FORT RUCKER, Ala. (April 3, 2015) -- Army Emergency Relief exists for one reason, to help Soldiers who are in need, and this year's AER campaign is off to a good start to help Soldiers help Soldiers, according to campaign officials.
The campaign has raised about $30,000 in funds so far, ahead of last year's campaign and about one-fifth of the post record of $155,000 in a campaign season, a record which Col. Stuart J. McRae, Fort Rucker garrison commander and AER chairperson, hopes Fort Rucker can beat this year, he said during the AER kickoff ceremony in March.
The swell in donations is due to dedication of Soldiers and willingness for people to help their brothers in arms, said Capt. Schuyler Emery-Munn, AER campaign coordinator.
"We're making very good progress with the unit representatives going out and doing their part," he said. "We give a lot more in assistance every year than we take in, so we need to continue to take those donations in so that we can provide the best level of support that we can to our Soldiers here on Fort Rucker."
The next big event coming up to benefit AER is the Army Aviation Center Federal Credit Union annual golf tournament to benefit AER at the Silver Wings Golf Course April 17, which normally raises about $15,000 for the campaign.
The game is open to the public and will be a four-person scramble with registration beginning at 10 a.m. and a shotgun start at noon. The entry fee is $65 per person, $55 for SWGC members, and includes a hamburger lunch, cart, green fees and registration gift.
Prizes can be won for closest to the pin on certain holes, which include $200 and $300 cash prizes, as well as prizes for first-fifth place, longest drive and door prizes.
There will also be prizes awarded to anyone lucky or skillful enough to be the first to sink a hole-in-one. The lucky golfer will have his or her choice of a 2015 Nissan Altima or 2015 Jeep Wrangler. All proceeds from the tournament go directly to benefit AER.
AER has been around for 73 years and has helped more than 3.6 million Soldiers and contributed over $1.7 billion since its inception, according to an AER news release. More than $1.3 billion of that amount has gone out as loans for Soldiers, $140 million of that has gone out as grants for Soldiers who are in need, and another $89 million has gone out to Soldiers, family members and retirees as scholarships.
In 2005, Fort Rucker set a record for its campaign season, raising more than $155,000, and in 2013 nearly beat the record with $148,000 raised. This year there are hopes to break the 2005 record by providing an incentive through a bit of friendly competition.
A traveling trophy will be awarded to the unit that raises the most amount of money, per capita, for the campaign, and for that year, said Emery-Munn. At the end of the campaign when all the totals are tallied, the winning organization will have their company, battalion and brigade added to the trophy to be forever known as that year's winners.
The cup will change hands each year depending on the winner, and the winning unit will be immortalized as the unit that most contributed to Soldiers helping Soldiers for that year, a cause that Emery-Munn said goes far beyond the competition.
"It's a program for Soldiers, by Soldiers, and it's that mechanism that allows Soldiers to take care of their own," he said. "It's an invaluable tool for leadership and all levels to help accomplish one of the most basic command responsibilities -- tending to the morale and welfare of Soldiers."
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