‘Every Dollar Counts’
Tabak, NIMHD Launch Annual CFC Effort at NIH
The NIH community works hard every day to advance medical research, said Dr. Lawrence Tabak, who is performing the duties of NIH director, during the 2022 NIH Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) virtual kickoff event on Oct. 12.
“Your generosity and support of the CFC is another way you can help make the world a better place,” he said.
The CFC is the annual workplace fundraising drive among federal employees that serves more than 5,000 charities, said National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) executive officer Kimberly Allen. NIMHD is the lead institute for this year’s campaign. She thanked deputy and assistant coordinators and keyworkers for their efforts. “You are the heart and soul of our campaign.”
NIMHD director Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable said he is excited to be co-chairing the 2022 campaign alongside Tabak because of NIH’s strong CFC tradition. Over the past 17 years, employees raised nearly $35 million.
“This is a remarkable accomplishment,” said Pérez-Stable. “It reflects the spirit of NIH—a caring and collaborative community.”
Last year, under the leadership of Fogarty International Center, employees raised more than $2 million, even though the target was $1 million. Pérez-Stable is confident NIH will once again exceed its goal.
“The pandemic is still affecting all of us in many different ways in every corner of the world, with the most vulnerable both at home and abroad, suffering the greatest,” he said. “This is our chance to help those in need by making a donation to the CFC campaign. Every dollar counts.”
A couple of CFC charities had representatives join the kickoff to talk about the campaign’s impact on their organizations.
CFC donations have helped the Foundation for the Advancement of Music and Education (FAME) get through the past few difficult years, said Toni Lewis, FAME founder and executive officer. The foundation was established in 2004 to give young musicians the best opportunity to succeed in life by providing them with music training and academic support.
“Our students don’t just enhance their skills, they transform the way they think about themselves and the possibilities for their futures,” she said. “They do that with the power of music.”
Last year, 1,262 students participated in three FAME programs: the FAME Jazz Band, the school-based Music is Central program and the summer music programs. This school year, Lewis hopes more than 2,000 students will participate in FAME programs.
“All contributions help us continue to develop the talent and support the dreams and economic futures of our young students,” she said.
With support from the CFC, Partners in Health (PIH) will be able to grow its efforts to “ensure that every person, regardless of where they live, has access to high quality, lifesaving health care,” said Cate Oswald, PIH chief policy and partnership officer.
The organization works in 12 countries across Africa, Latin America and Central Asia. Because of its experience responding to infectious disease outbreaks around the world, PIH also began operating in the U.S. to help control the spread of Covid-19 in 2020.
“Since then, our work has expanded to focus on strengthening community health systems as a fundamental component of realizing health as a human right,” said Oswald.
Across the country, community health workers have worked with state health departments, community-based organizations and health centers to serve more than 2.5 million people, she said. “We know this is just the start.”
CFC officially started on Sept. 1. It will end on Jan. 14, 2023. The theme of the campaign is “You Can Be the Face of Change.”
At the end of the kickoff, Allen said, “Your participation today and throughout the campaign will help make a crucial difference in many, many lives.”
NIH’ers can view a videocast of the event at https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=46118. For more information about the campaign, visit https://cfc.nih.gov/.