Fort Leonard Wood wraps up the Army Emergency Relief Fund campaign June 15th

The 2021 Army Emergency Relief fundraising campaign ends June 15th, and Fort Leonard Wood is currently ranked Number 1 in U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command for the percentage of trainee donations. The community here has so far donated $136,085 of this year’s $150,000 goal, which includes $30,832 donated by retirees in the area. Active-duty Soldiers, retirees, and survivors are eligible for AER assistance, including Guard and Reserve on Title 10 orders. In the past three years — 2018 to 2020 — AER staff here provided $1,851,413 in loans and grants to 1,356 local Soldiers, retirees, and survivors. Through AER, assistance is available for financial situations such as travel costs for emergency or convalescent leave, mortgage or rent payment assistance, utility, food and fuel, personal vehicle payments or emergency repairs, travel costs for permanent changes of station, minor home repairs for heating, cooling, electrical and plumbing, child cranial helmets, dependent dental care assistance, and appliance repair or replacement. In addition, the AER Education Scholarship Program in the same three-year period provided 314 scholarships worth $437,978 to local dependent spouses and children. Donations can be made by payroll deduction, allotment, cash, or via credit card, debit card, eCheck or PayPal at the donation website, https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org/FTLEONARDWOOD. For more information on how to donate to AER, call 573.596.2595. To request assistance, call 573.596.0212.