MADIGAN ARMY MEDICAL CENTER, Joint Base Lewis-McChord - The holiday season brings out a natural human instinct to share, to wrap those who are cold in the warmth of kindness and bring light to the darkness. At Madigan Army Medical Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the command team is leading the way with a two-man Combined Federal Campaign donation signing session on Nov. 15.

"We have a national need because of COVID and for many other reasons," said Col. Jonathan C. Taylor, Madigan's commander. "For those who are in need, CFC is an incredible way to help."

Campaigns are conducted internally throughout the federal government each year to afford employees an easy way to donate funds to a wide variety of charities.

Though the campaigns are targeted at employees, anyone can give through the CFC and there are a number of ways to donate.

Around Madigan there are posters and booklets, especially at the staffed outreach events that are coordinated this year by Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Belieu, the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Any smartphone can be pointed at one of those posters to make use of its QR Code to connect to the givecfc.org website that makes donation easy.

The website has a donate button right at the top and a charity search tool that can help you find an organization of your liking by charity name, location or category, of which there are 25. Arts, culture and humanities, the environment and medical research are but a few of the categories listed. It is even possible to search by the administrative fundraising rate that is the operating costs of the organization expressed as a percentage of all donations.

With the number of charitable organizations worldwide estimated at over 20,000, the CFC is known as the most inclusive workplace charity campaign in the world. It supports organizations from small community groups to large, international charities.

"There are so many programs and organizations donors can select from; that is what makes the CFC Campaign such a great opportunity for those who want to give," said Taylor.

Charitable fundraising has been occurring within federal workplaces since the late 1940's. When President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 10927 in 1961 authorizing the U.S. Civil Service Commission, guidelines and regulations were developed and the various efforts previous to that time were brought into a "combined" campaign.

Since 1961, donations to the CFC have topped $8.5 billion dollars.

With the QR code-enabled website, a mobile app or the traditional paper form, the CFC makes it easier than ever to give.

Through givecfc.org, a donor can create an account with an email and password, and find dropdowns to select the department as either Active Duty or civilian for the Army, the agency of U.S. Army Medical Command and, finally, find Madigan as the office.

With an established account on this page, it is possible to manage pledges and payments, view transaction history and get tax receipts. Most importantly, fill the basket with preferred charities and make a one-time donation with a credit card or bank account or recurring donation through payroll deduction.

Belieu has outreach activities planned across Madigan's footprint to raise awareness of the campaign.

Taylor noted the long reach of the CFC.

While those who dedicate their time and talents to working at Madigan give every day with their time, energy and compassion, "The CFC extends our reach. Through it, we can give to those we don't necessarily have the ability to come in contact with," said Taylor. Feeling particularly fortunate personally, Taylor expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to give back.

Command Sgt. Maj. Albert Harris suggested the CFC offers a way to honor those who helped enable our prosperity.

"CFC is a great way for the active duty population to give back to both our veterans and our wounded warrior population. It gives you the ability to select whichever charity you want and the way I look at it is it's a good way to give back to are those that came before us," he said.

The 2021 CFC official solicitation period runs through Jan. 15, 2022.