Photo By Scott Sturkol | Kevin Herman, Army Community Service director with the Directorate of Family and...... read more read more
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Army Community Service (ACS) hosted the Army Emergency Relief (AER) Campaign Kickoff breakfast Feb. 27 at McCoy’s Community Center.
ACS Director Kevin Herman gave an overview of the services provided by AER as well as its 2019 campaign goals to about 50 Soldiers while they enjoyed eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, and fresh fruit.
AER is the Army's emergency financial-assistance organization and is dedicated to “Helping the Army Take Care of its Own,” according to www.aerhq.org. The nonprofit proves grants, interest-free loans, and scholarships to active-duty Soldiers and reservists; retirees; and Family members, including surviving family members.
In 2018, Fort McCoy community members received almost $100,000 from AER, Herman said.
AER is designed to help those eligible get through rough financial patches without resorting to high-interest payday loans. The program covers a variety of expenses, including home and auto repairs, travel assistance for emergency leave, medical expenses, and moving costs.
“We want to prevent you from going to these predatory lenders,” Herman said.
One new category AER is helping Soldiers with is purchasing car seats for children, he said. AER will give families up to $250 toward the purchase of a car seat, whether it’s for a new infant or a child who has outgrown his or her current car seat.
Herman encouraged attendees to spread the word about AER and send Soldiers or Family members to ACS if they’re experiencing financial difficulties.
“If we can’t help them through AER, we have a multitude of other agencies in the area that may be able to assist them,” he said. ACS also offers financial counseling, classes, and a variety of other services.
He also encouraged Soldiers to check out AER’s scholarship program.
“When I last checked, it was (averaging) $2,700 per recipient,” Herman said. “That’s a lot of books, isn’t it?”
Information on scholarships, including eligibility and academic requirements, is available online at www.aerhq.org.
The 2019 campaign is March 1 through May 15. Anyone interested in contributing can contact the Fort McCoy ACS office at 608-388-3505.
| Date Taken: | 03.06.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 03.06.2019 13:07 |
| Story ID: | 313159 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 116 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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