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Military Life News, Commissary Rewards and Military Discounts

10 Reasons To Donate to Feds Feed Families

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The 2016 Feds Feed Families campaign is in full swing and there is still time for you to help make a difference.

What started in 2009 as part of President Barack Obama’s United We Serve campaign to gather nonperishable goods for hungry families has grown into an amazing program collecting almost 52.7 million pounds of food, cleaning and hygiene items. All of these donations are made by federal employees throughout the country.

The USDA leads the way in Feds Feed Families again this year. They have pulled together every federal agency to gather as much nonperishable food and other items that they can. Amazingly, last year the total amount collected came to more than 17.9 million pounds. The Department of Defense played a good role in this by collecting more than 3.2 million pounds of food and hygiene items for the Feds Feed Families program. Almost half of that came from commissary employees and patrons, with donations totaling 1.6 million pounds.

You can make a difference with Feds Feed Families by making a donation of nonperishable food, personal hygiene items and cleaning supplies.

If you need motivation, here are 10 reasons why you should donate items to the Feds Feed Families program.

You wouldn’t allow a child to go hungry. Food banks see a shortage in summer months as less donations come in and demands increase. During the school year, many children are able to get meals at a reduced rate or even free if their family meets certain government requirements.

In the summer months when school is out, families must look elsewhere to feed their children. This is when local food banks get hit the hardest. That is why the Feds Feed Families campaign runs from June through the end of August each year.

A staggering 1 in 6 Americans suffer with food insecurity, meaning they often go hungry or worry about having enough to eat. That’s an astounding 50 million Americans that don’t know where their next meal is coming from or if they’ll have enough to eat.

Since 1985, the commissary has been making donations to local food banks. As part of Feds Feed Families, they are able to make a bigger contribution and so can you.

Military families are also hungry. Military families and service members unfortunately are not immune to this suffering. Not all military families can make ends meet and put sufficient food on the table for their families. Statistics are hard to come by and that’s why new studies are being done, to accurately document how many military families are using food assistance programs.

The reality is, you likely have some food in your pantry that you can donate. You know there is at least one item in there you are never going to eat, that can of asparagus in the back of the pantry you’ve been ignoring for example. You know you aren’t going to eat it, but there is someone out there that would love to have it. You can help ease their burden by making a donation of this and any nonperishable items you have at home. You can download a list of items the Feds Feed Families campaign is looking for.

The Feds Feed Families program is hassle-free. Even if you don’t feel like going through your pantry, you can make a donation. Most commissaries have pre-filled bags with items Feds Feed Families is looking for.

All you have to do is pick one up on your next grocery run and pay for it. Simply drop the bag in the Feds Feed Families donation bin on your way out.

It’s completely hassle-free.

This is a great teaching moment for your children. Many kids these days have a huge disconnect in where their food comes from. Those that have enough to eat don’t necessarily think twice about the cost of food. This is a great life lesson you can share with your family: be grateful for what you have, be kind to others and be an example for the next generation.

If nothing else moves you, you can write your donation off your federal taxes.

If you’re looking for a more hands-on approach, you can join a gleaning event. This year in particular, Feds Feed Families is pushing families to gather extra fresh food by clearing fields of unused produce. This is known as gleaning. Your children can use this as a service project.

Have you always wanted to be a part of something bigger than yourself? This is your opportunity. Every office of the federal government is asked to participate in Feds Feed Families.

Because you can. If you aren’t worrying about where your next meal is coming from, make a difference for someone who is worrying – donate to Feds Feed Families today.

For more information about the Feds Feed Families campaign, visit the USDA’s Feds Feed Families page.

10 Q’s to Ask Before Making a CFC Donation

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The first time my husband brought home the Combined Federal Campaign’s booklet listing hundreds of nonprofit organizations, I didn’t know where to begin. We knew we wanted to donate some money to a cause that we believed in, but which organization was the right cause for us? Was it only one organization or did we want to divide our donation between several different charities?

10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Making a Donation Through the CFC

The 2015 CFC solicitation period lasts until December 15. Make your 2015 CFC donation today.

