Air Force Village caring for others

Published Jan. 5, 2011
By Marianne Fontillas
McGuire Officers' Spouses' Club

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- The McGuire Officers' Spouses' Club recently made a generous donation to the Air Force Village at its 46th Annual Meeting held on-site at San Antonio, Texas. The meeting ran from Oct. 19 to Oct. 23, showcasing the retirement community's history, developments made over the years and its many programs for its 1,200 residents.

Marianne Fontillas represented the MOSC at the meeting. She attended several events over a five day period, learning about the Air Force Village history, touring its facilities and meeting its many residents.

Among the events scheduled for the annual meeting was the opening of a time capsule, prepared in 1979, that contained several documents, letters and photos from staff for today's residents. The mementos reminded guest of the continuing need for a retirement home geared toward the men and women who served long after they left the service.

General Norton Schwartz, Air Force Chief of Staff, along with his wife, Suzie, attended the annual meeting. He spoke of the relationship between Air Force Village, the legacy of the greater retiree community and the dedication of Airmen serving across the world.

Suzie Schwartz honored the Air Force Village, speaking about its early history and telling stories about two Air Force spouses who were key to the foundation of the Air Force Village: Helen LeMay, wife of former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Curtis LeMay and Pat Ladd, an Air Force widow.

Helen LeMay and PatLadd travelled together and raised funds in the 1960s to help start the foundation.

"The first contribution of $9 on Ladd's kitchen table in 1965 rapidly grew to over $1 million," Suzie said.
"I love the idea of $9 on a kitchen table. I think things still happen the same way today."

Fontillas presented a $1,000 check on behalf of the MOSC to Suzie Schwartz and the Air Force Village. The donation, along with other donations from various organizations around the country, will go toward supporting certain eligible widows, widowers and dependents living at the Air Force Village. These individuals experience financial hardship, but have no other place to live. The donations allow them to have a home and also let them know having served alongside their spouses for years, they are not forgotten.

Air Force Village was founded by the Air Force Officers' Wives' Club in 1964 with a compassionate mission: to provide a dignified, appropriate and cost-effective retirement community for the widows of retired Air Force officers and is one of San Antonio's premiere continuing care retirement communities.

Air Force Village has also established a separate fund that offers assistance to widows and widowers of retired officers representing all U.S. military branches.

MOCS