Ellsworth AFAF campaign to kick off March 8

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shanda L. De Anda
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  The Air Force Assistance Fund campaign at Ellsworth will kick off with a breakfast at Dakota's March 8 at 7 a.m.

Now entering its 34th year of existence, the motto of this year's campaign, "Commitment to Caring," helps the AFAF donations all contribute directly to benefit active-duty, reserve, guard and retired Air Force people as well as their surviving spouses and families.

"This campaign is important because we are supporting our own people with this," said 1st Lt. Alex Datzman, an Ellsworth project officer.

The 2007 Ellsworth campaign continues through April 18 and, according to installation project officers, this year's contributions are expected to exceed the goal of $46,151, which was the case during past campaigns. In 2006, Ellsworth surpassed its campaign goal of $45,133 and netted a total of more than $60,000. Although funds are eventually pooled with contributions Air Force wide, some of the money collected does benefit the Ellsworth community directly. Of the 2006 AFAF contributions more than $42,000 of what was collected at Ellsworth was returned to help support programs like the Air Force Aid Society.

"My family and I benefited from AFAS emergency assistance when, while I was deployed, we had a death in our family," said Tech. Sgt. Douglas Stukerjurgen, Airman and Family Readiness Center readiness NCO. "It really helped to be able to focus on just getting home and taking care of family instead of stressing about how we would pay for tickets for our entire family. We attended services, returned home and I redeployed with a lot less stress thanks to AFAS' assistance."

AFAF funds also provide needed support on a larger scale like during the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"(The hurricanes) vividly demonstrated the need for rapid and reliable emergency assistance. Our AFAF charities - the Air Force Aid Society, Air Force Enlisted Village Indigent Widows' Fund, Air Force Village Indigent Widows' Fund and the General and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation - provided immediate financial and housing assistance to our active duty, Reserve, Air National Guard and retired Air Force members," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Mosley in a memorandum for the AFAF. "This was in addition to their normal ongoing assistance with the hardships of deployments, accidents, illness, aging and death."

People can make a tax-deductible contribution in cash, check, money order or payroll deduction to:

- The Air Force Aid Society, which provides Airmen and their families with worldwide emergency financial assistance, education assistance and an array of base level community-enhancement programs. Base staff members at airman and family readiness centers have full details on programs and eligibility requirements. Information also is available online at www.afas.org.

- The Air Force Enlisted Village Indigent Widows' Fund supports the Air Force Village in Shalimar, Fla., near Eglin Air Force Base. The fund provides rent subsidy and other support to indigent widows and widowers of retired enlisted people 55 and older. More information is available at www.afenlistedwidows.org.
 
- The Air Force Villages Indigent Widows' Fund supports the Air Force Village in San Antonio, a life-care community for retired officers, spouses, widows or widowers and family members. The Air Force Village Web site is www.airforcevillages.com. 

- The General and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation, which provides rent and financial assistance to indigent widows and widowers of officers and enlisted people in their own homes and communities. The LeMay Foundation Web site is www.afvw.com/lemay.html.

For more information or to make a donation, contact an AFAF representative (See related story above). (Information from Air Force print News contributed to this article)