BAUMHOLDER, Germany -- The annual Army Emergency Relief campaign begins March 1 and USAG Rheinland-Pfalz got things under way with two senior leader campaign kick-off breakfasts last week at dining facilities in Baumholder and Kaiserslautern.
“The AER Campaign Kick-off Breakfast is a time for the unit representatives to get together with staff from Army Community Service, Army Emergency Relief Officers, and the garrison command team to learn more about AER, share success stories, encourage them in their duties as AER unit representatives, and provide materials for them to use in the upcoming campaign,” explained Matthew Diehls, AER Officer with the Baumholder ACS.
The campaign runs through May 15, but in recent years the donations coming in have been less than what is going out, said Diehls.
“Last year, AER Rheinland-Pfalz helped 50 Soldiers and Families with nearly $118,000 in loans and grants; the average is about $2,300 per approved request,” he said. “In contrast, total donations from our area totaled just under $19,000.”
Diehls attributes some of the decline to protective measures associated with the ongoing COVID pandemic that has prohibited gatherings and hampered fund-raising and awareness activities.
“We hope to get at least 23 percent of our population to participate in this year's donation campaign,” he added. “We believe this percentage will ensure Soldiers, leaders, and families know and promote that we are the Army's non-profit organization providing no-fee, no-interest financial assistance. Because we are independently funded through donations without funding from the Army or federal government, the donation campaign is critical to ensuring assistance is available for future generations.”
This year, AER marks 80 years helping Soldiers and families in need. Since its inception in 1942, it has provided more than $4 billion in assistance in the form of interest-free loans, grants and scholarships to more than 2 million Soldiers. The program provided $44.8 million in loans and grants to almost 26,000 Soldiers and families in 2021.
“We all come across times where we're financially strapped. I've been that young, sergeant E-5, wife, two kids, one car (and the) transmission goes out,” said garrison Command Sgt. Major Stephen LaRocque. “I didn't have the money to fix it. I went to AER, no questions asked they gave me a loan.”
Financial assistance is available to active duty, retired and eligible reserve component Soldiers. There are various categories of assistance a Soldier can apply for, including but not limited to emergency travel, funeral expenses, vehicle repairs, minor home repairs, medical or dental expenses, rent, utilities, personal needs when pay is delayed, and more.
LaRocque had need to use the AER a second time, much later in his career.
“Fast forward 20 years, I'm now a sergeant major and just PCS'd so I didn't have any ready cash,” he explained. “I had money, but it was tied up in other things that would have caused penalties and my father passed away. I could have charged all the plane tickets for my family to get home and it would have cost interest. Instead, I went to AER and got an interest free loan to fly myself, my wife and my three children back to Colorado for my father's funeral.”
LaRocque’s father was a retired Soldier and in his will he asked that instead of flowers, donations be made to the USO or AER. “It really hit home for me,” LaRocque recalled. “I used AER to go my dad's funeral and found out how important AER was to my dad.”
There are several ways to donate, according to Diehls.
“During the AER Campaign, we would like soldiers to use the DA Form 4908 that the unit representatives will be passing out to the soldiers in their units,” he explained. “However anyone can go online to https://armyemergencyrelief.org and select ‘Donate Now.’ Just make sure to select the correct location so our area and their unit can get credit for the donation.”
Not only does the AER program provide emergency relief, it can also provide Soldiers a path to financial health by working hand-in-hand with the Army Community Service financial counselors.
AER has two locations in the garrison: one at the ACS satellite office on Smith Barracks in Baumholder, Bldg. 8666 and the other at the ACS main location on Kleber Kaserne in Kaiserslautern, Bldg. 3210. For more information, call the ACS Financial Readiness Program at DSN 541-9000 or 0611-143-541-9000.
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