JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
Col. Ken Rizer, 11th Wing/Joint Base Andrews commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Brinkley, 11th Wing/Joint Base Andrews command chief, kicked off Andrews' annual Air Force Assistance Fund (AFAF) campaign on March 13 with a public proclamation to donate. By each signing an Air Force Form 2561, the official AFAF donation form, Rizer and Brinkley encouraged all of Andrews' Airmen to donate to the AFAF and showed that only a moment of paperwork and a few dollars can go an extremely long way.
"The AFAF campaign is an annual, on-the-job fundraising appeal that is conducted among Air Force personnel for the benefit of Air Force personnel," said Capt. Charles Tenney, 11th Security Forces Squadron assistant operations officer.
Air Force members wishing to contribute to the AFAF must choose between four AFAF affiliates which to distribute their donated monies. These affiliates are: the Air Force Aid Society (AFAS), Air Force Villages (AFV), the Air Force Enlisted Village (AFEV) and the General and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation (LEMAY). 11 WG and Air Force District of Washington personnel have from March 12 - Apr. 20 to make their donations. Currently, the overall AFAF fund raising goals for the 11 WG and AFDW are $36,740 and $79,890 respectively.
"Andrews Airmen should donate to the AFAF and help one of these four organizations," said Staff Sgt. Vanessa Valentine, 11th Comptroller Squadron special actions NCO in charge and AFAF unit project officer for the 11th Wing Staff Agency. "These AFAF organizations are dedicated to helping every member of our Air Force family - from active duty to retired service members. The AFAF is one of the truest examples of Airmen taking care of Airmen."
In order to garner the highest AFAF campaign visibility, Andrews is also slated to host a base-wide fun run on March 19 at 3 p.m. Various units from Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, AFDW Staff, 11 WG Staff, 844th Communications Group, and the 79th Medical Wing will begin the 3 mile run at the outdoor track next to the Andrews Military and Personnel Flight. At the end of the race, the USO will distribute water and post-run snacks to all race participants.
Anyone interested in donating to the AFAF or who has questions concerning each of AFAF's specific organizations should contact their unit AFAF representative. The minimum pledge is $3 for a payroll deduction; however, cash in any amount is accepted and encouraged. Donations by check and credit card are not accepted at this time.
"The AFAF campaign is essentially about Airmen taking care of not only currently-serving Airmen but also those who have served in the past," said Valentine. "Every little bit helps. If we don't support AFAF now, organizations like these may not be around for us to utilize later."