Fort Bliss Monitor

AER Campaign begins
$25,000 donation boosts beginning balance

Master Sgt. Steve Miller
Public Affairs Chief

Team Bliss held the kickoff event for its annual Army Emergency Relief fund campaign Friday at the Officers’ Club, and TriWest Healthcare Alliance ensured the effort got off to a good start.

Brig. Gen. Fran Mahon, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Center and Fort Bliss, hosted the event and accepted a $25,000 check from Scott Celley, vice president of external affairs for TriWest Healthcare Alliance, which serves the health-care needs of military members and their families in the 21-state TRICARE West Region. TriWest will make similar donations to Fort Irwin, Calif., Fort Carson, Colo. and Fort Lewis, Wash.

“We wanted to help you meet the needs that have been identified here today,” Celley said to Mahon and a gathering of about 80 unit AER project officers who will play a key role in the campaign, which runs through May 23. “We know there are a lot of needs. We want to support you in that.”

Indeed, last year Fort Bliss granted $754,000 in AER assistance via interest-free loans or grants and raised just over $180,000 during the 2004 AER campaign. The assistance provided was almost a 30 percent increase over 2003, according to Janice Gamel, post AER coordinator. During Friday’s kickoff, she said the pace of assistance Fort Bliss is providing in 2005 is 60 percent ahead of last year.

Gamel attributed last year’s jump to the increase in Reserve and National Guard forces being activated for training here. She says this year’s increase can at least be partially explained by changes in AER procedures that make the program easier to use.

One such change, implemented last fall, is the Commander’s Referral program, which allows a Soldier’s unit commander to authorize an interest-free loan of up to $500 for immediate valid financial needs. The program is designed to simplify and expedite emergency financial assistance, Gamel said.

Another change, which took effect earlier this spring, has post officials handling all AER cases on a walk-in basis – as part of a four-month trial – in order to serve Soldiers faster. The quicker turnaround time for assistance helps AER serve more people in a timely manner, Gamel said.

After the check presentation, Mahon addressed the unit project officers, emphasizing the need to make 100 percent contact.

“The key thing is to get out there and make contact,” Mahon said. “This involves Soldiers helping Soldiers. Tell them this (AER) is for you and this is for us. It’s something we all need to support and encourage.”

Mahon and other post leaders concluded the kickoff by signing their AER campaign forms to seal the deal on their own donations to this year’s campaign.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	May 5 , 2005

	AER Campaign begins $25,000 donation boosts beginning balance Master Sgt. Steve Miller Public Affairs Chief Team Bliss held the kickoff event for its annual Army Emergency Relief fund campaign Friday at the Officers’ Club, and TriWest Healthcare Alliance ensured the effort got off to a good start. Brig. Gen. Fran Mahon, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Center and Fort Bliss, hosted the event and accepted a $25,000 check from Scott Celley, vice president of external affairs for TriWest Healthcare Alliance, which serves the health-care needs of military members and their families in the 21-state TRICARE West Region. TriWest will make similar donations to Fort Irwin, Calif., Fort Carson, Colo. and Fort Lewis, Wash. “We wanted to help you meet the needs that have been identified here today,” Celley said to Mahon and a gathering of about 80 unit AER project officers who will play a key role in the campaign, which runs through May 23. “We know there are a lot of needs. We want to support you in that.” Indeed, last year Fort Bliss granted $754,000 in AER assistance via interest-free loans or grants and raised just over $180,000 during the 2004 AER campaign. The assistance provided was almost a 30 percent increase over 2003, according to Janice Gamel, post AER coordinator. During Friday’s kickoff, she said the pace of assistance Fort Bliss is providing in 2005 is 60 percent ahead of last year. Gamel attributed last year’s jump to the increase in Reserve and National Guard forces being activated for training here. She says this year’s increase can at least be partially explained by changes in AER procedures that make the program easier to use. One such change, implemented last fall, is the Commander’s Referral program, which allows a Soldier’s unit commander to authorize an interest-free loan of up to $500 for immediate valid financial needs. The program is designed to simplify and expedite emergency financial assistance, Gamel said. Another change, which took effect earlier this spring, has post officials handling all AER cases on a walk-in basis – as part of a four-month trial – in order to serve Soldiers faster. The quicker turnaround time for assistance helps AER serve more people in a timely manner, Gamel said. After the check presentation, Mahon addressed the unit project officers, emphasizing the need to make 100 percent contact. “The key thing is to get out there and make contact,” Mahon said. “This involves Soldiers helping Soldiers. Tell them this (AER) is for you and this is for us. It’s something we all need to support and encourage.” Mahon and other post leaders concluded the kickoff by signing their AER campaign forms to seal the deal on their own donations to this year’s campaign.