Here are 10 questions to ask yourself and your military spouse before making a donation to a charity through the CFC.

What are your passions?

When I was the CFC key worker for my office in Okinawa, I always told each person that I couldn’t advise them on which organizations to give money too. Instead I would ask them:

  • What are your passions?
  • When you watch the news, which stories grab your attention?

Your answers will lead you to charities working on those social causes.

What tugs at your heart strings?

There are 2 organizations that my husband and I always give money to: Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Autism Speaks. The reasons are simple. My grandmother died from breast cancer when she was 62 years old. My 13-year-old nephew was diagnosed with autism when he was 3 years old. Both of these diseases, breast cancer and autism, have personally touched our lives. We pray that a cure is found for both diseases. In addition we donate money for research working to find these cures.

Who do I want to help?

When you think about populations that are in need of assistance, which are the groups that you want to support? For example, you may be sympathetic toward homeless veterans. Then you would want to search the term “homeless” in the CFC’s 2015 Universal Giving Charity Listing. You can easily browse a list of potential charities you will want to donate money to through the CFC.

Which nonprofit organizations have you personally utilized?

I listen to National Public Radio. Every. Single. Day. It’s a service I utilize and therefore, I feel obligated to donate to this organization.

Which charities have been you used in the past? Did you love the Budget for Baby class offer by the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society? Do you always hang out at the USO lounge during layovers at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport? Send a little love to these charities that helped you in the past so that they can help you again in the future.

When was the last time you Googled this organization?

All the charities participating in the CFC have been screened by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and must be registered 501(c)(3) charities. They are also reviewed annually “for evidence that they are providing services on a local, state, national or international level and meeting the standards of public and financial accountability.”

But this federal paperwork doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been a recent scandal involving your favorite charity. Take 2 minutes and Google each potential charity before finalizing your donation.

How is this charity managing their donations?

One of the things I love about Charity Navigator is that you can examine the financial health of CFC-participating charities. Charity Navigator says that “the majority of charities listed on our site-seven out of ten nonprofits-spend at least 75% of their expenses directly on their programs. That means the organization should spend no more than 25% of their total expenses on administrative overhead and fundraising costs combined.”

For me, that’s critical. I want to know that the majority of the money I donate is going to help people, not support a six-figure salary for the charity’s CEO or a national advertising campaign.

Do you want to donate locally or globally or somewhere in-between?

If you’re stationed overseas, you may want to consider donating to your installation’s Family Support & Youth Programs (FSYP) funds through the CFC. These undesignated contributions go directly toward programs that aim to improve the experience of service members and their families living overseas. FSYP funds free sport programs for military children and language classes for spouses. Donating to the FSYP is a great way to give locally and give back to military families. You can only give to the FSYP if you’re stationed overseas.

For the rest of us, think about if you want to donate to international organization like UNICEF or a local organization like the Fort Hood Fisher House. Not sure? Go back and review your passions.

One quick note: this year is the second year that the CFC is conducting what it calls Universal Giving. This means that you can donate to any local charity listed in the CFC charity list. In the past CFC donors were restricted to local charities at their duty stations. Universal Giving allows service members to donate to a local charity in their hometowns when they are stationed across the country.

If you’re considering a local charity, is this an organization you would rather donate your time than your money?

Nearly every charity is looking for volunteers and perhaps that’s a better route for you if you’re living paycheck to paycheck. You can still research these charities through the CFC to ensure that you are volunteering with a legitimate organization.

Which charity did you donate to last year?

I know several service members who asked themselves these first 8 questions and researched their CFC charities the first time they donated a percentage of their paycheck. The next year, they didn’t reinvent in the wheel. They simply renewed their donations through the CFC to the same charities the next year. They know that long-term support to their favorite charities is a great feel-good investment.

How much do you want to donate?

The CFC offers a convenient way to make a donation to your favorite charity through direct withdrawal from your paycheck. You can do a small amount per period ($5) knowing that your donation will add up to a significant impact. You can also do a one-time donation. The choice is yours.

