RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Randolph Air Force Base completed another successful Air Force Assistance Fund campaign this month, with pledges of more than $162,000 over six weeks.
Nearly 1,400 donors, including 1,072 active-duty members and 318 retirees and civilian employees, contributed to the campaign, nearly doubling the base's Air Force-assigned goal of $87,351.
"Across the board, all our organizations did great," said Maj. Gordon Pfeil, Randolph AFAF program manager. "It was a phenomenal performance. AETC did particularly well."
Headquarters Air Education and Training Command pledged $75,497, 299 percent of its assigned goal.
The Randolph community's contributions ranked high in the Air Force, placing the base sixth out of 77 installations for percentage of monetary target achieved and overall dollar amount raised, Major Pfeil said. Randolph also ranked eighth in the Air Force for percentage of active-duty personnel who contributed to the campaign; statistics showed 31.6 percent of the base's Airmen pledged donations.
"Randolph is a generous community, and they showed it again," he said.
The AFAF campaign is an annual fundraising effort that benefits the four Air Force charities - the Air Force Aid Society, the Air Force Villages Indigent Widows' Fund, the Air Force Enlisted Village Indigent Widows' Fund and the Gen. and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation.
All of the base's major organizations exceeded their unit goals, including AETC; the 12th Flying Training Wing, which raised $14,785, 157 percent of its goal; Headquarters Air Force Personnel Center, $29,961, 144 percent of its goal; and 902nd Mission Support Group, $6,658, 136 percent of its goal.
Major Pfeil said unit fundraisers such as a barbecue, a silent auction and a bowling event contributed to the total, but most of the donations came from individuals.
He thanked the members of the AFAF team, especially those at the unit level "who are really responsible for the success of the campaign," as well as unit commanders and first sergeants for helping raise awareness of the campaign and the Randolph community, which, he said, "always provides fantastic support."
Major Pfeil said the Air Force charities really help those most in need. Three of them benefit the widows of career Airmen, while the Air Force Aid Society supports active-duty members, "from the youngest Airmen to the most senior officers."
"In a difficult economy, these charities are more important than ever," he said.
Major Pfeil said serving as program manager was a "great honor."
"I'm happy to have been part of it and to have contributed to it in some small way, but its success is due to a lot of hard work by project officers and key workers across the installation," he said.