MCRD PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- The Tri-Command Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society will begin its 2003 fund drive March 3.
Founded in 1904, the society provided active duty and retired sailors and Marines, as well as their families, with emergency financial assistance for the past 100 years.
Last year, NMCRS distributed $659,000 to hundreds of different individuals in the Tri-Command alone. This year, NMCRS wants to emphasize that every contribution counts.
"The main purpose for the fund drive is to create maximum awareness among service personnel of what we do here and what their donations mean," said Ron Grindle, Depot NMCRS director. "By donating annually, they're helping us continue to be here as a service to them. With us, you know what your dollar is going to."
This year's drive will continue through April 5. Forms will be distributed to the various units aboard the Depot. Allotments are the preferable method of contributing, however, cash donations are also accepted.
"The allotments are easy and reliable," said Grindle. "We haven't set a goal yet for the drive, but we're asking for $36 a year from each service member, or $3 a month."
The annual fund drive is imperative in the successful operation of NMCRS. It almost entirely supports the service that NMCRS provides to the Tri-Command annually.
Throughout the year, NMCRS will provide financial assistance to eligible recipients for a number of different reasons. Funds are provided in the form of interest-free loans and grants to meet emergency needs or need-based scholarships and interest-free loans for educational purposes. The society also provides a number of different services to those in need. These include budget counseling services, food lockers, infant layettes, thrift shops and visiting nurse services.
Those who are eligible for assistance include active duty and retired Navy and Marine Corps personnel, eligible family members of the active duty and retired personnel, eligible family members of Navy and Marine Corps personnel who died on active duty or during retirement, reservists on extended active duty, indigent mothers, 65 years or older, of deceased service members who have limited resources and no family to provide for their welfare and un-remarried former spouses whose marriage to a servicemember lasted for at least 20 years while the servicemember was on active duty.
"The bottom line is that you never know what emergency might come up," said Grindle. "When something does come up, it usually exceeds an individual's savings. The service prides itself on being able to take care of its own. That's where we come in."
The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society is a private, non-profit, charitable organization sponsored by the Department of the Navy. There are over 250 operating offices around the globe. The society was incorporated in the District of Columbia and the headquarters is located in Arlington, Va.
To find out more about NMCRS or for additional information about the drive, contact Grindle at 228-3512. Also, Capt. Terri Sumner, Depot adjutant and fund drive coordinator, can be reached at 228-4519.