AFAF: a Commitment to Caring

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Nicholas Gumley
  • 354th Comptroller Squadron
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The Air Force Assistance Fund has a legacy of Airmen helping Airmen, which is demonstrated by members' commitment every year and donations received. It is a way the Air Force gives back to its Airmen, and is supported by the very people it helps - the men and women of the U.S. Air Force.

With another year underway, Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley and Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff, chose the theme "Commitment to Caring" for the 39th annual AFAF campaign, which runs at Eielson March 5 through April 13.

Last year alone, the AFAF raised nearly $18 million Air Force-wide. From this pool of money, $2.2 million was used for community enhancement programs, $700,000 was given to Give Parents a Break and $273,000 was put toward spouse tuition assistance.
The list goes on, and while that is a lot of money, what instances are there of how Airmen of the Iceman Team were helped?

A good example is how a deployed member's family was home on leave when a frozen pipe burst, causing over $150,000 in damages. The Air Force Aid Society stepped in and gave the family a $5,000 grant to cover damage costs that their insurance would not.

In 2010, the AFAS loaned $50,000 without interest to help Airmen pay for unforeseen expenses, including emergency travel, vehicle repairs, home repairs, child care, dental care and funeral expenses. Another $50,000 was given for educational assistance, community enhancement programs and child care for families performing a permanent change of station.

As one of four AFAF charities, the AFAS has supported Airmen and their families by providing interest-free emergency loans, educational grants and more for the past 67 years. Other charities, the Air Force Village and Air Force Enlisted Village, have provided retiree's widows and widowers with a home and caring community over the last 30 years, and the LeMay Foundation assists by providing financial grants to widows and widowers of Air Force retirees.

Look within your squadron for the unit project officer to make your tax-deductible donation. Members may pay cash or check, or utilize the most common method of payment through the payroll deduction plan.

Thanks to the abundant supply of donations and support for our fellow Icemen, many Airmen and families have been helped in times of need. This is a great testament to our second core value of "service before self."

Whether in the form of volunteered time or donated money, serving other Airmen is as good as it gets.

For more information about AFAF or to contribute, contact your group or squadron representative or contact Eielson's project officers, Capt. Maureen Kimsey at 377-3071 or 2nd Lt. Nicholas Gumley at 377-4001.