The combined forces of Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS), Air Force Aid Society (AFAS), Army Emergency Relief (AER), and Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA) have announced their intent to come together on #GivingTuesday for the third consecutive year to raise crucial funds for military service members and their families.
This year's campaign theme, #GivingTuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, entitled #missionGIVE, will be conducted on social media with the goal of securing essential funds to provide service members and their families around the world with vital emergency relief, financial support and educational resources. Unfolding across social media platforms on supporters are encouraged to visit missionGIVE.us, where they can allocate their contributions to one or more of the four military aid societies.
Lockheed Martin, a global defense technology company driving innovation and advancing scientific discovery, has extended a generous proposal to match every gift made during #missionGIVE on #GivingTuesday, up to a sum of $1 million. This substantial matching pledge guarantees that donations to these transformative military aid societies will yield double the impact for military members and their families.
"Our four military aid societies are uniting for #missionGIVE to deliver critical assistance to military members and their families who face the unique challenges of serving our nation. This teamwork ensures that, no matter the branch of service, every service member has access to the resources they need to remain mission-ready when life happens," said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Ed Thomas, AFAS's CEO.
Each year, the four military aid societies representing the Army, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps distribute millions of dollars to support military members, retirees and their families facing financial crisis or in need of disaster assistance. In some cases, they also provide grants and interest-free loans for educational needs and administer innovative programs designed to address the unique challenges military members face.
"In addition to life events, rising inflation, the threat of global conflict, frequent deployments, and, most recently, natural disasters, military life presents some unique challenges that many people are unaware of," said retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Robert R. Ruark, NMCRS President and CEO. "It is the generous and sustained support from the general public that allows us to mitigate many of these challenges and hardships."
"With #missionGIVE, we can all share in the need to support those who serve our country," said retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael A. Grinston, CEO of AER. "With this generous match from Lockheed Martin, everyone who accepts the mission to support our important work will have their contribution doubled."
Commencing in 2012 as a "Global Day of Giving," #GivingTuesday has galvanized countless individuals to rally behind their cherished causes. To donate to one, or more of the military aid societies, and have it doubled as a result of generous support from Lockheed Martin, visit missionGIVE.us.
"I have supreme confidence that new and existing supporters and advocates will once again come together on #GivingTuesday to make this annual fundraising event a triumphant success for those military service members who keep America safe for all of us," said retired U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Brooke A. Millard, CEO of CGMA.
The United States has four Congressionally sanctioned military aid societies charged with helping more than 2.5 million service members, their families and, retirees in financial need. Each organization is a 4-star Charity Navigator-rated nonprofit 501(c)(3) that provides financial support to their service-specific clients through zero-interest loans, grants, disaster assistance, scholarships and a myriad of other needs-based programs and services. All programs and services are designed to support military members in need and help them build a solid foundation for a financial future. Please visit missionGIVE.us to donate to one or more of the military aid societies and learn more about the unique programs of each organization.
-USCG-
In the News:
Resources: