Assistance fund aids those in need Published March 17, 2011 By Lorin T. Smith Northwest Guardian JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Diana Burr believes Airmen should look no further than the Air Force Assistance Fund when looking for financial help or a boost to relieve stress. She has seen first-hand the help the Air Forcewide campaign can do for active, Reserve and National Guard Airmen, retirees and Air Force widows. A special-needs infant with heart and breathing complications needed an automated external defibrillator machine in the house in case an emergency arises. The machine costs more than $1,000 and the family asked for help from the Air Force Aid Society, one of the four benefit programs that make up the Air Force Assistance Fund. The Aid Society bought the machine outright for the family with no repayment required. "This helped the family's piece of mind, as they are able to sleep and not have to keep checking on the child," said Burr, who works at the McChord Field Airman and Family Readiness Center. "Wow, that's really taking care of the Airman." Many similar stories happen every day, thanks to the Assistance Fund, Burr said. The Assistance Fund is made up of the Air Force Villages, Inc., the Air Force Aid Society, Inc., the General and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation, and the Air Force Enlisted Village, Inc. These organizations help Air Force people with aid in an emergency, with educational needs, or have a secure retirement home for widows or widowers of Air Force members in need of financial assistance. Every year, thousands of active-duty Airmen benefit in services like loans for car maintenance, baby bundles filled with blankets and bibs; even free oil changes through the Aid Society for spouses with deployed servicemembers. These services require donations, and word is getting around McChord Field that the Air Force Assistance Fund's campaign is underway. From now until April 15, Assistance Fund unit representatives will contact Airmen face to face, informing them of the fund's available benefits, said 2nd Lt. Gregg Stewart, McChord's campaign director. Airmen are not required to donate, but Stewart is hoping to raise more than $66,000. It sounds ambitious, but Stewart is optimistic. Last year's goal was exceeded, he said, so he's ensuring every Airman hears about the fund and has the opportunity to contribute. The nationally managed Assistance Fund gave more than $208,000 to McChord Airmen, with more than $150,000 used for emergency assistance loans and grants. Both Burr and Stewart believe strongly in the Assistance Fund, and for good reasons. The Aid Society's most popular program is providing Airmen grants or loans for emergency plane tickets or vehicle repairs. "There are just some things you can't plan for, and that's where the Air Force Assistance Fund is here to help," Stewart said. Expectant parents or those with 6-month-old or younger babies can take advantage of Burr's Bundles for Babies program, funded by the Aid Society. McChord Field parents took home more than $2,400 in donated items last year. Parents receive financial readiness and nutritional information, and leave with bundles, each with items valued at $75, including clothes and crib sheets. "Every family is different and each year brings life changes and new challenges and while some families may never need to use the Air Force Aid Society, we want them all to know about the programs that are available to them," Burr said. Last year, more than $10,000 went to spouses of deployed Airmen to give them five hours of day care on Saturdays at the McChord Field Child Development Center, as part of the Aid Society's Give Parents a Break program. Volunteers at McChord Field can also receive free child care while giving up their time as well. Decisions on who receives the free service are made based on a case-by-case basis, Burr said. "All funds raised by Air Force members are for Air Force members," Stewart said. "You could donate $10, and receive $20 back." More available online The Air Force Assistance Fund: www.afassistancefund.org Air Force Villages, Inc.: www.airforcevillages.com/military-ccrc-community/ Air Force Aid Society: www.afas.org Gen. and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation: www.lemay-foundation.org Air Force Enlisted Village, Inc.: www.afenlistedwidows.org You can also visit the Air Force Aid Society Facebook page by searching for Air Force Aid Society at www.facebook.com.