The Foreign Service Journal, November 2008

82 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / NOV EMB E R 2 0 0 8 A F S A N E W S Consider a CFC Pledge to AFSA Do you want people outside the Foreign Service to understand the critical importance of U.S. diplomacy? The Fund for American Diplomacy (Combined Federal Campaign #10646) is the arm of AFSA that reaches out to the general public through programs that demonstrate how the U.S. Foreign Service works for America. Whether it’s through Foreign Service retirees speaking to business leaders around the country, AFSA staff writing letters to newspaper editors dis- pelling inaccurate stories, or college stu- dents reading our best-selling book, Inside a U.S. Embassy , we continually strive to show that diplomacy is our nation’s first line of defense. In addition, if you have an interest in mak- ing Foreign Service children’s college costs more affordable, then consider making a pledge to the AFSA Scholarship Fund via CFC #11759, which provides FS children with need-based scholarships, academic awards and art merit awards. The AFSA Scholarship Fund helped 95 students in the 2008-2009 school year with aid totaling more than $180,000. AFSA scholarship applications are available for the 2009-2010 school year at www.afsa.org/scholar starting Nov. 15, with a submission deadline of Feb. 6, 2009. The State Department will gladly send CFC pledge packets to retirees who request them by phone: (202) 261-8166, or e-mail: cfc@state.gov . Retirees can donate to the CFC via a one-time contribution by check or money order, but not through an annuity deduction. This information will also be posted on RNet. In addition, individuals can log on to www.cfcnca.org to make a CFC gift. If you have questions, contact Shelly Kornegay in the Office of Employee Relations through the phone and e-mail list- ed above. AFSA NEWS BRIEFS Students: Apply Now for AFSA Scholarships Beginning Nov. 15, tax-dependent children of Foreign Service employees can apply for one-time-only AFSA Academic and Art Merit Awards and renewable, AFSA Financial Aid Scholarships for the 2009-2010 school year. Merit Awards are $1,800 each and are only open to high school seniors. Financial Aid Scholarships range from $1,000 to $4,000, depending on the level of need, and can be used for stateside or overseas undergraduate college study. In addition, applicants must attend school as full-time students and maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average to qualify. The applications submission deadline is Feb. 6, 2009, for the 2009-2010 year. Visit AFSA’s scholarship Web page at www.afsa.org/scholar for complete details or contact Lori Dec at dec@afsa.org or 1 (800) 704-2372, ext. 504. (Grandchildren of Foreign Service employees are not eligible to apply.) A FSA’s June donation to the Fallen Diplomats Campaign, a scholarship fund administered by the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund to assist chil- dren who have lost a diplomatic parent to ter- rorism, resulted in close to a $100,000 boost to the campaign. Publicity about AFSA’s $37,500 kickoff dona- tion (see September AFSA News ) prompted private individuals to contribute almost $11,000 more. Since all donations are matched dollar-for-dollar by FEEA, the impact of each contribution was doubled. The scholarship program is administered by FEEA through their Diplomatic Fund, which provides college scholarships to the seven young children who lost a diplomatic parent to terrorism between 1998 and 2003. FEEA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1986 that supports federal employees and their families through scholarships, emergency assistance and childcare subsidies. Although the Fallen Diplomats Scholarship Campaign is off to a very promising start, it is still far short of its goal of $750,000 — a goal that would ensure scholarship eligibility for the children of future victims of terrorist attacks. AFSA encourages active-duty and retired Foreign Service members to donate to this worthy cause. Donations are also welcomed from Foreign Service retiree associations, A-100 and specialist orientation classes, Senior Seminar alumni groups, ad hoc groups at post, private foundations and other foreign affairs-related organizations. Donations are tax-deductible and may be made by sending a check payable to “FEEA–Fallen Diplomats” to: FEEA–Fallen Diplomats Campaign, 3333 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Suite 300, Lakewood CO 80227; by making a credit-card donation by phone to FEEA at (800) 338-0755 or (303) 933-7580; or by making an online credit-card donation on FEEA’s Web site at: https://app.etapestry . com/hosted/FederalEmployeeEducationand/ OnlineDonation.html. To read more about the Fallen Diplomats Campaign, visit FEEA’s Web site at www.feea.org and click on “Fundraising Initiatives.” Fallen Diplomats Scholarship Campaign