CFC donations benefit our 4-legged friends, too

  • Published
  • By CFC courtesy story
  • CFCNCA
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  (Editor's note: The Combined Federal Campaign kicked off at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Oct. 9. To donate, contact Master Sgt. Andrea Andreasen at (253) 982-6574, or Master Sgt. Todd Wivell, at (253) 982-5645, or visit http://cfcgive.org/)

Wagging tails and cold noses may not be the first things to come to mind when thinking of the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area (CFCNCA), but animal welfare is a leading charitable choice. As a director at a CFCNCA-funded charity in the Northern Virginia, Lisa Kirschner knows this firsthand.

With funds generated from the CFCNCA, Lisa's organization is able to take in approximately 4,000 animals each year. Without these funds generated from the CFC, care could not be provided. Lisa estimates that over $100,000 a year is raised by local federal employees. This gift allows her organization to not only care for the animals they take in, but also provides community assistance for pet owners. Programs have been established to help the community with low-cost spaying and neutering, emergency veterinary assistance, and if any medical or behavioral issues occur with a pet, small or no-interest loans are available to help pet owners care for their animals.

"Most recently we helped a woman with an emergency vet bill. She had just lost her job. Her dog had jumped off the bed and was limping. She wasn't sure if it was a sprain or if the dog had broken its leg, but it was going to be about a $500 vet bill to find out," says Lisa. "We helped pay that bill and it turned out it was just a sprained leg. A few days of rest and pain meds, and he was right as rain! She brought him in a couple of weeks later just to show off how great he was doing. Without those CFC funds she would have been forced to surrender that dog to us, but instead we were able to keep that dog with her and her family!"

Lisa's CFC-funded charity also helps with pet adoptions, sets up rabies-vaccination clinics, provides pet-care education and animal control services, and has a fund to provide veterinary care for surrendered or stray animals in order to make them more adoptable.

"Growing up, I always had pets. I just love animals and think they bring a happy, magical presence to anyone's home. That's why I got involved in my organization--and that's why I believe donations from Federal employees are so important. They help us do what we do and provide animals with happy, healthy homes."