JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
The 2017 Army Emergency Relief kick-off campaign take place at 10:30 a.m. March 1 at the Fort Sam Houston Theater, building 2270 on Stanley Road at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, with Lt. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan, ARNORTH commanding general, as guest speaker. A reception at the Fort Sam Houston Theater will immediately follow the ceremony.
This year, Army Emergency Relief, or AER, celebrates its 75th Anniversary of dedication to “Soldiers helping Soldiers” by providing Soldiers and their families assistance for a wide variety of financial situations with no-interest loans or grants.
AER is a private non-profit organization with a mission to provide financial assistance to Army Soldiers in times of a valid emergency need. Last year, AER provided JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Soldiers and their families with $654,933.82 in assistance, including loans of $587,742.97, grants of $43,849.65 and partial loans and partial grants totaling $23,341.20.
During the AER 2016 campaign, the community donated $137,010.99. This year’s campaign goal is $150,000.
AER’s scholarship program is a secondary mission to help Army families with the cost of education.
AER offers two scholarships: the Spouse Education Assistance Program and the Maj. Gen. James Ursano Scholarship Program for Dependent Children.
The Spouse Education Assistance Program provides need-based scholarships for Spouses of Soldiers. Recipients are eligible to receive scholarships for up to four years of full-time enrollment or eight years of part-time enrollment in an accredited college or university.
Funds may be used for tuition, fees, books, supplies, English as a Second Language and GED classes, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) tests.
Scholarships may not be used for second undergraduate degrees or master’s programs. The Ursano scholarship provides need-based scholarships for children of Soldiers. Recipients are eligible to receive scholarships for up to four years of full-time enrollment in an accredited college or university. Funds may be used for tuition, fees, books, supplies and room and board. Scholarships may not be used for second undergraduate degrees or master’s programs. For scholarship eligibility and how to apply, visit the AER website at http://www.aerhq.org.
The scholarship application timeline opened Jan. 1 with the deadline for all applications and supporting documents submitted online of April 1. Last year, AER awarded $7.9M in scholarships to 4,149 dependent children and spouses of Army Soldiers. The average award was $1,516 for spouses and $2,065 for children.
For more information on the AER campaign, call the Installation Army Emergency Relief office at 221-1612.
(Source: Army Emergency Relief)