DOINews: Interior's 2011 Combined Federal Campaign for the National Capital Area

To: Washington, DC Area Employees


From: Deanna Archuleta

Senior Advisor to the Secretary and

Vice Chair, Department of the Interior National Capital Area Combined Federal Campaign

Subject: Interior's 2011 Combined Federal Campaign for the National Capital Area


Please join me as we kick off the Department of the Interior's 2011 Annual Combined Federal Campaign for the National Capital Area (CFCNCA). Again this year, the Department has a goal to raise $600,000 for the many charities participating in the CFCNCA. Last year, the Department raised $637,786, which was over $14,000 more than the previous year.

We have several events planned to help us reach our goal.

· October 4 – CFC Auction at 10 a.m. in the Bison Bistro. A professional auctioneer will lead the bidding for items donated by Interior employees. Examples of items to be auctioned include a hike and lunch in the Shenandoah National Park with National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis, a Kindle donated by Assistant Secretary Anne Castle, skeet shooting with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe, a Hoover Dam Tour from Reclamation, an opportunity to swim with manatees from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and fly fishing with Counselor to the Secretary for America's Great Outdoors Will Shafroth, with many more great items! A list of auction items will be posted on the OneInterior website prior to the auction.

· October 5 – Kickoff Event at 10 a.m. in the Yates Auditorium. The event will feature the presentation of 2010 CFCNCA awards, speakers from CFC charities, and a preview this year's “Interior's Got Talent!” show to be held in December. The new “Interior's Got Brains!” game show will also be previewed and will feature a competition between Interior Chiefs of Staff teams. “Interior's Got Brains!” will feature competition between bureau/office teams of five employees and will be held on Wednesdays at noon in the Bison Bistro starting in late October and running through November. Bonus points will be awarded for progress towards reaching CFC goals. The championship game will be in mid-December. Following the kickoff program, a charity fair will be held in the Bison Bistro.

· October 7 – Tailgate Lunch at 12 noon at the South Interior Building. Come hungry to the first of a series of fall tailgate lunches. The October 7 lunch will be sponsored by Indian Affairs with a menu that features pulled pork or chicken as well homemade goodies for dessert. Corn dogs, soft pretzels, potato chips, and bottled water will also be available for purchase. Tailgate lunches are catered by the Bison Bistro and will be held on Fridays in October at noon at the South Interior Building lawn (weather permitting) or auditorium.

· Secretary's Basketball Challenge. The Secretary is hosting another basketball challenge. For this year's challenge, the bureau/office that raises the most money above their 2010 level and the bureau/office that beats their 2010 level by the highest percentage will compete for an opportunity to play the Secretary's team.

Again this year, we are encouraging employees to “go green” and donate using one of the on-line options that include secure payroll deductions using Employee Express, or secure one-time contributions by going to http://www.cfcnca.org/for_donors and using a debit/credit card or electronic bank transfer. Not only does this reduce the amount of paper required, it also saves time for you and your keyworker. Employees can still contribute through paper-based payroll deductions or one-time cash or check contributions.

The theme for the 2011 CFCNCA is “Compassion of Individuals, Power of Community.” The CFCNCA includes the nearly 350,000 Federal employees in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Last year's campaign raised more than $67 million dollars for over 4,000 local, national, and international charities. This year's goal is to raise $67.2 million.

More information regarding Interior's upcoming events and progress in support of this effort can be found by visiting our intranet, oneINTERIOR at http://oneinterior.doi.net and clicking the CFC logo. The 2011 campaign will run through December 31, 2011. I encourage you to show your compassion by donating through the CFCNCA. Together we can make a difference in the lives of others who are in need.