligibility committee, and a Star Award recipient for Inspiration. She is credited with increasing pledges to reach 131% of her goal, increasing participation by 75% and increasing the average gift by 33%.

Ms. Jammes is a participating member with the local chapters of the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and the Special Olympics. She is also an enthusiastic participant in the Order of the Eastern Star Fraternity's local charity fundraising events.

With no funds available, Debra Laratonda paid her own way to a 3-day seminar in Buffalo on Charitable Giving to hone her fundraising skills. Her training paid off with an 800% growth in the Postal Service's participation and a 225% increase in funding. She researched the past five years of USPS performance throughout the state and worked up programs at every station, every plant, all of the carriers and succeeded in getting a competitive spirit going that was to be rewarded by barbecues at supervisor's expense. Ms. Laratonda visited every station and held standup briefings and training sessions at each one resulting in a record number of payroll deduction contributions. She let each station plant know where they stood every single week of the campaign generating friendly competition throughout the Southern Nevada USPS system.

Ms. Laratonda's volunteer activities include the Special Olympics, local law enforcement-sponsored torch runs and other events where she has managed fund-raising and has been instrumental in programs which help make the community aware of the needy in Southern Nevada.

As Unit Coordinator for the 25th Infantry Division while deployed to Iraq, Captain Remley successfully distributed campaign materials to 40 units at 27 forward operating bases throughout Iraq via existing mail distribution channels or by coordinating special forms of transportation with her volunteers at those locations. She corresponded on a regular basis with her volunteers throughout the campaign and required weekly electronic updates of their progress. Her outstanding efforts and tireless dedication in ensuring each and every soldier of the 25th Infantry Division was afforded the opportunity to donate to the charity or charities of his or her choice through the CFC resulted in a 47 percent participation rate and $651,000 in pledges.

CPT Remley exemplifies true volunteer spirit. In addition to her CFC activities, she served as a Voting Assistance Officer during a previous deployment to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan and the Multi-National Division North. Her selfless service and dedication to excellence in all she undertakes is evident not only in her success with the CFC, but also with her achievements as a solider in the U.S. Army, which include two Commendation Medals and three Achievement Medals.

Lajeanna Shoffner served as the coordinator for the Fresno Internal Revenue Service Campus and set a new record for donations at $448,000. Her energetic spirit, commitment, and fun personality played a big part in having a successful program. She recognized the need to advertise the campaign to as wide an audience as possible so she scheduled herself to speak at several local leadership conferences to gain the support of as many managers and employees as possible. She was constantly running at top speed to brief the campaign directors, meeting weekly with her canvasser-coordinator network, write articles, and solicit stories from employees on how they or their families benefited from CFC. She planned and carried out several unique fundraisers from Halloween Grams to book sales to gift basket auctions. The gift baskets alone raised more than $38,000.

Ms. Shoffner is involved in her local community, serving as a site captain for Voluntary Income Tax Assistance where she assisted low income taxpayers in the preparation of their income tax returns. She has assisted countless taxpayers who would otherwise not receive professional assistance due to financial hardships. She is also involved in a partnership between the IRS and a local High School in Fresno where low income students who need guidance and support are mentored and encouraged in the development of their education and future career aspirations.

Taking on the CFC Chair position as a collateral duty, Anthony Stevens met the challenge head-on. He was responsible for implementing a CFC cookout, basketball shootout, "Bid a Lunch" where employees bid on lunch dates with supervisors, Team Spirit Day, and the creation of VA cookbooks, to name a few. Although the agency goal was $29,000, he raised more than $41,000 through his efforts. In addition, he helped to double the participation rate to 51%.

Because of his success and enthusiasm, the director has now requested that he take over CFC permanently. He has a great passion and desire for charitable fundraising and wants all employees to be educated about CFC and how important it is to give.

In his personal time, Mr. Stevens is a volunteer head coach for youth soccer in the Reynoldsburg Recreation league, where he is passionate about being a positive role model to our youth by providing leadership and teaching teamwork.

While on his mail route, Mike Thomas met a vivacious young girl who he learned had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and was homebound as she underwent treatment. With a bright pink bandanna on her head, and a huge smile on her face, she captured his heart as she described her recent trip to Disneyland provided by a CFC charity that was a dream come true. With her mother's permission to share her story, he invited them to speak at the Postal Service keyworker training, offering her a pizza party to meet his colleagues. They decided to dedicate the postal campaign to her and Mr. Thomas went into immediate action, preparing a short video featuring her and the many ways CFC charities help. The Postal Service responded by increasing pledges by 12% and raising a record $122,000. The average gift increased by 17%.

Mr. Thomas is a community activist dedicating himself to food drives, helping families in need and is involved with his church. He works with individuals doing what he can to improve their circumstances, often providing monetary gifts and useful items as needed.

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