The 2015 CFC solicitation period lasts until December 15. Make your 2015 CFC donation today.

How did you decide which charity to donate to through the CFC?

Commissary Food Bank Donations Top 4 Million

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Yes, you read that correctly; commissary food bank donations have reached 4 million pounds. This is an amazing, and almost unfathomable number, but did you even know that the commissary made donations to food banks?

The program actually started back in 1985, but the hassle of registering with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services kept many food banks from registering. Eventually, the program fizzled out.

It wasn’t until the government shut down of 2013 that the program came back to life.

With doors closed, food was simply wasting away on the shelves. DoD quickly gave the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) approval to donate those goods before they could lose too much shelf life. Unsellable, but edible items were quickly donated to local food banks.

Once those food banks saw how much they could benefit from commissary donations and with a little push, many started filling out the paperwork to register for ongoing designations. That year alone, the commissary was able to donate just over 636,000 pounds of goods to 72 food banks. That sounds amazing.

What’s more so, is that the program has grown so much that 1.8 million pounds of unsellable goods have been donated already this year, combined from 172 stores. 107 food banks have been able to accept donations this year.

At this rate, the commissary expects donations to easily top 2 million pounds by the end of the year.

This giant number is great, but at the same time it sounds like there is an enormous amount of excess being created by the commissary. There are 241 stores, so this actually makes up less than 1% of commissary goods. Now that doesn’t sound quite as wasteful.

The items that the commissary donates are all unsellable yet edible goods. That means that the package might have been damaged or that it somehow otherwise does not meet the visual requirement by the commissary to be sold on their shelves.

Luckily, something good came from the 2013 government shut down and people all over the country are now benefiting from the revival of this program. The press release from the Defense Commissary Agency comes at a great time. September has been designated as Hunger Action Month, when food banks across America urge people to stand up and fight hunger in their town. While it’s amazing that agencies such as the commissary are able to make huge impacts in the communities, you can make a difference too.

Food banks are always looking for donations. 1 in 6 Americans suffer with food insecurity, meaning they often go hungry or worry about having enough to eat. If 1 in 6 doesn’t catch your eye, that’s roughly 50 million Americans wondering if they’ll be able to put dinner on the table.

You can make a difference this month, and always, by donating the food in your pantry that isn’t going to get eaten. We all have a jar of this and a can of that that we question why we ever bought it in the first place. No one in the house is going to eat it, but there is someone out there that would be grateful to have it.

Make some time to clean out your kitchen of unwanted, unused items and take them down to your local food pantry. If you don’t have any food to give, you can still help by volunteering your time.

Hopefully the commissary, and this article, have helped to open your eyes to the growing need for donations in food pantries across the country and you will take action to help alleviate hunger in your town.

Want to know about the commissary food bank donations? Click here.

21 Military and Veterans Charities to Consider Before Making a Donation

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In my opinion, the military community tends to be self-sufficient. When one of us has a baby, our on-base neighbors deliver meals for a week to ease this transition. When our marriage is struggling, we are advised to meet with the command chaplain for counseling. When it comes to donating money to nonprofit organizations, we tend to select military and veterans charities that we know will give back to our military community.

21 Military and Veterans Charities to Consider Before Making a Donation

There are more than 400,000 military and veterans charities in the United States.

As we’ve discussed before deciding which military and veterans charities to give back to isn’t an easy decision. There are more than 400,000 military and veterans charities in the United States. That number –400,000– can be daunting and overwhelming.

Here are 21 military and veterans charities that you should consider donating to during this year’s Combined Federal Campaign. These military and veterans charities are a starting point for charities that give back effectively and efficiently to the military community. These nonprofit organizations have received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and the information about each one comes from Charity Navigator.

21 Military and Veterans Charities to Consider Before Making a Donation

What are your favorite military and veterans charities?

