{"id":280084,"date":"2024-09-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=280084"},"modified":"2024-09-16T10:59:01","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T10:59:01","slug":"former-sma-visit-increases-awareness-for-soldiers-and-spouses-about-army-emergency-relief-in-vicenza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=280084","title":{"rendered":"Former SMA visit increases awareness for Soldiers and Spouses about Army Emergency Relief in Vicenza"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n VICENZA, IT- Soldiers on Del Din had the opportunity to have lunch followed by a professional development workshop focused on leadership with Retired U.S. Sgt. Maj. of the Army, Michael \u201cTony\u201d Grinston, CEO of AER Sept. 9, 2024.
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While getting in his car to start the first leg of his tour in Europe, Retired U.S. Sgt. Maj. of the Army, <\/em>Michael \u201cTony\u201d Grinston, CEO of Army Emergency Relief was approached by a young Soldier, who recently moved to Vicenza.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t know that we have that program for that, it can put a lot of stress on the Soldier and Families because they didn\u2019t know it was available to them,\u201d said Grinston whose goal is taking this loan from 50% grant and 50% loan to a full grant.<\/p>\n

Army Emergency Relief\u2019s mission is to provide financial assistance through grants, interest-free loans, and scholarships to promote readiness and relieve financial distress of Soldier\u2019s and their families, as well as retirees, Reserve Soldiers, National Guard, and Active Guard Reserve.\u00a0AER provides over 30 different categories of assistance to include emergency travel, childcare, funeral expenses, utilities, and spousal relicensing and recertification.<\/p>\n

Nearly 22 years ago, Grinston and his wife, Alexandra were stationed here in Vicenza.\u00a0Having experienced life in Vicenza, he understands some of the challenges Soldiers and their families face.<\/p>\n

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\n VICENZA, IT- Spouses on Caserma Ederle met Retired U.S. Sgt. Maj. of the Army, Michael \u201cTony\u201d Grinston, who is now the CEO of Army Emergency Relief to share their concerns and learn about a financial program that helps in emergencies on Sept. 9, 2024.
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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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\n
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\n \"VICENZA,
\n <\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
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\n VICENZA, IT- Spouses on Caserma Ederle met Retired U.S. Sgt. Maj. of the Army, Michael \u201cTony\u201d Grinston, who is now the CEO of Army Emergency Relief to share their concerns and learn about a financial program that helps in emergencies on Sept. 9, 2024.
\n (Photo Credit: Stefanie Mosley)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIf there is a family that\u2019s struggling, all you have to do is know that they\u2019re struggling,\u201d said Grinston.\u00a0\u201cJust don\u2019t be afraid to ask.\u00a0If it\u2019s financial, come to AER, if we don\u2019t do it, maybe we should.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the biggest challenges that families face are spouse employment and spouse relicensing and recertification. AER\u2019s biggest challenge is people not knowing what they offer, one of those being scholarships.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For the last several years, AER has awarded over $9 million in scholarships to spouses and family members.<\/p>\n

Sophie Gainey, an Army spouse new to the community was a member of a spouse\u2019s club while previously stationed in Germany, where a scholarship deadline had to be extended due to over 200 applications.\u00a0She knows the need for AER scholarships is there.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \"VICENZA,
\n <\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
\n
\n VICENZA, IT- Spouses on Caserma Ederle met Retired U.S. Sgt. Maj. of the Army, Michael \u201cTony\u201d Grinston, who is now the CEO of Army Emergency Relief to share their concerns and learn about a financial program that helps in emergencies on Sept. 9, 2024.
\n (Photo Credit: Stefanie Mosley)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cAER 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,\u201d said Gainey.\u00a0\u201cWithout a doubt AER programs actually save our Army families money and keeps them financially resilient.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s engagement between senior spouses and AER CEO Tony Grinston underscored AER\u2019s commitment and forward-thinking ideas to assisting our Army families with their financial concerns,\u201d said Gainey.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know now that I can push out this information to the Soldiers under me, to help get people the proper assistance that they need,\u201d said Lamp.\u00a0\u201cAER is much more than just loans.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Moving to overseas can be challenging, as there are many differences when it comes to lifestyle changes and even paying your bills.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s visit so close to his promotion to Sergeant.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \"VICENZA,
\n <\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n
\n
\n VICENZA, IT- Soldiers on Del Din had the opportunity to have lunch followed by a professional development workshop focused on leadership with Retired U.S. Sgt. Maj. of the Army, Michael \u201cTony\u201d Grinston, CEO of AER Sept. 9, 2024.
\n (Photo Credit: Randall Jackson)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

When Skipworth first arrived in Vicenza, he wasn\u2019t aware of how the billing system for some of his utilities work, and soon found himself with a bill over $1,000.<\/p>\n

After reaching out to AER, Skipworth received help to pay the utility bill, and pays monthly on a 0% interest loan.\u00a0Now 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to ask for help, said Skipworth.\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s the biggest issue in the Army, but I did it and it ended up working out in my favor.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information about the Army Emergency Relief program, please visit www.armyemergencyrelief.org.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VICENZA, IT- Soldiers on Del Din had the opportunity to have lunch followed by a professional development workshop focused on leadership with Retired U.S. Sgt. Maj. of the Army, Michael \u201cTony\u201d Grinston, CEO of AER Sept. 9, 2024. (Photo Credit: Randall Jackson) VIEW ORIGINAL While getting in his car to start the first leg of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280086,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-280084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=280084"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":280092,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280084\/revisions\/280092"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/280086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=280084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=280084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=280084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}