While the economic recession is putting pressure on everyone, never doubt the generosity and hard work ethic of HUD's staff in the Kansas City Regional Office. In 2008, volunteers working for the United Way's Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) worked to raise a record amount of funds from HUD's employees. Mary Moore, in the Field Policy and Management Customer Service Center said that it was the Best CFC campaign ever.

JB Littlejohn in the Office of Public Housing acted as the Kansas City HUD office CFC Coordinator this year. HUD Deputy Director, Eugene Lipscomb, said that Mr. Littlejohn performed "excellent work in bringing together the committee of canvassers and coordinating the many fund raisers this year. HUD employees were also great as we exceeded our goal of $20,000 and contributed the amount of $22,942.43 to the CFC."

The HUD team of canvassers promoted the CFC through many activities including a bake sale, chili cook-off, silent auction, gum ball guess, and match-the-baby-picture contest. Mr. Littlejohn said, "It was great fun helping with such a hard working group. No one said no, they just kept working on new ideas, and the results were fantastic. People gave from the heart."

The Office of Personnel Management's website indicates that "Fundraising for charitable organizations in the Federal workplace can be traced to the late-1940's. However, formal authority to permit fundraising in the Federal workplace was not established until 1961. In signing Executive Order 10927, President John F. Kennedy authorized the U.S. Civil Service Commission to develop guidelines and regulate fundraising in the Federal service."

Today, the CFC today is the most inclusive workplace giving campaign in the nation with the number of participating charities estimated at over 20,000 nonprofit charitable organizations worldwide. The charities supported through the CFC range from small community groups to large, well-known charities.

The Kansas City CFC Canvassers (pictured from left to right) included Mary Ann Brooks in the Office of Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity, Debbie Phillips in the Office of General Counsel, Mary Moore in Field Policy & Management, Ursula McLendon in Community Planning & Development, JB Littlejohn in the Office of Public Housing, Brandi Copeland in Multi-family Housing and Kerri Thomas in Community Planning & Development as well as Barbara McGonagle in Labor Relations and Larry Maxwell in Public Housing (not pictured).