21 4-Star Military and Veterans Charities You Should Consider

  1. DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Charitable Service Trust: This trust targets physically and psychologically injured veterans. Programs supported by the trust typically include: providing food, shelter and other necessary items to homeless or at-risk veterans; accessibility or mobility items for veterans with vision or hearing impairments; therapeutic activities; physical and psychological activities for rehabilitation; and other forms of direct service for veterans and their families.
  2. Homes for Our Troops: This military charity assists severely injured servicemen and women and their immediate families by raising donations of money, building materials and professional labor and then coordinating the process of building a new home or adapting an existing home for handicapped accessibility. The finished home is then given to the veteran at no cost to him or her.
  3. Wounded Warriors Family Support: Wounded Warriors Family Support provides support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured or killed during combat operations. Its retreats are provided free of charge to eligible family members.
  4. Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund: The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund provides immediate financial assistance and lifetime support to post-9/11 wounded, critically ill and injured service members of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, and their families. This military charity helps defray the expenses incurred during hospitalization, rehabilitation and recovery; assists with the expenses associated with the purchase of specialized equipment, adaptive vehicles and home modifications; and educates the public about the special needs of our injured service members and their families.
  5. Special Operations Warrior Foundation: The Special Operations Warrior Foundation provides support and assistance to the military’s special operations community. Its mission includes providing a full college education to the surviving children of those who lose their lives while serving in the U.S. military special operations community and providing immediate financial assistance and support to ensure that severely wounded personnel are able to have their loved ones at their bedside during recovery.
  6. Association of Graduates of the United States Air Force Academy: The AOG’s three-part mission is: to work in partnership with the academy to produce and foster graduates with an enduring commitment to integrity, excellence, and service to country; to provide leadership, communication, and support to all the academy’s graduates, and promote camaraderie among them; and to promote the academy’s heritage, common tradition, and the accomplishments of its graduates.
  7. West Point Association of Graduates: The West Point Association of Graduates is the alumni association of the United States Military Academy.
  8. Freedom Service Dogs of America: Freedom Service Dogs is a nonprofit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by rescuing dogs and custom training them for individual client needs. Clients include children, veterans and active duty soldiers.
  9. Hope For The Warriors: This national organization provides comprehensive support programs for service members, veterans and military families that are focused on transition, health and wellness, peer engagement and connections to community resources.
  10. Puppies Behind Bars: Puppies Behind Bars trains prison inmates to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and explosive-detection canines for law enforcement. Service dogs are placed free of charge with wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The dogs learn special commands to help mitigate the effects of PTSD and traumatic brain injury.
  11. Operation Homefront: Operation Homefront provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors. Payments are made in the form of grants, not loans, for some of the most basic kinds of needs, such as food, rent and utilities.
  12. Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society: This military and veteran charity provides financial, educational and other assistance to active duty and retired members of the Navy and Marine Corps, their eligible family members and survivors.
  13. Air Warrior Courage Foundation: The Air Warrior Courage Foundation focuses on active duty, National Guard, Reserve and retired military personnel and their families needing financial assistance for medical, educational, and other extraordinary expenses not covered by other military, veterans or charitable institutions.
  14. Operation Support Our Troops- America: This organization’s mission is to support the morale and well-being of American forces by providing comfort, resources and education to them and their families both while they are deployed in harm’s way and after their return. This military charity sends care packages, along with personal letters, cards and notes of support from the community at large to deployed service members.
  15. Travis Manion Foundation: This military and veteran charity engages with veterans and families of the fallen in all stages of their personal journeys and offers them unique opportunities to empower them to achieve their goals.
  16. Honor Flight Network: Honor Flight Network transports senior and terminally ill veterans to Washington, D.C. so that they can visit and reflect at the memorials.
  17. Fisher House Foundation: Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. There is at least one Fisher House at every major military medical center to assist families in need and to ensure that they are provided with the comforts of home in a supportive environment.
  18. Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors: TAPS has provided comfort and care, 24 hours a day, seven days a week through comprehensive services and programs including peer based emotional support, case work assistance, crisis intervention and grief and trauma resources. Its National Military Survivor Seminars and Good Grief Camps have been conducted for 19 years and are complemented by regional seminars across the country.
  19. Our Military Kids: Our Military Kids provides substantial support in the form of grants to the children of National Guard and Military Reserve personnel who are currently deployed overseas, as well as the children of injured service members in all branches. The grants pay for participation in extracurricular activities and tutoring programs that nurture and sustain children while a parent is deployed or recovering from injury.
  20. Snowball Express: The Snowball Express provides hope and new happy memories to the children of military fallen heroes who have died while on active duty since 9/11. This military and veterans charity brings children together from all over the world for a four-day experience filled with fun activities.
  21. USO Metropolitan Washington: With the help of nearly 5,000 devoted volunteers, USO-Metro provides programs and services for active duty troops and their families at area military hospitals, five USO Centers, four USO airport lounges and a Mobile USO. Its signature programs include Turkeys for Troops and Project USO Elf.

