JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
The Air Force Assistance Fund campaign set to run March 8 through April 16 will give Joint Base Charleston the opportunity to donate to four organizations which give back to Airmen.
This voluntary annual campaign benefits active-duty, Reserve and Guard members, as well as Air Force retirees and family members, by assisting with financial obligations such as paying car loans during a time of financial difficulty, getting grants for college or paying for a flight to go home for a funeral.
The four charities include the Air Force Aid Society, Air Force Villages Indigent Widow's Fund, Air Force Enlisted Village Indigent Widow's Fund and General and Mrs. Lemay Foundation.
Each charity focuses on a different area of need.
· The Air Force Aid Society provides Airmen and their families worldwide with emergency financial assistance, education assistance and an array of base-level, community-enhancement programs.
· The Air Force Enlisted Village includes Teresa Village in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and Bob Hope Village in Shalimar, Fla., near Eglin AFB, Fla. It provides homes and financial assistance to widows and widowers of retired enlisted people 55 and older. Hawthorn House, also in Shalimar, provides assisted living for residents requiring more assistance than others, including 24-hour nursing care.
· The Air Force Village includes Air Force Village I and II in San Antonio, a life-care community for retired officers, spouses, widows or widowers and family members.
· The General and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation provides rent and financial assistance to widows and widowers of officer and enlisted retirees in their homes and communities through financial grants of assistance.
"The AFAF has a long tradition of providing critical assistance to members of our Air Force family," said Bill D'Avanzo, chief of Air Force Fundraising. "Whether they become victims of natural disasters or endure the personal hardships of deployments, accidents, illness, aging or death, these charities are there to provide fast and reliable help."
For the 2010 "Commitment to Caring" campaign, the Air Force introduced a new contribution concept. Now in its 37th year, the campaign will feature a first-ever competition between installations with similar past performances in the AFAF campaign.
Bases will compete for the top spot within each group based on point values in several categories: percent over goal; donation amount equal to or greater than the previous year's amount; and active-duty participation rate.
Air Force Aid Society officials will award a $2,500 cash prize to the winning installation in each group to be used for programs supporting the base community.
Unit project officers around JB CHS will serve as the representatives for collecting campaign contributions. Along with them, Maj. Lee Warlick will serve as installation project officer, and Senior Master Sgt. John Bush will serve as the assistant project officer for this year's campaign.
Donations to any or all four of the charitable organizations are accepted, and the contributions to AFAF are tax deductible. For more information about the charitable organizations and AFAF, visit www.afassistancefund.org.
For more information on the local campaign, see a unit project officer or contact Major Warlick at 963-6732 or by e-mail at lee.warlick@charleston.af.mil.
(First Lt. Gina Vaccaro McKeen, Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs, contributed to this article.)