AFAF campaign kicks off Monday Published March 21, 2013 By Donovan Jackson Air University Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. - -- The 40th annual Air Force Assistance Fund Campaign kicks off Monday and runs until May 3. The AFAF is an official Air Force tax-exempt organization, whose mission is to raise money for charities that directly support members of the Air Force family in need. "It is doubtful that any of us are immune to the economic hardships of our current time, especially as we watch friends and family forced into furlough," said Capt. Neysa Etienne, project officer for the 2013 Air Force Assistance Fund Campaign. "Perhaps now more than ever before, the contributions we make have the greatest potential to powerfully impact our Air Force community and reach people at their critical point of need." The AFAF divides the donations into four charities: Air Force Villages, the Air Force Aid Society, the General and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation and the Air Force Enlisted Village. The villages provide retirement housing for widows and widowers, as does the LeMay Foundation. The Air Force Aid Society provides loans and grants, generally falling into three categories: education/tuition, community enhancement and emergency aid. Those organizations support the Air Force family, which include active-duty, retirees, reservists, guardsmen and their families, including surviving spouses in need. They help Air Force members with emergency aid, with educational needs or to have a secure retirement home for widows or widowers of Airmen who need financial assistance. "Each unit has a unit project officer, as well as keyworkers who will be making contact during the course of the campaign with information on how you can support your fellow Airman through one of the listed charities," Etienne said. Donation forms are available online and should be printed, completed, signed and then returned to the unit's keyworker. Donation forms can be accessed at http://www.afassistancefund.org. Last year, the Air Force Aid Society provided $10.1 million in assistance to more than 40,000 Air Force members in the form of loans and grants for various financial emergencies.