FORT RILEY, KS – Army Emergency Relief (AER) is celebrating “75 Years of Soldiers Helping Soldiers” in 2017 and launched its annual awareness and fundraising campaign this week. The campaign runs from March 1st through May 15th with the goals of creating greater awareness of the benefits of AER and providing Soldiers the opportunity to help their fellow Soldiers.

Over the last several years AER has made significant changes to meet the needs of today’s Army, adding new categories of assistance, expediting the assistance process and increasing grants by 30%. In 2015 AER changed policy to allow all Soldiers, regardlessof rank, direct access to AER assistance.

“Never leaving a Soldier in need is in keeping with the Army’s core values,”said AER’s former director, retired Army Lt. Gen. Robert Foley. “Whether the need is money for a Soldier’s emergency leave, new brakesfor the family car or to cover the initial rent deposit on a new apartment, AER is there. To maintain this level of assistance today, donations from Soldiers, active and retired, are essential to ensure the legacy of Soldiers helping Soldiers.”

Army Emergency Relief is a private non-profit organization dedicated to providing financial assistance to Soldiers, active and retired, and their families. Since it was founded in 1942, AER has provided more than $1.8 billion to more than 3.6 million Soldiers and families. In 2015 AER provided more than $62 million in assistance to nearly 43,000 Soldiers and families. Over that same time period, Fort Riley provided over $1.1 million in assistance and processed nearly 1,000 separate cases.

Soldiers needing AER assistance can start directly at www.aerhq.org, contact their unit chain of command or go directly to one of the 78 AER sections at their nearest Army installation.

For more information follow AER on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/aerhq or the Fort Riley Financial Readiness Program at https://www.facebook.com/rileyfrp.