2007 Air Force Assistance Fund Campaign comes to conclusion Published May 30, 2007 By Airman 1st Class Oleksandra G. Manko Nellis Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The six-week-long Air Force Assistance Fund Campaign held at Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases ended May 4. Nellis and Creech donated $133,800, exceeding the set goal by almost $4,000. All contributions made to AFAF are divided among four charity organizations: the Air Force Aid Society, the LeMay foundation, the Air Force Villages foundation and the Air Force Enlisted Villages. Each organization targets a specific group in the Air Force family, which includes servicemembers, dependants, retirees and widows. Assistance is provided in forms of grants and no-interest loans in areas ranging from education to childcare, housing, health care and various emergency situations. According to Maj. Greg Lowe, the Nellis and Creech AFAF project officer, each individual donor chooses which organization his money goes to. "It is a great program," he said. "I like it because it's all about Airmen helping Airmen. I enjoy what I do, I enjoy the people I work with, and I wanted to give something back," he said, explaining why he volunteered to run the program this year. The goal set for 2007 was to ensure each servicemember had the opportunity to donate. More than 300 volunteers selected from every unit were assigned as project officers and key workers, tasked with contacting every Airman on the installations. The combined Nellis and Creech campaign is the fifth largest in the Air Force as it encompasses more than 8,000 Airmen. Striving for 100 percent contact is time-consuming, but participating in such a noble project is very rewarding, said Major Lowe. The "Five Dollars Can Make a Difference" campaign was employed this year, targeting the 7,000 Airmen who chose not to participate in the program in 2006. The campaign proved effective, as it raised participation rate from 17 percent last year to 35 percent in 2007. For more information on AFAF, members can visit the AFAF Web site: www.afassistancefund.org.
