Armed Services HomeA disabled daughter of a U.S. Air Force airman is able to access her family’s van, thanks to a grant from the Air Force Aid Society, Inc. (AFAS). The nine year-old girl has a rare genetic condition that leaves her wheelchair bound. “Thank you so much for the generous grant for the van modifications,” wrote her father upon receiving the grant. “The gift was so overwhelming, I was brought to tears. God Bless you and your donors.”
Since its founding in 1942, AFAS has assisted more than 40,000 Air Force members and their families.
Following the flooding of the Souris River that ravaged the Minot Air Force Base area in the summer of 2011, AFAS provided more than $100,000 in assistance to families whose homes were severely damaged or completely destroyed. An airman’s family devastated by the flood said he was ecstatic and relieved to learn his family would receive more than $7,000 in assistance.
In 2012, AFAS is celebrating 70 years of “airmen helping airmen.” The official charity of the U.S. Air Force, AFAS has supported more than 7,600 airmen in the first quarter of 2012 alone. The society helps to relieve distress of Air Force members and their families by assisting them with finances for emergency situations, education and various base-community enhancement programs.
Since its founding in 1942, AFAS has assisted more than 40,000 Air Force members and their families. Assistance totaled $18 million in 2011 alone. More than half of assistance in 2011 aided emergency needs, such as vehicle repairs, emergency travel, rent and utilities.
AFAS is part of the Fund in Support of Our Troops, a Raytheon employee-sponsored, donor-advised fund that benefits nine Armed Services organizations. Fund donations are evenly distributed to each organization, including AFAS, once during the year.
To learn more about the AFAS visit http://www.afas.org.