Former SMA visit increases awareness for Soldiers and Spouses about Army Emergency Relief in Vicenza

While getting in his car to start the first leg of his tour in Europe, Retired U.S. Sgt. Maj. of the Army, Michael "Tony" Grinston, CEO of Army Emergency Relief was approached by a young Soldier, who recently moved to Vicenza.

After a quick introduction, the Soldier explained to Grinston how AER helped him bring his dog overseas through the pet transportation loan program, which can reach up to $5,500 with no interest for individuals who qualify.

"If you don't know that we have that program for that, it can put a lot of stress on the Soldier and Families because they didn't know it was available to them," said Grinston whose goal is taking this loan from 50% grant and 50% loan to a full grant.

Army Emergency Relief's mission is to provide financial assistance through grants, interest-free loans, and scholarships to promote readiness and relieve financial distress of Soldier's and their families, as well as retirees, Reserve Soldiers, National Guard, and Active Guard Reserve. AER provides over 30 different categories of assistance to include emergency travel, childcare, funeral expenses, utilities, and spousal relicensing and recertification.

Nearly 22 years ago, Grinston and his wife, Alexandra were stationed here in Vicenza. Having experienced life in Vicenza, he understands some of the challenges Soldiers and their families face.

Grinston met with nearly 20 Army spouses from the Vicenza Military Community at Army Community Service on Caserma Ederle to discuss AER and its mission, receive feedback, and to raise awareness about the many programs AER has to offer, especially those that help spouses.

The group started off their meeting with short introductions with their name and their hidden talent, with several sharing they are secret chefs, musicians, volunteers, a human jukebox, can swim butterfly, and can get their kids to school on time.

"If there is a family that's struggling, all you have to do is know that they're struggling," said Grinston. "Just don't be afraid to ask. If it's financial, come to AER, if we don't do it, maybe we should."

Some of the biggest challenges that families face are spouse employment and spouse relicensing and recertification. AER's biggest challenge is people not knowing what they offer, one of those being scholarships.

For the last several years, AER has awarded over $9 million in scholarships to spouses and family members.

Sophie Gainey, an Army spouse new to the community was a member of a spouse's club while previously stationed in Germany, where a scholarship deadline had to be extended due to over 200 applications. She knows the need for AER scholarships is there.

"AER is a non-profit organization that offers our Army Soldiers and their families fantastic support from scholarships to financial assistance with zero interest loans and grants," said Gainey. "Without a doubt AER programs actually save our Army families money and keeps them financially resilient."

Gainey also commended Grinston on his efforts to help bring awareness to those who may not know what AER is, and to those who may be hesitant to ask for help.

"Today's engagement between senior spouses and AER CEO Tony Grinston underscored AER's commitment and forward-thinking ideas to assisting our Army families with their financial concerns," said Gainey.

Later in the day, Grinston made his way over to Caserma Del Din for lunch with Soldiers to listen to their needs and how to better help, followed by a professional development session that focused on leadership.

Spc. James Lamp with Spartan Company, 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, once had car issues and needed help to pay for the repairs, and AER was there.

Although Lamp knew he could turn to AER, lunch with Grinston allowed him the opportunity to learn more about the program including how AER thrives on donations, that they give out more than they receive, and that they offer not only loans, but grants, and scholarships too.

"I know now that I can push out this information to the Soldiers under me, to help get people the proper assistance that they need," said Lamp. "AER is much more than just loans."

Moving to overseas can be challenging, as there are many differences when it comes to lifestyle changes and even paying your bills.

After competing against Grinston in a physical training competition during basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Spc. Nathan Skipworth, with 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, was happy to see a familiar with Grinston's visit so close to his promotion to Sergeant.

When Skipworth first arrived in Vicenza, he wasn't aware of how the billing system for some of his utilities work, and soon found himself with a bill over $1,000.

After reaching out to AER, Skipworth received help to pay the utility bill, and pays monthly on a 0% interest loan. Now he takes the steps he needs to make sure he keeps his bills on track but understands asking for help can be difficult for some.

"Don't be afraid to ask for help, said Skipworth. "That's the biggest issue in the Army, but I did it and it ended up working out in my favor."

For more information about the Army Emergency Relief program, please visit www.armyemergencyrelief.org.

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