SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- The annual Air Force Assistance Fund campaign kicked off here, March 25, with a breakfast aimed to show commanders, chiefs, and first sergeants how the AFAF works to take care of Airmen.
During the event, Airman 1st Class Sheldon Shaw, 20th Component Maintenance Squadron aircraft fuels systems apprentice, shared his testimony of how the AFAF assisted he and his wife after they suffered extensive injuries as a result of a car accident.
“The AFAF helped us with a $900 grant to assist with unexpected expenses,” said Shaw. “This money allowed my wife and I to get through the two weeks we were stuck in West Virginia when she was in the hospital.”
The AFAF is one of two annual campaigns endorsed by the Air Force, the other being the Combined Federal Campaign.
“The AFAF is designed to allow Airmen the opportunity to help Airmen,” said Chief Master Sgt. Christopher McKinney, 20th Fighter Wing command chief. “The financial contributions Airmen make go directly to supporting Airmen of the past, present, and future. What better way is there to show our commitment to the Air Force core value of Service before Self, than to directly contribute to the well-being of our brothers and sisters in arms?”
The AFAF is comprised of four affiliate charities which Airmen can choose to donate directly to: the Air Force Aid Society, the LeMay Foundation, the Air Force Villages Charitable Foundation, and the Air Force Enlisted Village.
Each affiliate charity focuses their attention on specific donations.
The AFAS offers grants and scholarships to Air Force dependent children and spouses for college, as well as emergency finances for funerals or medical supplies.
The LeMay Foundation awards grants to enlisted and officer retirees’ surviving spouses.
The AFVCF provides care for retired Air Force officers’ widowed spouses who need assistance.
The AFEV provides retired enlisted Air Force members widowed spouses with a community to live in.
Donations to the AFAF can be made in a lump sum, or done by monthly allotment from a member’s paycheck.
“If you can even donate $1,” said Shaw. “It can help someone.”
The AFAS is the official charity of the Air Force. It was established in 1942 and in 2015 alone it directly assisted Team Shaw with 90 individual cases totaling more than $89,000 for Airmen.
“These programs are near to my heart because of the massive benefit they have to all of our Airmen,” said Col. Stephen Jost, 20th Fighter Wing commander. “By investing in ways to take problems and stressors off the backs of our Airmen, we can focus our full attention on the mission.”
In appreciation for the support they received, Shaw and his wife now contribute to the AFAF to continue the cycle of Airmen assisting other Airmen.
For more information on how to donate, contact a unit representative or first sergeant.