Photo By Scott Sturkol | Bobby T. Kim, Financial Readiness Program manager and Army Emergency Relief (AER)...... read more read more
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Dozens of Fort McCoy community members participated in the 2020 Army Emergency Relief (AER) Campaign Kick-Off breakfast March 3 at McCoy’s Community Center on post.
Bobby T. Kim, Financial Readiness Program manager and AER officer with Fort McCoy Army Community Service (ACS), addressed breakfast-goers about everything AER does to help its customers.
“AER has utilized more than $2 billion to help more than 4 million Soldiers since 1942,” Kim said.
AER helps provide emergency financial funds for food, rent, funeral expenses, emergency medical expenses, and other needs. Contributions to AER help active-duty Soldiers (single and married) and their families, retirees and their family members, and surviving spouses or orphans of Soldiers who died while on active duty or after they retired.
“The annual AER Campaign is an opportunity to tell everyone about the programs provided by AER,” Kim said. “Every donation helps.”
According to AER Headquarters, AER provides millions of dollars of assistance to tens of thousands of people every year. This includes millions for scholarships to spouses and children of Soldiers. Out of every dollar donated, 90 cents goes to help Soldiers and their families.
“The AER scholarship program eases the financial burdens of our active-duty and retired Soldiers by providing $500 to $3,400 scholarships per year toward an undergraduate degree program,” Kim said. “AER scholarships do not pay for the whole undergraduate education; however, any amount paid toward that education for a family is a relief and less amount to borrow in student loans.”
Kim said many students at Fort McCoy have benefitted from the scholarships. During the 2018-19 school year, 23 students from Fort McCoy received AER scholarships totaling $51,950. And so far during the 2019-20 school year, 35 students received AER scholarships totaling more than $44,000.
“Again, this is why it’s important for people to donate to Army Emergency Relief,” Kim said. “These scholarships directly affect people in our own community.”
In addition to government civilian employees and Soldiers, retired Army personnel also can donate to the AER campaign. Visit www.armyemergencyrelief.org or call Fort McCoy ACS to learn more about how to donate or to apply for assistance from AER.
The 2020 AER campaign continues through May 15.
Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services each year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
| Date Taken: | 03.06.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 03.06.2020 16:31 |
| Story ID: | 364676 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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