AFAF continues through April 27

  • Published
  • By Sheila Rupp
  • Nucleus Journalist
A young Airman serving his country deployed in Iraq thinks of his family often, but he doesn't need the added burden of worrying about whether his wife and children will have heat during a long, cold winter. When the family's furnace went out, the Air Force Aid Society stepped in and assisted in replacing the furnace, easing the mind of the family and the deployed servicemember.

The Air Force Assistance Fund was created to provide an annual effort to raise money for the charities that support Air Force families. The fund provides support to four charities: the Air Force Villages Indigent Widows' Fund, the Air Force Enlisted Village Indigent Widows' Fund, the Air Force Aid Society and The General and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation.

"The Air Force Assistance Fund allows us as Airmen to reach out and help our fellow Airmen. The Air Force charities put the money where it is most needed, in ways that we may not normally see," said 377th Air Base Wing Commander Col. Robert E. Suminsby Jr.

The organizations that benefit from AFAF do not receive support from tax dollars and more than 95 percent of contributed funds go directly to the AFAF mission of helping Air Force families.

The Air Force Villages Indigent Widows' Fund supports the Air Force Village in San Antonio, Texas. The village provides widows of career retired Air Force officers with dignified, appropriate and cost-effective living options.

The Air Force Enlisted Village Indigent Widows' Fund supports the Air Force Village in Shalimar, Fla., and provides subsidy and support to widows and widowers of retired enlisted personnel. The enlisted village has provided homes to more than 1,625 widows and surviving spouses since 1975. All of the money received from the AFAF campaign will go to caring for indigent enlisted widows of the Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.

The Air Force Aid Society is the official charity of the Air Force and assists in relieving financial emergencies encountered by active duty members and their families. AFAS also assists Reserve and Guard personnel who are on extended active duty. When a young Airmen stationed here needed to visit her gravely ill mother, AFAS loaned her the money to fly home to be with her mother.

While en route to a new duty station with his wife and two small children, a member of Team Kirtland experienced a broken transmission and AFAS was able to step in and lend the family money for repairs.

The General and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation provides rent and financial assistance to the widows and widowers of all retired Air Force personnel, regardless of rank. The LeMay Foundation enables surviving spouses to continue living in their own homes without struggling to meet daily living needs and provides monthly supplemental grants to assist with food, rent and utilities.

The AFAF "Commitment to Caring" campaign is in its 34th year of raising funds for Airmen-based charitable organizations. The last day of the campaign here is April 27. Questions about the AFAF here can be directed to Master Sgt. Donald Shearer at 846-9576 or Capt. Ernest Scott at 846-3553.