Photo By Daniel Barney | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. - U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew McClain,...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. –
The 2021 Air Force Assistance Fund campaign is fully underway on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, and more Airmen and Guardians are sharing their experiences using the AFAF benefits. The AFAF is an organization that assists active duty, retired, enlisted, and officer Airmen and Guardians with emergency needs, educational assistance, and family support, with the help of contributions from other Airmen and Guardians.
One Airman, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew McClain, 305th Aerial Port Station Mobility Training unit training supervisor, shares his experience with the AFAF.
“A while back, I remembered hearing about AFAF but I never felt the need to use it,” said McClain. “I had a change of mind, yearning to learn more about Air Force Aid Society since I had some emergency issues to resolve.”
McClain stated that when he talked to one of the AFAF representatives, he immediately applied for the program where he managed to use Air Force Aid Society more than once to take care of emergency situations.
“The first time I applied with AFAF was back in 2017, when I did not have an emergency account to pay for my vehicular repairs,” stated McClain. “When I sought help from an AFAF representative, the individual told me about me about AFAS and the benefits that it offered.”
After the discussion, McClain was able to apply for the AFAS zero percent loan. Despite not having much credit experience at that time, McClain was approved for the loan, without getting a credit background check.
“All I had to do was to make sure that I was able to pay the loan back in time,” McClain said. “This was no problem for me because the Federal government was able to deduct some money from my paychecks, depending on how much I requested to be deducted.”
In the year of 2019, McClain had another emergency situation to resolve.
“I received a call from a physician, informing me about my mother’s health,” stated McClain. “The physician told me that my mother will be getting prepared to do open heart surgery. I planned to drive from New Jersey to Georgia to make it to the hospital but I did not have the funds to cover my expenses.”
McClain’s supervisor gave him advice about his emergency situation, and again recommended the AFAS, this time a grant instead of a loan.
The AFAF representative assisted McClain with creating an estimated budget to cover for his expenses, including vehicular mileage, food, gas, and lodging. Once completed, McClain was approved for the emergency grant.
“I received a check from AFAS and I did not have pay anything back for it,” stated McClain. “I was able to use that grant to take care of myself, while attending to my mother’s surgery. That alleviated so much stress from me, and I am very thankful that AFAS looked out for Airmen, like me, that were in dire need of assistance.”
McClain stated that his AFAF experience gave him the confidence to inform more Airmen about the organization and how it helped him to overcome obstacles during his time of service.
AFAF will continue to provide full support for Airmen, like McClain, and Guardians who need emergency assistance, no matter the time of day.
If you would like to contribute to the AFAF campaign, then please log into the website: www.afassistancefund.org or go to the AFAF Facebook social media page. It takes a fellow Airman and Guardian to save others, one donation at a time! Story was originally posted to the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst website on Apr.14, 2021, and may be found at: https://www.jbmdl.jb.mil/News/Article/2572792/aiding-our-airmen-airman-shares-past-experiences-using-air-force-assistance-fund/
| Date Taken: | 04.14.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.29.2021 11:43 |
| Story ID: | 412090 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 41 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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