Photo By Chris Gardner | From left, Zilpa Oseguera, interim Army Community Service chief; Kenneth Lewis,...... read more read more
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FORT SILL, Okla. — Fort Sill closed its 2026 Army Emergency Relief campaign with $356,164 in final donations and pledges from 4,533 participants, exceeding its goal by more than 26% and reaching 100% service member contact across the installation.
For Soldiers and families, the campaign means emergency help is available when unexpected financial challenges threaten stability, readiness and peace of mind. Army Emergency Relief, commonly known as AER, provides Soldiers, retirees and Army families with financial assistance through interest-free loans, grants and scholarships.
At Fort Sill, the program most commonly helps with emergencies such as rent and utilities, food insecurity, car repairs and travel for family emergencies.
“These are the issues that impact readiness and stability the most,” said Zilpa Oseguera, interim Army Community Service chief. “Raising $356,164 shows Fort Sill’s deep commitment to taking care of Soldiers, retirees and families. It reflects a community that consistently steps up to support one another.”
This year’s campaign focused on both giving and awareness. Oseguera said reaching 100% service member contact means every Soldier was personally informed about AER resources.
“This was crucial because awareness is the first step in ensuring Soldiers know they’re never alone during financial challenges,” Oseguera said.
Col. John Morgan, Fort Sill garrison commander, said the campaign directly supports readiness by giving Soldiers and families a dependable place to turn during emergencies.
“The success of the AER campaign directly translates to readiness and peace of mind for our most valuable asset, our people,” Morgan said. “Army Emergency Relief ensures that when Soldiers and their families encounter unexpected financial hurdles, whether it is an emergency car repair, a sudden medical bill or help with rent, they have a compassionate safety net they can rely on without the stress of high-interest debt.”
Morgan said Fort Sill’s support for AER reflects the installation’s commitment to taking care of its people.
“Fort Sill’s strong support for AER speaks volumes about the heart of this community and our deep commitment to ‘Soldiers helping Soldiers,’” Morgan said. “Every dollar we raise helps ensure our families are supported and never have to face a financial crisis alone.”
Kenneth Lewis, Financial Readiness Program specialist with DFMWR/ACS, served as the overall leader and liaison for the Fort Sill AER team. He said the team reached Soldiers through social media, local television, print resources, face-to-face meetings and briefings across the installation.
The most effective outreach, Lewis said, happened in small-group settings with platoons, companies and batteries, where Soldiers had more opportunities to ask questions and understand how AER works.
“We used many different means to reach the Soldiers across the installation,” Lewis said. “But I would say the most effective way we reached the Soldiers was through small group presentations.”
The campaign team also worked around deployments, training schedules and operational tempo, sometimes conducting weekend briefings to reach Soldiers who could not attend during the duty week.
Lewis said the message that resonated most was simple: AER gives Soldiers a way to help one another before an unexpected hardship becomes overwhelming.
“A lot of them think they may not need or will ever use AER,” Lewis said. “But then I tell stories of how some Soldiers, many of them senior NCOs and officers, feel the same way until something totally unexpected happens, like a death in the family or a really expensive car repair that they cannot afford to pay totally out of pocket. That is what AER is really for, the unexpected.”
Staff Sgt. Javier Mendez Hernandez served as the AER Campaign Coordinator NCOIC and helped oversee campaign execution across Fort Sill. His role included ensuring Soldiers were informed about the program and had the opportunity to ask questions, seek assistance or contribute.
Hernandez said many Soldiers had questions about privacy and debt.
“Many were worried that their chain of command would have full visibility into their personal financial business,” Hernandez said.
Those concerns made personal briefings especially important, he said. Soldiers need to know about AER before a crisis happens so they can make informed decisions under stress.
“It is important for Soldiers to know about AER before a crisis hits so that the resource is already in their toolkit when they are under stress,” Hernandez said. “Financial emergencies often force people to make quick decisions. If Soldiers already know AER is there for them, their first instinct will be to utilize this safe, zero-interest Army resource rather than falling victim to off-post predatory lenders.”
For Hernandez, the campaign was also personal. He had used AER in the past and understood its value from the recipient’s side. Briefing Soldiers gave him a new appreciation for the program.
“Being on the other side, going out, briefing Soldiers and actively educating them about these benefits, gave me a completely new appreciation for the program,” Hernandez said. “It showed me that Fort Sill has a genuine culture of taking care of its people.”
Daniel Farrell, Personal Financial Readiness specialist with DFMWR/ACS, said the campaign showed how small contributions can have a major impact.
“That message resonated deeply across our entire community this year, and the results speak for themselves,” Farrell said. “We proved that every single dollar makes a difference.”
Farrell said support came from Soldiers giving a few dollars in cash at graduation events, civilians making online contributions, retirees setting up monthly payroll deductions and donors making larger contributions.
“Participation is about solidarity, not just the dollar amount,” Farrell said. “When a Soldier gives, even if it is just a single dollar, they are actively investing in the safety net that protects their peers. It sends a powerful message that ‘I have your back.’”
Since the beginning of 2026, Fort Sill Soldiers and their families have already received more than $721,000 in direct assistance through Army Emergency Relief, Farrell said. More than $138,000 of that assistance was distributed as grants, meaning families received emergency help without a requirement to repay it.
“We don’t just measure the success of this campaign in dollars raised,” Farrell said. “We measure it in the families we’ve kept safe, housed and supported.”
Oseguera said the campaign’s success came from strong leadership support, engaged unit representatives, clear communication, genuine trust and a community-wide belief in AER’s mission. She said she hopes Soldiers understand that asking for help is not something to be embarrassed about.
“Asking AER for help is a sign of strength, not weakness,” Oseguera said. “AER exists to support them, without judgment, and every request is handled with care, confidentiality and respect.”
Soldiers, retirees and family members who need AER assistance can apply at any time at armyemergencyrelief.org by submitting an online application. Questions about the online process may be directed to the Fort Sill AER team at the Welcome Center, Building 4700, at 580-574-4668.
| Date Taken: | 07.21.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2026 15:24 |
| Story ID: | 570426 |
| Location: | FORT SILL, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Hometown: | LAWTON, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 21 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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