Brian Hill | Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office | July 30, 2024
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — The 2024 Fort Leonard Wood Army Emergency Relief donation campaign finished in the top spot across the Army for medium-sized installations and highest Soldier-donation percentage, AER announced July 29 on its website.
This campaign marks the fourth year in a row that Fort Leonard Wood is No. 1 in the Army for both the dollar amount donated and the percentage of Soldiers donating, said Fort Leonard Wood AER Officer Chuck Matthews, who noted $297,000 was raised and 98.3% of Soldiers donated — and the latter figure is a new record for the Army, surpassing Fort Leonard Wood’s previous Army record of a 68.5% donation rate in 2022.
Additionally, Matthews said six Fort Leonard Wood units exceeded the 75% Soldier donation rate: the U.S. Army Prime Power School, 701st Military Police Battalion, 787th MP Bn., 31st Engineer Battalion, 554th En. Bn. and 58th Transportation Battalion.
“This highlights that Fort Leonard Wood is supportive of AER and a generous Army family,” Matthews said. “The leadership and Soldiers of Fort Leonard Wood believe in supporting each other through the valuable AER program.”
At a June 21 ceremony in the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence headquarters building to mark the close of the campaign, it was noted that the Army’s AER donation goal was $150,000, with 25% of Soldiers donating, which Fort Leonard Wood nearly doubled and more than tripled, respectively — and Fort Leonard Wood is the only Army installation that has exceeded a 50% donation rate for four consecutive years, and for six out of the past nine years.
Before accepting a ceremonial check from this year’s volunteer campaign coordinators — Capt. Colton Bull and Sgt. 1st Class Kim Hooper — Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck, MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general, thanked the team and called the results, “awe inspiring.”
Beck highlighted the fact that more than 600 Fort Leonard Wood Soldiers and families were assisted by AER over the past year, and the donation campaign every year, “is about the people who are going to use this.”
“My goal every year, every time I’ve done anything with AER, is just to be sure that folks understand what it’s for, and that they have the opportunity, too,” Beck said. “You guys went so far above that, that it’s unbelievable. You should be really proud of what you have accomplished, and it’s not easy. I actually had two fellow commanders call me before the AER campaign kicked off this year, and they said, ‘Hey, (retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston) was at our headquarters today. He was briefing us, and he said, ‘Call Fort Leonard Wood and ask them what they’re doing, because they’ve figured it out.’’ And that’s exactly what they asked me.”
Beck said while he is excited about Fort Leonard Wood being No. 1 in the Army, he’s more excited about, “what this is going to do for a family, a young Soldier.”
“On behalf of everyone — to include the individuals and families who are going to use this this year on this installation — thank you,” he said.
Bull, who, along with Hooper, was tasked with providing briefings to units on the value of donating to AER, thanked the “highly motivated” Fort Leonard Wood AER staff for helping set himself and Hooper up for success from the beginning.
“Mr. Matthews and his team go above and beyond to ensure that every year the campaign Soldiers are fully prepared and informed before the campaign begins,” Bull said.
Besides helping raise funds for the Army’s official nonprofit organization, Bull added another benefit to working the campaign was getting to visit the various units and offices across the installation.
“It was great to get out around the installation and visit all the organizations,” Bull said. “Seeing how the Army operates outside your own occupational specialty is a nice change of pace. Also, having the opportunity to raise funding for this program and educate the next generation of Soldiers on the importance of this program was a fulfilling experience.”
His advice for next year’s coordinators? Communicate with command teams early in the campaign.
“Gaining their buy in makes the process much smoother over the duration of the campaign,” Bull said.
More photos from the check presentation ceremony are available to view and download on the Fort Leonard Wood Flickr page.
More on the 2024 AER Annual Campaign.