Air Force Assistance Fund Campaign Kicks Off at Dover Published March 28, 2017 By Mauricio Campino DOVER AFB, Del. -- The annual Air Force Assistance Fund campaign kicked off this week at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. The campaign, which is in its 44th year, will run until May 1. The campaign raises funds for four Air Force charities – the Air Force Aid Society, the Air Force Enlisted Village, the Air Force Villages Charitable Foundation and the General and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation. To kick off the campaign, the Air Force Aid Society hosted a free lunch at the Dover AFB chapel. The goals for Dover AFB this year are to make 100 percent contact and to raise $47,000. This means making sure every Airman at Dover knows about the Air Force Assistance Fund and the help they provide. “It truly is about Airmen helping Airmen” said Jennifer Aubrey, AFAS Officer at Dover Air Force Base, explaining why it is so important to help. “In 2016, Team Dover received just over $122,000 from the Air Force Aid Society,” one of the four charities the campaign supports. “The best way to help is through donations. We also want to raise awareness.” Senior Airman Kyle Headen, 436th Maintenance Squadron aerospace maintenance crew chief, experienced help firsthand. He knew nothing about the AFAS, but when he had some financial setbacks, he visited the Airmen Family Readiness Center. The counselors there were able to point him in the right direction and get him some assistance. When asked if he had any advice for other Airmen facing struggles, Headen replied “Don’t try to do it all on your own. There is help out there.” The AFAS offers emergency financial assistance to active duty and retired Airmen, their families as well as Air Force widows/widowers, in the form of no-interest loans and grants to help with the unexpected financial cost associated with emergencies such as the death of a loved one. The AFAS also offers assistance when Airmen struggle to cover basic living expenses. They offer base community programs and even education grants and scholarships for children and spouses of Air Force members. What many people might not know is that the AFAF supports Air Force charities that offer assistance to Airmen and their families even after they retire. The Air Force Enlisted Village provides homes and financial assistance to retired enlisted members' widows and widowers. It also provides assisted living, including 24-hour nursing care. Since 1975 the AFEV has provided a safe, comfortable home to thousands of military widows and widowers. The Air Force Villages Charitable Foundation supports independent and assisted living needs for retired officers and their spouses, widows or widowers and family members who struggle with the financial costs of medical care. The General and Mrs. Curtis E. Lemay Foundation awards grants to surviving spouses of Air Force retirees, both officer and enlisted, to augment incomes that fall below the poverty line. Grants are also available to alleviate with unexpected bills such as dental work, medical and prescription needs, rent or mortgage delinquencies, and minor home repairs. To make a donation please contact your unit’s AFAF point of contact. For more information about the Air Force Assistance Fund affiliated charitable organizations visit www.afassistancefund.org.