More Than $51,000 in Layaways Paid in Full for 185 Exchange Shoppers in the Carolinas
Exchange shoppers in North and South Carolina were treated to a holiday surprise—paid-in-full layaways.
Shoppers at Fort Bragg and Fort Jackson and Charleston, Seymour Johnson and Shaw Air Force Bases joined a video call Dec. 21 for the big reveal, delivered by Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, who paid the layaways. The layaways totaled more than $51,000, encompassing all 185 active layaways at Exchanges in North and South Carolina.
The surprise was timely for Arlene Andrade, whose husband retired from the Army with 20 years of service. Andrade had holiday gifts for two of her grandchildren on layaway at the Fort Bragg South PX.
“I recently had to quit working because I need a new kidney,” Andrade said. “I feel blessed. … This made a lot of people smile and took a lot of worries away from a lot of people today.”
The layaway balances were paid off by McCaffrey through the nonprofit Pay Away the Layaway.
“Warfighters and their families in the Carolinas make enormous sacrifices to serve this Nation, and they are more than deserving of this early holiday gift,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Osby, the Exchange’s senior enlisted advisor. “Their holiday spirits are sure to shine even brighter with this surprise.”
