The time has come to help Soldiers experiencing financial hardships, as the garrison kicked off its Army Emergency Relief campaign during a ceremony Tuesday in the Fort Belvoir Community Center.
The campaign, which runs through May 15, encourages Soldiers and their Families to learn about AER's benefits.
Active-duty servicemembers, retirees, their spouses and dependent children are eligible for AER funds, as are Army National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers on continuous active duty under Title 10, U.S.C. for more than 30 consecutive days.
Retired Lt. Gen. Robert F. Foley, AER director and keynote speaker for Belvoir's kickoff ceremony, urged participants to promote awareness about AER and encouraged Soldiers in need to come forward for help.
"My total agenda is to make sure that we can better meet the financial needs of our Soldiers and Families," Foley said. "I need you all to help me to do that."
AER, a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1942, is dedicated solely to "Helping the Army Take Care of its Own" by providing financial assistance to Soldiers and their Families. AER financial assistance is provided as an interest-free loan, a grant, or a combination of the two, based on need. Assistance can include emergency travel, privately owned vehicle repair, rent, utilities, and medical and dental expenses. Soldiers can get up to $4,000 for basic furniture and replacement vehicle needs, but on the rest of the eligible needs, there is no limit on how much money they can be awarded. In 2012, AER provided $76.8 million in assistance to more than 59,000 recipients.
"We all have these temporary cash flow problems, emergencies that may come up, that effect the Family and you just don't have the money right away," Foley said. "It's good to get an interest free loan."
Organizers host the AER campaign kick-off annually to promote awareness about the program and to replenish the funds, according to Foley. All contributions are fully tax deductible. Donors may make their contributions to the general assistance fund or to specific programs such as education scholarships or widow assistance.
Vonnie Blanken, Fort Belvoir Army Community Service, Army Emergency Relief officer, said Fort Belvoir's goal is to raise $160,000.
The continued success of the program relies on informing Soldiers how their contributions help fellow Soldiers, according to Blanken.
"Every community that hosts a campaign is putting money back into the pot so we can continue to keep providing this service," she said. "If each meets its goal, that's a success story because you're getting something back into the big pot in the sky."
Contributions to the AER campaign can be sent to Army Emergency Relief, 200 Stovall Street, Alexandria, Va. 22332, or contributors can call Blanken at (703) 805-3130 for instructions on how to send a donation.
To apply for AER assistance, Soldiers need to fill out an application and call Blanken to schedule an appointment. The application asks for the Soldiers' name, rank, unit information, where they live on post and why they need the assistance. The Soldier signs the form and then the unit commander signs the form.
Servicemembers must bring documentation showing why they need assistance, unless they've been referred by their unit commander. Foley challenged Fort Belvoir leadership to take advantage of the Commanders Referral Program more often. The program enables company commanders, battery commanders and first sergeants to provide up to $1,500 in interest free loans to Soldiers, without going through the AER application process.
In 2012 Army-wide, 41.5 percent of AER assistance was provided through command referrals but Fort Belvoir only contributed 7.4 percent to that total, according to Foley. He urged event participants to promote the program more to Soldiers.
"It's a very expedited process and it works great," Foley said.
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