Thursday, May 24, 2007

AER fundraising campaign approaches end

Fort Belvoir Army Emergency Relief has provided more than $300,000 in loans and grants to more than 200 Fort Belvoir community Soldiers

The organization assists Soldiers facing financial emergencies every week and has only one fundraiser a year.

That fundraiser ends on May 31.

“We have raised $29,600 so far,“ said Juanita McKeown, Fort Belvoir Army Emergency Relief officer. “By giving to AER it helps us to continue to provide assistance to Soldiers of the Fort Belvoir community.“

Soldiers come to AER for a variety of reasons. Some have difficulty adjusting to the high cost of living in the Washington, D.C., area and financial emergencies can occur. Fortunately, helping Soldiers cope with financial emergencies is one of the services that AER provides.

“Being here in the D.C. area, with the high cost of living, many times Soldiers find that it is extremely difficult to make the transition from either overseas or another part of the country,“ said McKeown. “At AER, we find ourselves assisting Soldiers and families because of that shock of having to transition to such a high cost of living area.“

The loans that are provided by AER are non-interest bearing. Soldiers pay back the loans through monthly deductions from their paychecks.

“The loans that are given out are interest free,“ said McKeown. “When you pay those back, it just puts the money back in there so somebody else can receive it.“

For more information on how to contribute, contact Juanita McKeown at (703) 805-2606.