Washington DC – With thousands of National Guard members and their families facing financial hardships as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the United Services Automobile Association (USAA), the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS) We Care for America Foundation and the American Red Cross are teaming up to help National Guard members and families in need.
As part of USAA’s Military Family Relief Initiative, a historic philanthropic commitment made in August 2020, the American Red Cross received $3.4 million to assist National Guard members and their families during these challenging economic times. The Red Cross is assisting EANGUS We Care for America Foundation with disbursing interest-free loans to National Guard personnel through the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces’ Hero Care Center’s electronic fund distribution process. The donation will be distributed to National Guard members and families that have a verified financial need due to hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications can be submitted here. Loans are available in amounts from $500 to $2,000 and repayment terms are based on the loan amount.
“The American Red Cross has a long history of providing help during emergencies to members of our military, and we are proud to join together with USAA and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States We Care for America Foundation to administer support to the National Guard community during this time of financial stress,” said Koby Langley, Senior Vice President, Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces.
“For nearly a century, USAA’s mission has been to help our members be financially secure and to support them no matter what they face,” said Harriet Dominique, Chief Diversity Inclusion and Corporate Responsibility Officer at USAA. “Providing this contribution to organizations such as the American Red Cross that share our mission to care for military families does double duty. It helps meet the needs of today’s military families. And it gives these organizations momentum to keep serving as a lifeline for the military community.”
The Red Cross Hero Care App is also available to help members of the military, veterans and their families identify and access both emergency and non-emergency Red Cross services from anywhere in the world. The app is available to download for free in app stores, by texting ‘GETHEROCARE’ to 90999 or by clicking on the following link from a mobile device: http://3cu.be/sharehc.
EANGUS
The Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS) was formally organized in 1972 with the goal of increasing the voice of enlisted persons in the National Guard. As such, EANGUS is a non-profit organization dedicated to the principles of providing an adequate national defense and promoting the status, welfare, and professionalism of the men and women of the Army and Air National Guard by supporting legislation that provides adequate staffing, pay, benefits, entitlements, equipment, and installations for the National Guard.
Beginning with twenty-three states, EANGUS now represents all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia, and has an association comprised of those who serve the National Guard on national tour. With a constituency base of over 414,000 Soldiers and Airmen, their families, as well as thousands of retired members, and headquartered in Washington DC, EANGUS maintains a full-time staff to represent your interests to the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill. For more information about EANGUS, visit www.eangus.org.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.