Care for our own through AFAF Published March 24, 2008 By Capt. Benjamin Martin 48th Fighter Wing Air Force Assistance Fund Installation Project Officer ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- I want your money. I want to give your money to grandmas in San Antonio, Texas and Riverside, California. I want to give your money to an Airman who doesn't know yet that they will need money to fly back home next month because of a family emergency. I want to give your money to a staff sergeant that needs an educational grant to continue their education. I want your money. The 2008 Air Force Assistance Fund Campaign kicks off today, and will run until May 3. In the next six weeks, my team of AFAF volunteers will be approaching you with the opportunity to support our own through the Air Force Aid Society, the Air Force Enlisted Village, the Air Force Village Foundation and the General and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation. We want your cash. We want your checks. We even have the handy little forms you can fill out to have money taken directly from your bank account. We won't start taking that money until June, and the allotment can last as short as three months, or up to a full year. In 2007, RAF Lakenheath raised more than $100,000 for the four charities. We did awesome. But look what we got back on our investment--personnel at our base received $197,909 in assistance from the Air Force Aid Society in 2007. We took more money than we gave! Aid to Airmen came in the form of emergency assistance, education grants and loans and community enhancement programs. Air Force Aid Society loans and grants ensured Airmen were able to travel for emergency leave, pay funeral expenses and meet unexpected financial demands, such as major car repairs. Make no mistake; the money you donate has an immediate impact on the men and women we interact with on a daily basis. So here's my pitch; to make an impact on the life of another Liberty Warrior, I want you to donate one tenth of one percent of your base salary. That's it. I'm no math major, but for most of us that amount will be less than a total donation of $100 for the year. Take $5 or $10 from each paycheck and give it to the AFAF. Please seek out your unit's AFAF representative to make a contribution to the Air Force Assistance Fund. For more information, contact one of the following AFAF points of contact. As Winston Churchill said, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Thank you for considering my offer. Lakenheath AFAF points of contact Installation Project Officer Capt. Benjamin Martin Alt Installation Project Officer 2nd Lt. Kristine Baldwin Wing Staff Agencies Senior Airman Stephanie Weaver 48th Operations Group Master Sgt. Darlene Curl 48th Medical Group Capt. Jana Weiner 48th Mission Support Group 2nd Lt. Sarah Williford 48th Maintenance Group 2nd Lt. Art Davidson · 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 family support centers have full details on programs and eligibility requirements. Information is also available online at www.afas.org/. · The Air Force Enlisted Village Indigent Widow's Fund in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., near Eglin Air Force Base, which 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 Village Indigent Widow's Fund in San Antonio, a lifecare 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 foundation Web site is www.lemayfoundation.org.