AFAF Campaign: For Airmen, by Airmen Published March 1, 2016 By Capt. Sandietta Walter 363rd Training Squadron SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The Air Force Assistance Fund, an annual fundraiser dedicated to providing support to Air Force families, kicked off at Sheppard Feb. 29, 2016. The five-week ‘Commitment to Caring’ campaign will aid four charities. These charities give back to our Airmen, from Active Duty to retired, officer to enlisted, as well as their families. Sheppard’s goal this year is to raise $77,505. On average, the Air Force Aid Society requires $16 million annually, in order to provide support in times of emergencies, to more than 60,000 Airmen and their families. According to Michelle Schroeder, Airmen and Family Readiness Center Section Chief, AFAS sponsors programs such as Give Parents a Break and Bundles for Baby. In times of hardship and stress, First Sergeants and Commanders can contact the Airmen and Family Readiness Center for Give Parents a Break certificates, granting parents a few hours of a free service provided by the Child Development Center or the Youth Center. Bundles for Baby is also a program offered through the A&FRC, which offers approximately $90 worth of essential baby items to expecting parents. The Air Force Enlisted Village, Shalimar, Fla., stands behind a mission of providing a home to surviving spouses of retired enlisted Airmen. These safe havens are provided through housing communities such as the Bob Hope Village, AFEV independent living community, or the Hawthorn House. The Air Force Villages Charitable Foundation offers financial assistance to all widowed spouses of retired officers. The foundation believes in ‘providing a safe, comfortable environment where widowed spouses are surrounded by friends in a home they cannot provide for themselves.’ The General and Mrs. Curtis E. Lemay Foundation assists widowed spouses with day-to-day living expenses and any unexpected costs. Sheppard members can continue the tradition of taking care of our own by contributing to one or all of these charities. “I know with certainty they are people within this room that have benefited from AFAF,” said Col. Burke Beaumont, 82d Mission Support Group commander, during the AFAF kickoff breakfast. Beaumont went on to tell a story of how AFAF supported an Airman with financial assistance when the Defense Finance and Accounting Service erroneously voided his pay check. He summed it up with one powerful statement, “AFAF (came) to the rescue.” If you would like to donate or want more information, please contact your unit representative. Wing Staff Agencies: Staff Sgt. Megan Sullivan, 676-6266; Staff Sgt. Jonathon Bradbury, 676-7011 82nd Mission Support Group: 2nd Lt. Elizabeth McKenna, 676-1431; Senior Airman James Todd, 676-5186 82nd Training Group: Master Sgt. Malika Likavec, 676-2146; Master Sgt. Thomas Taylor, 676-6756 82nd Medical Group: Capt. Kathryn Escatel, 676-6075 782nd Training Group: Tech. Sgt. Lawrence Elledge, 676-3535 982nd Training Group: Master Sgt. Michael DeTrempe, 676-6532 80th Flying Training Wing: Senior Airman Erika Tack, 676-6107; Airman 1st Class Allissa Stanley, 676-5055