Army Emergency Relief Campaign Exceeds Goal

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- Team Redstone employees came together once again to send a strong message of support to Soldiers and their families by surpassing the goal of this year's Army Emergency Relief fundraising campaign by nearly 45 percent.

The AER goal for Redstone Arsenal was $100,000, but Team Redstone employees donated $144,800 during the springtime campaign, said AER campaign co-coordinator Maj. Curt Schultheis, commander of the Aviation and Missile Command's Headquarters and Headquarters Company. Although the campaign's closing awards ceremony was Friday, additional funds are still expected to come in and push that amount over the $150,000 mark.

In 2015, Redstone's AER office provided emergency funds to 93 Soldiers and their families through grants or loans totally $148,000.

"Because of the funds raised during this campaign, we will be able to provide the same amount of support this year at Redstone Arsenal as we did last year," Schultheis said.

AER was established in 1942 to proved financial assistance to active and retired Soldiers, and their families. Since then, AER has provided more than 3.7 million Soldiers and their families with more than $1.7 billion of emergency aid.

"Today, we are not necessarily here to talk about the Soldiers and families AER helps. This is about the volunteers who make AER happen," Garrison Commander Col. Tom Holliday said.

"Without the support of this community, without the efforts of the volunteers here, none of this would be possible. Today is about the people who actually make this campaign work and raise money to support the Soldiers."

Employees of the Program Executive Office for Aviation raised the most funds for AER, donating $23,984. Employees of the Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space came in second, raising just over $23,000. Aviation and Missile Command employees took third place, raising over $10,000.

"There was only $683 difference between PEO Aviation and PEO Missiles and Space," Schultheis said. "PEO Aviation slid into first place right at the end with funds raised from their golf tournament."

Employees across Redstone Arsenal work to raise funds for AER every year with a variety of fundraisers, including bake sales, auctions, cookouts and golf tournaments.

Those fundraising efforts are much appreciated by the widow of the late Sgt. 1st Class Willie Reese, who died suddenly in 2009. She has struggled with her own serious health problems for several years.

"AER has been awesome to me. It's been a blessing to me since my husband passed," said Armenta Reese, who attended the AER awards ceremony.

Reese is 100 percent disabled. She first turned to AER for assistance when she got behind on her mortgage, but she eventually had to allow Veterans Affairs to buy back her home. She turned to AER a second time just recently for help in paying utility deposits so she can move into a new home provided by the Housing Authority.

"I'm moving in today thanks to the help from AER," she said. "My husband always made sure I didn't want for anything. In a way, my husband is still helping me through AER."

Her husband served nearly 23 years in the Army and died at age 59. She had her first heart attack in her 30s. After her third heart attack, doctors inserted a defibrillator to regulate her heart. Her defibrillator has been replaced twice, and she has also had other health issues.

An AER grant will allow Reese to have a two-bedroom home where she can invite her three grown children for visits and her four grandchildren for sleepovers.

During the awards presentation, Chelsey Herrera of the PEO Missiles and Space was recognized as the "key unit representative for the campaign" for collecting and processing the most donations across the installation.

The following unit representatives received a certificate of achievement from AER for their efforts in coordinating the AER campaign within their respective organizations: Maj. Dennis Slattery, Army Materiel Command; Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Flowers, Larry Bradford, Capt. Justin Wax and Bruce Hilbun, AMCOM; Col. Karl Stahlecker; PEO Aviation; Chelsey Herrera, Rebecca Warner, Linda Weaver, Hollister Wilks, Bobbie Gaither, Saretha Hollingsworth, Karen Merritt, Rachelle Moore, Shirley Blalock, Kathryn Wood and Beverly Shoulders, PEO Missiles and Space; Pfc. Spencer Lawson, Garrison; Sgt. 1st Class Sam Metcalf, AMC Band; Capt. Quinton Watkins, Army Contracting Command; Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Geer, 921st Contacting Battalion; Charlotte Jones, Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center; Spc. Ashley Thomas, 902nd Military Intelligence Group; Richard Bumgardner, Security Assistance Command; Sgt. 1st Class Kellisea Thompson, Missile and Space Intelligence Center; KC Bertling, Space and Missile Defense Command; Regina Hargrove, 2nd Recruiting Brigade/2nd Medical Recruiting Battalion; Sgt. 1st Class Erin Debaun, Missile Defense Agency; Dwayne Morton, Army Acquisition Center of Excellence; and Sgt. Joseph Lemon, Fox Army Health Center.

Schultheis and Sgt. 1st Class Lee Dalton were recognized by Holliday and Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Brad Bradshaw with certificates of appreciation for their work behind the scenes ensuring the volunteers had what they needed to make the 2016 AER fundraising campaign successful.