Catalog of Caring is a Catalog of Life

To Sheila Cash-Carter, the annual Catalog of Caring is more than just a listing of charities in the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area (CFCNCA). She calls it “The Catalog of Life,” because within its covers are resources to help with any imaginable need, to improve the quality of life.

That infectious enthusiasm is typical of the passion and commitment with which she embraces every undertaking. As Campaign Manager for the U.S. Postal Service, Sheila took on a goal that was $20,000 above the previous goal, even though her agency had 366 fewer employees. She not only achieved that goal, she exceeded it, raising over $650,000. In addition to postal employees, Sheila motivated employees at other agencies, speaking at CFC events at the Government Printing Office, the National Law Enforcement Communications Center, as well as the National Capital Area mid-campaign rally. At the Postal Service, she initiated a Campaign Manager alumni program, creating a repository of successful CFC campaign materials.

As a youth minister at her church, Sheila has served as a mentor for many children, and her home is always open for neighborhood youth to stop by and share concerns. She also founded a woman’s support group, “Reflections of Me,” which hosts monthly meetings to help women remain focused and positive in dealing with such issues as jobs, finances, and child rearing.

Sheila is also a college student who aspires to become a professional motivational speaker. She proudly carries her “Catalog of Life” along with her school books, using it as a reference on a regular basis. When her fourteen-year-old adopted daughter recently passed away after a lifelong battle with AIDS, including a year-long hospitalization, Sheila used the catalog to contact agencies for assistance with spiritual and financial needs during the funeral planning and bereavement process.

Sheila states that being involved with the CFC has brought new enrichment to her life, and she tells others of the joy and satisfaction of helping others. She is a role model not only for postal employees and youth at church, but for everyone she comes in contact with. She epitomizes the spirit of the Combined Federal Campaign.ahead... edit away!