Obviously this list of military and veterans charities is not comprehensive. But it’s a starting point for CFC donors looking to donate to military and veterans charities.

What’s your favorite military and veterans charity? Do you donate your time with this charity? Or prefer to make a financial donation through the CFC?

Search Charity Navigator Before Donating Through the CFC

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My elderly neighbor handed me the solicitation paperwork she received in her mailbox and asked me

Is this a legit veterans organization?

My neighbor wants to donate her money to a veterans organization and she gets many requests through the mail for her donations. But she is worried that this organization might be a scam and frankly, she should be concerned. These scams target senior citizens and the donation paperwork often looks very similar to legit nonprofit organizations.

Did I know if this nonprofit organization was telling the truth? No, but I used the website Charity Navigator to find out.

Search Charity Navigator Before Donating Through the CFC

The Charity Navigator takes the confusion out of the donation selection process. Use it before making a donation through the Combined Federal Campaign.

Charity Navigator is a nonprofit organization that aims to give donors information so that they can make informed giving decisions. It’s an independent charity evaluator and the best way to research thousands of charities easily.

“By guiding intelligent giving, we aim to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace, in which givers and the charities they support work in tandem to overcome our nation’s and the world’s most persistent challenges,” according to Charity Navigator’s mission statement.

Charity Navigator has a comprehensive search tool and rating system. Charity Navigator also has interesting Top Ten Lists (10 Charities Worth Watching and 10 Charities in Deep Financial Trouble) that are worth browsing along with a specific Support Out Troops page.

The Support Out Troops page cautions donors “to look carefully before choosing one of these charities to support as not all operate with equal efficiency.”

“Donors can be confident that contributions made to the higher rated charities will be spent efficiently as these charities have low overhead and fundraising costs enabling them to use more of their resources in carrying out their mission.

“On the other hand, the low rated charities do not operate efficiently. Much of the money donors give to those organizations ends up in the hands of for-profit fundraisers, not the brave women and men of the United States’ military and their families,” said the Charity Navigator’s Support Out Troops page.

Search Charity Navigator Before Donating Through the CFC

That’s the reason why I search Charity Navigator before making a donation through the Combined Federal Campaign.

I want my donation to go to help veterans, not toward a 6-figure salary for a nonprofit’s CEO. I always look very closely at the percentage reported for the organizations’ program expenses (percent of the charity’s total expenses spent on the programs and services it delivers) within the financial performance metrics provided by Charity Navigator.

My goal is to donate to a nonprofit that is 90 percent or higher in that category. That’s my personal benchmark. You can pick your own.

I also use Charity Navigator to take the confusion out of the Combined Federal Campaign. The Combined Federal Campaign, available to federal employees and service members, is the largest workplace giving campaign.

It’s a convenient way to donate money to your favorite charity. The CFC takes place once a year. It’s not required that service members donate money to a nonprofit organization, but the CFC gives everyone the option and opportunity to make a donation.

The CFC has thousands of charities in its system and sometimes I have difficulty deciding which to give my money to. The Charity Navigator takes the confusion out of the donation selection process and allows me to make an informed donation.

Want to research your favorite charities? Visit Charity Navigator today.

What’s the Combined Federal Campaign?

