Services to the Armed Forces
To request assistance to reach a member of the Armed Forces, please call (616) 456-8661. Please press 0 from 8:30am-5:00pm and press 2 after 5:00pm.
The American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) program ensures that service members, veterans and their families have worldwide, around-the-clock access to timely and reliable comfort and support.
In fiscal year 2009, the Greater Grand Rapids chapter completed 390 military cases, delivering emergency messages and financial support to military members and their families from our outlying area. Partnering with Congress, the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, our volunteers provide military personnel and their families with a worldwide integrated support network to help them cope with the stress of military life in the following ways:
- Stay In Touch and Obtain Verification of Emergency Leave Information: Red Cross emergency communications services keep military personnel in touch with their families following the death or serious illness of an immediate family member, the birth of a service member's child or grandchild or when a family faces other emergencies. Red Cross-verified information assists commanding officers with making a decision regarding emergency leave. Without this verification, the service member may not be able to come home during a family crisis.
- Secure Emergency Financial Assistance: The American Red Cross works under partnership agreements with the Air Force Aid Society, Army Emergency Relief, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance and Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society to provide quality, reliable financial assistance to eligible applicants 24/7/365. Types of assistance include financial assistance for emergency travel, household set-up, delayed or interrupted pay, etc.
- Obtain Counseling, Information, Referrals and Other Social Needs: The American Red Cross offers confidential services to all military personnel—active duty, National Guard and Reserves—and their families. Counseling, guidance, information, referrals and other social services are available through our worldwide network of chapters and offices on military installations.
Donations that support our Services to Armed Forces allow the Red Cross to provide this service to the men and women who serve our country, free of any financial burden. If you are interested in serving the troops through our SAF program, please contact our Services to the Armed Forces Program Coordinator.
For more information, please contact:
Chip Kragt
Associate Director of Emergency Services
(616) 456-8661 ext. 3301
ckragt@ggr.redcross.org
