FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (April 5, 2012) -- One month into the annual Army Emergency Relief Campaign, Fort Meade has already raised more than $18,200.
With a little more than a month before the campaign's May 15 deadline, the installation has raised 22.7 percent of its $80,000 goal set March 1.
"It's off to an extremely good start," said Sgt. Loren Anderson, Fort Meade's AER coordinator.
AER officer Turner Wallace said donations will continue to come in throughout the campaign as unit representatives are still "beating the bushes" to spread information about AER.
Anderson urges Soldiers to donate to the program to help their own and Army families.
"Sometimes when you donate, you're not really sure where your money is going to," he said. "The one thing you can rely on is when you donate to AER, that the money is being put back into the Soldiers."
AER assists active-duty Soldiers, retirees, Reservists and Guardsmen and their family members with financial assistance during emergencies.
It was donations to AER that helped Anderson make it home for his mother's funeral in 2007. When he was stationed at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., Anderson had to find a way to suddenly travel to Florida after his mother's death.
At the time, Anderson was a private first class and money was scarce. He wasn't able to afford next-day flights for himself, his wife and son. So Anderson turned to AER.
The organization granted him the travel money and ordered his tickets. All Anderson needed to do was pick up the tickets at the AER office.
"They went out of their way to help me," Anderson said. "This took like a 1,000 percent of the pressure off my shoulders."
Wallace said AER tries to be the "front line" to help Soldiers in need, and when a Soldier comes into the office seeking assistance, staffers are eager to help.
"We are very sensitive to all their needs," Wallace said. "We make sure if there's anyway we can help, we definitely do it."
Anderson's experience with AER has provided him with a sense of security.
"It's one of the basics to being a Soldier -- wanting to know you have somewhere turn if you get a rock in the road," he said. "It's one of the great parts of being a Soldier."
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