A Message From Our President
“WE ARE ALSO INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL TO USAA FOR PROVIDING $2.5 MILLION AND LOCKHEED MARTIN FOR DONATING $1 MILLION IN COVID-19 RELIEF.”
Mr. James C. Reagan BOARD OF TRUSTEES PRESIDENT
The past year marks my 8th year on the AFAS Board of Trustees and my first year as its President. Over the past year, I had the honor of welcoming the new AFAS CEO, the retired 18th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright. In 2020, we also welcomed new Air Force leadership to the Board that included: Mr. John P. Roth, Acting Secretary of the Air Force; Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., Chief of Staff of the Air Force; the 20th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass along with Space Force leadership: Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond and Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Roger A. Towberman. Without a doubt, the greatest challenge we faced in 2020 was assisting our Airmen and Guardians impacted by COVID-19. In one way or another, the unprecedented impact of the pandemic touched the lives of each of our Airmen and Guardians – but for all of them, their missions continued. Some of our service members became first responders overnight, helping with COVID testing sites, administering and distributing vaccines, as well as providing other essential support. Many risked their lives while some lost their lives in service to our country. Everything we do at the Air Force Aid Society ensures that our Airmen, Guardians, and their families are taken care of 365/24/7. We are so thankful to all of our supporters who donated in 2020 to help further our mission during the global pandemic. We are also incredibly grateful to USAA for providing $2.5 million and Lockheed Martin for donating $1 million in COVID-19 relief. With that funding, AFAS was able to offer over $2 million in unbudgeted emergency COVID support. We launched a new Virtual Schooling Grant Program to provide up to $250 to our service members with school-age children who were experiencing financial hardships paying for homeschooling supplies and technology. We also extended funding for our General Henry H. Arnold Education Program. We provided an additional $1,000 in interest-free loans to our families with dependents attending college who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We continued providing support through our Emergency Assistance Program by offering grants and no-interest loans to help stabilize our Airmen and Guardian’s financial emergency needs. We are thankful that our financials remained strong in 2020 due to the increased support we received from our corporate partners, and the revenue from our two main fundraising events – the Air Force Assistance Fund campaign which raised a total of $1.76 million for AFAS, including over $400,000 in support from the Army Air Force Exchange Service’s year-round giving campaign. Our second major fundraiser, the U.S. Air Force Charity Ball, raised a record of $877,303. This record result was even more remarkable in light of the pandemic-related cancellation of the event. Kudos to the Air Force Officers’ Spouses’ Club of DC Charity Ball Committee for all of the work that went into that event. We were also fortunate to receive $973,000 in estate bequests from those who generously supported AFAS in their estate planning. While the pandemic hit us unexpectedly, we were able to render well-needed support to our service members because of you, our generous partners, and supporters. This year showed how resilient we are when faced with adversity and the need to pivot quickly to offer whatever support our service members need at a moment’s notice. As always, we thank our Airmen, Guardians and their families for allowing us to be of service. A special thanks to our Board, talented staff, the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, our Airman & Family Readiness Center (A&FRC) staff, along with our Military Relief Society partners, the American Red Cross, and our Air Force sister charities.
With appreciation,
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