Altus AFB ranks third in Air Force Assistance Fund campaign

ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, OK, UNITED STATES

05.29.2015

Story by Airman 1st Class Megan Myhre 

97th Air Mobility Wing

ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. – Altus Air Force Base raised $39,433 during the 2015 Air Force Assistance Fund campaign.

The campaign, which ran March 2 – April 10, saw Altus AFB surpass its intended goal of $30,000.

“This year, Altus raised well above what we’ve done in previous years,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Jordan Birt, the installation project officer for the 2015 campaign. “In recent years, we’ve had cuts in the members on base, so while the amount of active duty members on base is significantly less, during this campaign we raised more money than before.”

The 2015 goal for Altus AFB was set at $22,328 by U.S. Air Force Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, the chief of staff of the Air Force, however, the wing was confident that Altus AFB could do better, and raised the goal to $30,000.

Based on the goals set by Welsh, which took into consideration the size of the base, Altus came in third out of 79 installations in not only active duty participation, but also funds raised.

“Gen. Welsh gave us a goal based on our manning, and based on that goal, we were 176.6 percent above his goal. We were the third highest in the Air Force,” said Birt. “Our participation rate was also above 27 percent, which was also the third highest in the Air Force. There’s definitely a correlation between how many people participated and how well we did Air Force wide. Even though we’re a small base, we had a lot of people participating and that corresponded to doing really well overall.”

The funds raised by the campaign will be distributed between four charitable affiliate organizations, including The Air Force Village Foundation, The Air Force Aid Society, The General and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation, and The Air Force Enlisted Village.

Of the $39,433 raised, 95 cents of every dollar went directly toward the charities.

“There is very little overhead, so it’s a worthwhile campaign for these four charities,” said Birt. “It shows that we, as Airmen, take care of our own.”

Any Airmen in financial need can take advantage of the Air Force Assistance Fund. It can help pay for bills, family emergencies, or even help put children through college, said Birt.

“I think since we are a training base, we put a lot of our focus on helping others and being good wingmen and, as a result, the climate here at Altus was really conducive to a really good campaign,” said Birt. “It was an all-hands-on-deck effort and it was that team effort that really made Altus AFB shine.”

• Date Taken: 05.29.2015
• Date Posted: 05.29.2015 17:27
• Story ID: 164950
• Location: ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, OK, US