News from Our Partners: Air Force Assistance Fund Campaign Ramping Up!

“Taking Care of our Own”, “A Commitment to Caring” and “Paying it Forward” have been our guiding principles for 84 years now.  Thanks to your contributions to the Air Force Assistance Fund over the years, hundreds of thousands of our Department of the Air Force (DAF) family members have gotten the assistance they’ve needed when they needed it most!

As we are getting ready for the start of the 53rd annual Air Force Assistance Fund (AFAF) Campaign, we’d like to let you know about some of what our four official charities of the Air & Space Forces have been doing to help our DAF family, as well as pass on thanks from those who you’ve personally helped.
Below are recent updates from the AFAF charities, telling the stories of the great good that your donations accomplish…

The General & Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation: For nearly 40 years, we have fulfilled our promise to provide stability and care for those who rely on us. Your continued donations help keep surviving spouses in their homes. In 2025, we distributed $236,922 in monthly supplemental grants, along with $27,391 in one-time assistance.  Most of this assistance covered essential health services, including eye care, major dental treatments and hearing aids & exams.  

Additionally, past due housing expenses were addressed.  One of our widows’ daughters, Mrs. Billie of San Diego, put it this way: “When life takes a toll and especially takes your spouse who has served his or her country in the Air Force , and you are left with little or no means of support, there is the LeMay Foundation…the level of care she has received since 2010 has been what has sustained her to the age of 95, despite having Alzheimer’s Disease and requiring care 24/7.  The LeMay Foundation was and is an answer to prayer.”  We truly appreciate your effort in making this possible.  Together, we are committed to meeting the needs of Air & Space Force families.

Air Force Villages Charitable Foundation:  Established in 1970, the Air Force Villages Charitable Foundation (AFVCF) exists to support surviving spouses of retired officers who, through no fault of their own, find themselves unable to afford the cost of senior living. Each year, AFVCF provides more than one million dollars in assistance to these Air Force family members, enabling them to reside at Blue Skies of Texas—ranked by Newsweek as the #1 Continuing Care Retirement Community in Texas and #8 in the nation.

Your donations helped a long-time U.S. Air Force widow achieve stability and peace of mind. Following the passing of her retired Lieutenant Colonel spouse in 2022, she discovered that her financial resources were no longer sufficient. As her need for more advanced and costly care increased, contributions to the Air Force Assistance Fund helped provide essential support, including medications, dental care, eyeglasses, and safe housing. Through this assistance, her Air Force family was able to bridge the gap and ensure she continues to live with dignity and security. 

Air & Space Forces Aid Society (AFAS):  New Name. Same Mission.  Thanks to the generosity of our retirees, donors, and partners, AFAS is proud to share the impact this support makes possible for Airmen, Guardians, and their families. In 2025, $11.6 million in direct assistance was provided to more than 12,600 individuals and families, helping them navigate unexpected financial challenges, emergencies, education costs, childcare needs, and major life transitions.

One especially meaningful effort was our Home for the Holidays program, which provided more than $300,000 in airfare grants to help over 280 single Airmen and Guardians travel home to their loved ones during the holiday season.  Building on last year’s momentum, AFAS has introduced enhancements to better meet the evolving needs of service members and their families.

Car seat grants increased from $150 to $200, with expanded eligibility for more Guard and Reserve members. Service members who complete our free, online Financial Lift-Off program are now eligible for a $500 loan-to-grant credit (double the amount offered in 2025). In addition, spouses and dependents can now earn their GED at no cost through a self-paced online program. 

Thank you for standing by our Air and Space Force families. Together we are making a difference! To get help or give help, visit afas.org.

Air Force Enlisted Village: Because of your generosity through the Air Force Assistance Fund, hundreds of surviving spouses of enlisted Air Force retirees have found not just housing—but a true home—at Bob Hope Village and Hawthorn House.  Thanks to your support, we were able to provide more than $700,000 to help surviving spouses offset their cost of living who would not have been able to afford it on their own in 2025.

These funds represent more than financial assistance—they represent peace of mind, stability, and the promise that the Air Force family never forgets its own. Miss Ann’s late husband, a retired master sergeant and USAF photographer, documented the construction of Bob Hope Village in the early 1980s.  Two years ago, Ann moved to Bob Hope Village and today, she says there are simply no words to express how she feels!  Ann especially treasures the reliable transportation that helps her get around.  What means the most to her, though, is the sense of family she discovered.  “Everybody here loves each other and helps each other without even asking,” she shared through grateful tears. “I’m just the happiest person on earth. No words to explain it.”  Your kindness helps us continue our mission of honoring the service and sacrifice of our enlisted families by ensuring their loved ones are cared for with dignity and compassion. 

From all of us at the Air Force Enlisted Village—Thank You for helping us keep this promise. Your support changes lives.  To learn more about our mission visit afev.us!

If you would like to make a 2026 contribution, you can give anytime online now at https://www.afassistancefund.org.  Just click the red “DONATE NOW!!” button near the top right of the page.  You’ll be taken to our donation page where, on the right side of the page, you can choose to either use a donation form to authorize payroll deduction donations, or document where you’d like your check or money order donation to go. 

Then there’s our “E-Giving” option, on the left side of the page, where you can help your favorite base and squadron by giving directly to their campaign—just scroll down to the “DONATE TODAY WITH OUR NEW PEER-TO-PEER PLATFORM” box and click the “Donate Today!” button. 

When you click the “Find a Base” button, you’ll be able to click on the base link where each squadron/organization will have their own link.  Just click on the squadron’s “View Page” button to donate on that page and support the unit goal.  You can also give this way by texting AFAF to 50155 using your smart phone.

Join the AFAF Wingman Squadron today by signing up for monthly giving and your monthly donation won’t automatically stop after just one year—unless you pause or stop it yourself.  You’re in full control with your giving account!  In fact, if you authorize monthly recurring e-giving, it’s highly recommended that you set up an account.  You can do that while making your donation online.  Here’s how:  Once on your favorite squadron’s page, instead of clicking the “Donate Now!” button, click the “Join My Team” button.  There, you’ll be able to register an account and maintain 100% control over your giving!
 
Again, if e-Giving isn’t your thing, that’s okay.  You can still give by check, money order, cashier’s check, or through the annual payroll deduction plan from your retired pay.  The contribution form can be found online at https://www.afassistancefund.org/index.php/donate/.   Please be aware that retirees’ payroll deduction allotment authorizations mailed to AFPC will not begin coming from retired pay until 1 July 2026 and will run until 1 June 2027.  Also, payroll deduction is for retirees and is not available to annuitant surviving spouses.

*****PLEASE DON’T SEND CASH IN THE MAIL*****
Mail Check and Payroll Deduction Plan Donations to:
AIR FORCE ASSISTANCE FUND
AFPC/DPPPMB
550 C STREET WEST
JBSA RANDOLPH TX  78150

Thank you once again for your continued support of the annual AFAF Campaign, and our fellow Airmen, Guardians, and their families.  Retired, but still Active!

Page updated Mar. 25, 2026