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The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the world’s largest annual workplace charity campaign and it is available to all federal employees, including service members. In 2013, $209.7 million was donated through CFC pledges made between September 1 and December 15 at almost 200 campaigns throughout the country and around the world. The number of participating charities is estimated at more than 20,000 worldwide.

Have you heard of the Combined Federal Campaign? Have you donated to your favorite charities using the CFC in the past?

The CFC is the only authorized giving program for federal employees. Its history dates back to June 1956, when President Dwight Eisenhower formally charged “the President’s Advisor on Personnel Management with responsibility for the development and administration of a uniform policy and program for fundraising within the federal service. In that year, Fund Raising Bulletins No. 1 and No. 2 were issued, identifying the charitable organizations recognized for on-the-job solicitations and designating the times of the year during which their solicitations could take place.”

Prior to the 1950s, federal on-the-job solicitation “was an uncontrolled free-for-all. Agencies, charities, and employees were all ill-used and dissatisfied,” according to the Office of Personal Management.

The first “combined” campaigns happened in 1964. Officially called “Combined Federal Campaigns,” this experiment consolidated fundraising drives from 6 cities into one. The result was a “substantial increase in contributions, ranging from 20 percent to 125 percent and a highly favorable response within the federal community: agency managers were pleased with having to deal only with a once-a-year effort; federal employees responded with favor to the single solicitation.”

In 1971, President Richard Nixon announced that the CFC would be the uniform fundraising method for the federal service.

Today, the Combined Federal Campaign provides a convenient and confidential option for service members who want to donate a percentage of their paychecks or make a one-time donation to their favorite charities.

The Office of Personal Management oversees the CFC. Each base has its own CFC agency coordinators who oversee the key workers. The key workers are federal employees who distribute the CFC charity list and pledge forms within their unit. These key workers may also collect pledge forms and donations from contributors. All pledges are transmitted and reported to the agency coordinator.

I was once the CFC key worker for the MCCS Okinawa Marketing office. My main responsibility was to notify each person working in our office about the CFC. There was zero pressure to donate. The CFC doesn’t have a fundraising goal. Instead the target is that 100 percent of federal employees are notified about the campaign and its purpose.

I also distributed the CFC charity list and answered questions about the CFC. For example, one of the misconceptions of the Combined Federal Campaign is that the charity list is made up of only national nonprofit organizations.

When in fact, the charity list includes national, international and local organizations. This means that the CFC charity list includes a wide range of nonprofit organizations. Think everything from UNICEF to the NRA to Navy Seal Foundation to Guam Girl Scouts.

You can search the charity list easily using the CFC Search Tool found on the CFC website.

What questions do you have about the CFC?

Info About the Combined Federal Campaign

https://www.opm.gov/combined-federal-campaign/

FAQ about the Combined Federal Campaign

https://www.opm.gov/combined-federal-campaign/donating-through-cfc/#url=FAQs

Welcome to the official source for information about the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)

The mission of the CFC is to promote and support philanthropy through a program that is employee focused, cost-efficient, and effective in providing all federal employees the opportunity to improve the quality of life for all.

CFC is the world’s largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign, with almost 200 CFC campaigns throughout the country and overseas raising millions of dollars each year. Pledges made by Federal civilian, postal and military donors during the campaign season (September 1st to December 15th) support eligible non-profit organizations that provide health and human service benefits throughout the world. The Director of OPM has designated responsibility for day-to-day management of the program and to its CFC office.

This website will be of interest to anyone interested in workplace giving.


http://www.cfctoday.org/_root/

OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN FOUNDATION

Welcome to CFCToday.org, the Web site developed to provide resources for local campaigns and to help Federal employees make informed, educated decisions about giving to charity through the Combined Federal Campaign. The CFC is your campaign, run by Federal volunteers across the nation and overseas, it is the largest employee campaign in the world.

We invite you to learn more about the Combined Federal Campaign, connect with the CFC in your own community, and review the charities that need your support.


http://cfcoverseas.org/news/cfc_overseas_announces_2015_dodds_art_competition_winners