MILITARY: Group seeks donations for military families

Organization trying to raise $600,000 within a year

By North County Times | Tuesday, November 11, 2008 7:08 PM PST ∞

It's a relatively new organization, but the Armed Forces Interest Group is looking for donors and has a big goal: Raise $600,000 inside of a year. All of it will be funneled to struggling military personnel and their families.

Donations will go to help wounded soldiers and the families of young Marines and sailors trying to stretch a tiny paycheck to cover a month of expenses, said group spokeswoman Christy Wilson.

"There are Marines with no money for gas, who walk to work," Wilson said. "We want to increase the awareness of the need of the military. The hope is that every family in San Diego County would see their way to supporting the needs of the military."

The money raised by the group is given to the organizations that, in turn, give money to help military members and their families during tough times, most especially junior Marines and veterans, Wilson said.

Donors have a number of options, including the choice to earmark half their donation directly into a fund that will help a service member and request the other half be placed in an endowment fund, so it will last in perpetuity, Wilson said.

The Armed Forces Interest Group is running four funds:

-- The Wounded and Fallen Warriors Fund, which helps with money for military members or their families who were wounded or killed in the line of duty. The money will be awarded through organizations including the Scripps Hospital Encinitas Traumatic Brain Injury Program, Freedom Alliance, Fisher House, and the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund;

-- The Armed Services Family Support Fund-San Diego gives money to groups such as the Camp Pendleton Armed Services YMCA, the Military Outreach Ministry, USO San Diego and others;

-- The AFIG Fund for the USO in San Diego, which receives no money from either the government or the worldwide USO; and

-- The AFIG Discretionary Fund, which has been established to provide immediate funds for discretionary requests.

About 30 people established the group about a year ago through the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation as a way to channel funds to military folks in need of help.

For more information, visit the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation's Web site at www.rsffoundation.org.