The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society’s (NMCRS) 2018 Fund Drive is in full swing through April 30, but even after the fund drive ends, NMCRS still relies on donations to help Sailors and Marines in times of need.
NMCRS helps Sailors and Marines with interest free loans and grants that otherwise would create a lot of stress for them at home and at work. If everyone gives just a little it goes a long way in helping our service members and prevents them from taking out high interest loans which only make the situation worse.
“When we see clients who are having financial difficulties – particularly for basic living expenses like food, rent, and utilities – if they don’t know where to turn to for financial help are they really concentrating on their mission 100 percent,” said Maureen Farrell, director of the Patuxent River NMCRS Office. “Especially here at Pax River where we have some of the most advanced testing happening in the air, we want to make sure that these Sailors and Marines with financial difficulties can have them alleviated so they can focus on their jobs and families.”
The donations received by NMCRS directly support active duty and retired Sailors and Marines, eligible family members with military ID card, surviving spouses, and some Reservists on active duty.
“This is an organization that provides help to our Sailors and Marines when they need it most,” said Capt. Jason Hammond, NAS Patuxent River commanding officer. “In my 25 years in the Navy I have seen firsthand the impact the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society can have on a Sailor or Marine in a time of need – be it during a family emergency, a natural disaster, or just an unexpected expense. And because it is entirely driven by donations, the personnel who donate to NMCRS know they are contributing to the well-being of their fellow service members; it truly is an example of shipmates helping shipmates.”
In 2017, Patuxent River’s NMCRS office served 297 clients and provided more than $225,000 in financial assistance to active duty and retired members of the Navy and Marine Corps, qualifying family members, widows and survivors. Help in the form of Quick Assist Loans (QAL), interest-free loans, grants and financial education is available regardless of the military member’s rank.
In addition to financial assistance, NMCRS offers financial planning for Sailors and Marines throughout all periods of their careers and lives. Farrell explained that NMCRS offers these financial planning services as means to better prepare Sailors and Marines for their careers in and out of the service, including times of hardship.
“It is basically an all-encompassing financial education and assistance community at NMCRS,” said Farrell. “In fact, we love to see people before they have a problem. When I do command indoc, one of the big things I emphasize to Sailors and Marines is that we know that you’re going to be here for about three years; we know what you goals are as far as your career– you want to make rank, get certified in certain things – but what are your financial goals for the next three years? And having a plan and putting it into action will allow you to save for your future. And one of the things we see more often than not is that few people have any emergency funds set aside.”
She stressed that retirees can also take advantage of NMCRS assistance programs.
“Military retirees often need assistance as well because they have medical issues or they are between insurance plans,” said Farrell. “Expenses like that can add up, so being able cover expenses when you’re on a fixed income can be a big relief, and NMCRS can help there too.”
2017 saw a number of events that proved the flexibility of NMCRS, as well as its need for donations.
“Last year we had the hurricanes in the Gulf, Florida, and Puerto Rico, as well as the shipboard accidents of the [USS] McCain and Fitzgerald,” said Farrell.
She explained that specifically in the case of USS Fitzgerald, the NMCRS offices in Japan provided whatever help they could to those Sailors when they returned to port.
“The volunteers of those NMCRS offices were standing on the docks when those Sailors came in with tables of clothes, toiletries, and other things they would need but couldn’t return to their bunks to get, said Farrell. “So it’s not always a financial assist, it’s whatever our service members need at the time.”
Farrell added that NMCRS is constantly reviewing its policies to keep up with what is happening in the service to better meet the changing needs of Sailors and Marines. Following the devastating 2017 hurricane season, NMCRS quickly reevaluated its loan policy based on the number of Sailors and Marines affected by those storms.
“While we generally serve only Sailors and Marines and their immediate families, when we had all those hurricanes hit in quick succession NMCRS realized that a number of Sailors and Marines had family members in the areas affected by those storms,” said Farrell. “NMCRS readjusted its policy and allowed them to get interest-free loans of up to $500 to send to their families in those affected areas for whatever they needed, which is something we had never done before, but headquarters saw a need and changed the policy on the spot. It’s something I love about the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society – it is constantly reviewing what the needs of our service members are and how best can we meet them.”
Why NMCRS works
The volunteers of the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society Center at NAS Patuxent River have a demanding job, but they understand why NMCRS is so important. Worldwide, NMCRS only has about 200 paid employees; the remaining 4,500 are all volunteers who recognize the importance of their support to the Navy-Marine Corps team.
“I think we do so well because we’re very understanding of the Sailors and Marines that come in,” said Patricia Thumm, Patuxent River NMCRS Office chairman of volunteers. “We’re not judgmental, we’re very caring, and we understand because most of us have been in similar situations.”
Thumm also stressed that regardless of rank, problems can happen at any time and NMCRS is there to help when it does.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re enlisted or an officer – they’re eligible to come in,” said Thumm.
For more information on NMCRS services, to donate, or to find your command NMCRS representative, contact Maureen Farrell at 301-342-4739 or Maureen.Farrell@nmcrs.org. Donations can also be made online at http://www.nmcrs.org/.
The NAS Patuxent River Exchange is also selling coupons with discounts at the NEX for $5 with all proceeds going to the NMCRS Fund Drive.
The Patuxent River NMCRS office is located in Building 401, and is open for assistance 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
| Date Taken: | 04.10.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 04.10.2018 14:23 |
| Story ID: | 272489 |
| Location: | PATUXENT RIVER, MD, US |
| Web Views: | 146 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Needs Shipmates to Help Shipmates at Pax, by CPO Patrick Gordon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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