Kadena exceeds 2007 AFAF goal, donates $168,000

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kenya Shiloh
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  For the second year in a row, Team Kadena members have met and exceeded their goal to raise money for the annual Air Force Assistance Fund campaign.

This year, Kadena had a goal of $105,000, the highest in the Pacific Air Forces region.

"Not only did we meet this year's goal, we exceeded it," said Capt. Kenneth Joseph, AFAF installation project officer. "We donated an outstanding $168,000. That's 159 percent of our goal."

Last year was the first time Kadena broke its goal of $98,000 by donating $166,000 in just four weeks. Not only did donations meet the total contributions last year but raised an additional $2,000 in this year's campaign.

According to Captain Joseph, the 18th Maintenance Group donated nearly $50,000 of the total amount this year. The single highest donation from an individual was $2,200, and several Airmen made donations in excess of $1,000.

The money raised for the campaign is immediately returned to the Air Force community through various family support center programs. According to an Air Force Aid Society official at the Kadena Airmen and Family Readiness Center, Kadena received more than $266,500 last year for emergency relief funds and programs such as spouse tuition assistance, interest-free loans, bundles for babies, phone cards for deployed members, oil changes for spouses of deployed members, and give parents a break.

The Air Force Assistance Fund campaign helps Airmen and their families during times of need. The campaign has four categories: 
- Air Force Aid Society, the official charity of the Air Force that assists active-duty members and their families during emergencies.
- Air Force Village Foundation provides a home and financial assistance for spouses of retired Air Force officers.
- Gen. and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation helps widows of all Air Force retirees through financial grants.
- Air Force Enlisted Village Foundation provides a place to live and financial assistance for surviving spouses of Air Force enlisted members.

In 2006, more than 30,000 people Air Force wide donated to the Air Force Assistance Fund, raising $19.1 million.

"Ultimately, every dollar plus more will return to Airmen, so thank you to all our local and deployed Airmen for their generosity," Captain Joseph said.