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The Air Force Assistance Fund campaign officially kicked off after a tri-wing command team signed the initial document March 21 on Ramstein.
The annual campaign is designed to allow Airmen to help others through the charities that provide support to Airmen, their dependents and even surviving spouses. The funds can be used in many ways, including helping members in emergencies and those who need help paying for educational costs.
According to Capt. Montanna Ewers, 86th Maintenance Squadron operations officer, the kickoff was a success.
“The simple fact that senior leadership from three wing command teams came out to kick off the campaign speaks volumes to how important AFAF is to Team Ramstein,” Ewers said. “What made the event even more impactful was how those command teams shared their thoughts on what the fund is, what it does and why it’s important.”
However, according to event organizers, the most impactful part of the event came when two Airmen shared their personal stories with the crowd on how they were helped during their times of need.
One of the two presenters, Tech. Sgt. Orlando Lujan, U.S. Air Forces in Europe A5/8/9 Plans, Programs and Analysis NCO in charge, described how the AFAF helped him through troubles with his car.
“When I was a young Airman and didn’t make a lot of money, I had this (junk car) that just broke apart on me one day,” Lujan said. “With a wife and kids, I was struggling to try and pay it off and had too much pride to ask for help. My first sergeant at the time saw this and guided me to AFAF, where I was given a no-interest loan to pay my car maintenance bills.”
According to Ewers, stories such as these bring the program to life.
“Often, Airmen will consider the AFAF as this intangible pot of money they’ll never see or need,” Ewers said. “When these two Airmen shared their stories, they brought it home to all in attendance.”
Airmen can donate to the AFAF campaign at https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx.
