The Air Force Assistance Fund is an annual effort to raise funds for the charitable affiliates that provide support to our Air Force family in need (active duty, retirees, reservists, guard and our dependents, including surviving spouses).
The charitable affiliate organizations provide support in an emergency, with educational needs or a secure retirement home for widows or widowers of our Air Force members in need of financial assistance. Hill’s Air Force Assistance Fund campaign runs through April 8. Contact your unit representative to donate.
Here are the four charities that benefit from the Air Force Assistance Fund:
Air Force Village
Air Force Village opened its doors in San Antonio, Texas, in 1970 with a core charitable mission to care for retired Air Force officers’ widowed spouses who need financial assistance.
This meaningful cause benefits an average of 50-plus individuals annually at a cost of more than $1 million per year. Air Force Villages Charitable Foundation honors these spouses for the sacrifices they made while serving their country, side by side with their loved ones. We provide a safe, comfortable environment where surviving spouses are surrounded by friends in a home they cannot provide for themselves.
Since 1970, with generous support from active-duty and retired military, more than $17.5 million has been applied to the confidential assistance and care of surviving spouses. Often, catastrophic illness depleted their savings, or they outlived the money put aside for retirement. In today’s economy, the need for help continues. Thanks to your support, these individuals live a modest lifestyle with access to long-term health care and are able to spend their final years with dignity and peace of mind.
When you give to AFAF, you build a safety net for the widowed spouses of real American heroes and fulfill the vision of the women and men who founded the Air Force Village 50 years ago to “take care of our own.” We can proudly say 100 percent of Air Force Assistance Fund gifts to the Air Force Villages Charitable Foundation support this mission.
Air Force Enlisted Village
The Air Force Enlisted Village mission is simple: To Provide a Home.
No one should be homeless or living in less than desirable conditions, yet it sometimes happens to our enlisted Air Force widows. When the surviving spouses of retired enlisted Air Force members come to us in need, we offer the hand of kindness and the gift of a home.
Through your generous support, we give over $1.1 million annually in aid to these widows to live in a safe, dignified and caring community. AFEV provides support not just once, but for the lifetime of our residents.
Spouses are our priority, but we serve the entire Air Force family. AFEV offers a home to moms of active-duty and retired military members, and provides temporary housing to surviving spouses of enlisted members who die while on active duty or to active-duty members when tragedy strikes. One hundred percent of your gift will help our Air Force family members in times of need or for the rest of their lives.
Since 1975, AFEV has provided a safe, comfortable home to thousands of military widows. Housing is available at Bob Hope Village, our independent living community, or at Hawthorn House, our assisted living and memory care residence. Here they renew friendships, share memories of military life, and live as a community with their pride and independence intact. Amenities and conveniences such as transportation, prescription pick up service, fitness activities, social events and more are available to ensure the health and well-being of all residents.
The LeMay Foundation
The LeMay Foundation awards grants to enlisted and officer retirees’ surviving spouses. We respond because we believe they are entitled to a dignified lifestyle and because it is a privilege to serve them as they served along with their spouses. Our primary beneficiaries are stalwart widows who supported their families and active-duty spouses. In 2013, we gave more than $426,302 in assistance that benefited widows with monthly grants to augment incomes that fall below the poverty line, and provided one-time grants to assist with needs like hearing aids, dental care, and minor home repairs.
We continue to give our recipients gifts of $100 at Christmas, $50 for Thanksgiving and a $100 gift for each widow in honor of their spouse for Memorial Day. In addition, we give a monetary gift for their birthday. Our grants are awarded without fanfare, like a gift to a beloved family member.
When we can help a spouse stay at home, near their church and neighbors, we stay true to the vision of our founders, General and Mrs. Curtis LeMay. When you give to the Air Force Assistance Fund, in whatever amount you are able, your sacrifice helps those who sacrificed themselves for our freedom.
Air Force Aid Society
Since 1942, the Air Force Aid Society has helped Airmen and their families in times of need.
It may be for an everyday expense like a utility bill, something far more unexpected like the need to fly home for a family funeral, or a request for a special piece of medical equipment to improve the quality of life for a disabled child. Whether your emergency is big or small, AFAS is here to help — just as we did in 2014 when we provided over 18,000 emergency assists totaling $9.6 million.
In keeping with the vision of AFAS founders Gen. and Mrs. “Hap” Arnold, AFAS also offers a robust education program that helps Air Force dependent children and spouses achieve their dreams of attending college. Last year, we awarded 2,714 education grants of $2,200 each and 15 $5,000 merit scholarships to the children and spouses of Air Force members.
Base Community Programs make up the third prong of our charter. In 2014, AFAS provided $1.6 million in child-care programs, phone cards, baby gifts, car care and spouse initiatives — all designed to help alleviate some of the stresses associated with the military lifestyle.
Help us to continue the AFAS tradition of “Airman helping Airmen” with your donation to the Air Force Assistance Fund. You can be confident that every dollar supports a fellow Airman. Thank you for your support.
Visit http://afassistancefund.org.
