First sergeant program helps Vance military families

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Amanda Mills
  • Public Affairs
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  Vance Air Force Base first sergeants are preparing for their annual donations to military families on base.
A donation fundraiser Saturday and Sunday raised more than $700 towards Operation Warm Heart, said Master Sgt. Joe Lawley, 71st Operations Group first sergeant.
The Air Force established Operation Warm Heart to ensure young military families have what they need to make holidays truly wonderful, according to the Vance AFB First Sergeants Council. The goal this year is to provide two $50 commissary food certificates - one for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas - to approximately 45 Vance military families in need. These families may include spouses and children of deployed people.
However, these donations are not possible without others.
"The first sergeants rely on Top 3, family support, the chapel, other organizations and donations for this program," Sergeant Lawley said. "Money we raise for this program is strictly for it, so we can't reach our goal without it. On the other hand, that also means more money will go to families if we exceed our goal."
Future fundraisers including a donation fundraiser in the mall and a gift-wrapping center are currently being planned.
Operation Warm Heart donations relieve some of the holiday burden on families by ensuring they are provided enough food to have a traditional holiday meal, the council stated.
"In our community, we have families that for whatever reason don't have a lot, so a little extra helps, especially during the holiday season," Sergeant Lawley said.
In addition to Operation Warm Heart, the chapel's Angel Tree program helps a lot of the same families.
"Soon trees will go up around base that will have cards on them," said Airman 1st Class Monica Casperson, 71st Flying Training Wing chaplain's assistant. "The cards will have information such as whether the person is a boy or girl and what that person's likes or dislikes are. They will be identifiable to the chapel only by a number."
People can choose a card, purchase a gift, attach the card to the gift and place it in any of the boxes that will be available next to the trees, Airman Casperson said. The chapel will collect the gifts and give them to the first sergeants to distribute.
"This is just our way of helping families along with the first shirts," Airman Casperson said. "Any extra helps, and while the shirts help with filling the table, we help with presents under the tree."