ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla.-- Members of the Airman and Family Readiness Center provide several programs to alleviate the personal hardships affecting Airmen and families at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
The A&FRC financial program’s tips about saving money and taking out loans for large expenses helped Airman 1st Class Maria Juanico, 97th Operations Support Squadron intelligence analyst, buy a car with cash.
“The A&FRC was so informative and knowledgeable,” said Juanico. “They guided me and helped me through my first big purchase. It’s a relief to not have any debt, and it’s like a weight off my shoulders.”
Juanico was first introduced to the A&FRC’s services during the First Term Airmen Course, where she met Jerome Davis, 97th Force Support Squadron community readiness consultant.
“I’ve been saving since I graduated high school in 2016,” said Juanico. “After FTAC, I scheduled an appointment with Mr. Davis. We were able to sit down and go through my expenses, savings and my budget, and he gave me some advice to wait.”
In November 2021, Juanico volunteered to deploy in support of Operation Allies Welcome, where she continued to save money. When she returned to AAFB, she had saved up enough to purchase her new car.
Davis was happy to find out that Juanico was able to pay for her car without any debt.
“It shows a different perspective on buying a car or whatever it is you want,” said Davis. “If you want to buy something, it is okay to have payments, but her story shows that you can save up, be patient and not have a payment the next month.”
The A&FRC has a mission to “provide Airmen and families with activities and services which strengthen our community and promote self-sufficiency, mission readiness and adaptation to the Air Force way of life.”
“If an Airman is feeling any pressure financially or having any issue, they shouldn’t wait until the last minute,” said Davis. “If you wait until the last minute, you may or may not receive the assistance that you need. So I say ‘as soon as you start to feel pressure, come in and see us.’”
Programs offered by the A&FRC include family readiness, personal financial readiness, relocation assistance, transition assistance and more. A monthly calendar of events and classes can be found on the 97th FSS website, https://www.altusfss.com/.
“Our mission is to make sure our Airmen have peace of mind,” said Davis. “We want to make sure you don’t have to worry about home while you are focused on the mission.”
For more information, contact the A&FRC at (580) 481-6761.