Dec. 3 - One way Americans "give back" to their community is through charitable contributions. Many federal government employees and members of the United States military participate in the Combined Federal Campaign - an organized effort to raise funds at the workplace.

Last year, federal, civilian and military employees donated over $270 million to thousands of non-profit organizations across the country in this campaign. It has raised over $6 billion for charity since its inception in 1961.

The federal government actually has an office that screens charities for suitability and then posts information online so that we donors can choose where to direct our contributions. This process is very easy for us because the government just deducts from our paychecks the amount we designate each pay period and sends it directly to the charities we have selected.

Before deciding who will receive our contributions, Ann and I always look through the websites of the various charities and read about them. There are so many worthwhile charities that we always have a hard time choosing. We tend to give about one-third of our donations to an international charity that provides nutrition or health services in an impoverished country, another one-third to our local community in Washington, D.C., such as a soup kitchen for homeless people, and one-third for educational scholarships.

Federal employees tend to feel good about the work they do for their country, and charitable giving is another way they can contribute to their communities. Employees at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and our Consulates are no exception.

Until next time,

Jim