Active-Duty Fund Drive ends with success

Photo By Pfc. Cayce Nevers | Cherry Point Active-Duty Fund Drive in support of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society representatives gather for one last meeting May 8.  

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, UNITED STATES

05.08.2013

Story by Lance Cpl. Cayce Nevers 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

The Cherry Point Active-Duty Fund Drive in support of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society came to a close April 31 after bringing in approximately $60,000 during the month of April.

The money raised from the drive provides the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society with money to continue providing assistance.

“I want to share my sincerest gratitude to the Cherry Point Community for their support of this year’s Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society active-duty and related fund drive activities,” said Col. Philip J. Zimmerman, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point commanding officer. “Our Core Values of Honor, Courage and Commitment demand that we take care of our own, and you responded in overwhelming fashion.”

The society is a charitable non-profit organization that provides financial, educational and emergency assistance to Marines, Sailors and their dependents.

The main goal of the fund drive was to inform all Cherry Point service members about the society. However, providing Cherry Point service members with information about the society does not come without some difficulties.

“The Active-Duty Fund Drive is essential to providing the necessary working capital for the society to provide the interest-free financial assistance to our Marines, Sailors, and their families,” said Cmdr. Lance M. Flood, Cherry Point Active-Duty Fund Drive campaign manager. “However, while contributions are critical to enabling this support, the primary focus of the fund drive is to educate our active duty service members on the wide range of services available to them.”

While many Marines and Sailors continued the day-to-day mission of running the air station, others were deployed to Afghanistan and Yuma, Ariz. and various other locations. To accomplish the goal of this year’s fund-drive, representatives sent packets of information and passed information through phone calls to the representatives with Cherry Point units currently deployed.

This provided the deployed representatives the knowledge needed to answer questions other service members may have had regarding the society, said Gunnery Sgt. Lee M. Maples, Marine Air Control Group 28 unit fund drive leader.

The success of the fund drive each year relies mainly on the contact and information passed to every Marine and Sailor aboard the air station.

“The campaign is successful when the Marines and Sailors have been briefed on these resources and how to gain access,” said Flood. “I’m pleased that our air station community achieved the contact goal, and its effects have already been made evident from a reported increase in traffic through the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society local offices. The Cherry Point community overwhelmingly supported the campaign with more than $60,000 in combined contributions from active duty service members, Marine Corps exchange patrons, and our civilians.”

The support given to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society during this fund drive has not gone unnoticed.

“The generous contributions of our air station community will provide the working capital necessary for this essential partner to provide crisis financial and other personal support to our Marines and Sailors and their families in their time of need through mentorship and coaching without judgment,” said Zimmerman.

“These activities, in turn, ensure Marines and Sailors are fully ready when the nation calls. I thank you again for your generosity and support of our Society partners.”

Although the fund drive is over, donations are still accepted throughout the year. To make a donation, visit http://www.nmcrs.org/.

• Date Taken: 05.08.2013
• Date Posted: 05.16.2013 12:23
• Story ID: 107027
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, US