Army Emergency Relief CEO Coins Exchange Associates for Shopper Donation Support
Associates at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Forts Bliss, Liberty, Cavazos, Riley and Wainwright received a token of appreciation from Army Emergency Relief CEO retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Tony Grinston as part of his nationwide Army installation tour.
Grinston thanked associates at each Exchange with a special coin presentation for encouraging shoppers to donate to AER at PX registers in 2023. Exchange shoppers around the world donated more than $1.5 million to AER last year in store and at ShopMyExchange.com.
“A simple donation at the register has a greater ripple effect than most Exchange shoppers probably realize,” Grinston said. “Every little bit helps and makes a big difference to the Soldiers, retirees and Army families who benefit from AER services.”
Coined associates were selected by general managers for encouraging shoppers to donate at checkout.
“Shoppers sometimes don’t even really notice what’s on the PIN pads,” said Fort Riley Exchange General Manager Jermaine Wilson, who welcomed Grinston to the main store on May 16. “The Fort Riley team has been really fantastic about letting customers know that they can quickly and easily add a donation to support Soldiers just by pressing a button at checkout.”
The coin recipients were:
Fort Bliss Exchange
Christel Kelly, main store manager
Linda Saucedo, operations manager
Gavin Turner, McGregor Range store manager
Tina Bretz, retail business manager
Carolyn Bunch, main store customer experience supervisor
Natthaporn “Tukki” Klinrit, Purple Heart Express shift manager
Rosa Medrano, main store customer experience supervisor
Estrella Chavarria Saenz, Carter Troop Store shift supervisor
Adam Lopez, visual merchandiser
Annette Salu, main store customer experience associate
Fort Liberty
Dawn Holland, North Post main store manager
Fort Cavazos
Janice McKinnie, supervisory customer experience associate
Kim Rickett, supervisory customer experience associate
Salina Lefever, store associate
Fort Riley
Jermaine Wilson, general manager
Matt Kimble, main store manager
Kris Gearhart, assistant store manager
Sabrina Pass, Big Red One Express manager
Joe Escobar, Forsyth Express manager
Amaryllis Goburn, Main Post Express manager
Carol Hunter, Military Clothing store manager
Melinda Futch, supervisory customer service associate
Celi Valenzuela Carrillo, customer service associate
Miroslava Sanchez, customer experience host
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Stacie Sterling, Lewis main store manager
Erlinda Esmilla, Lewis main store, central checkout
Brittany Mason, Lewis main store, PowerZone
Carmen Johnson, Lewis main store, sales area manager
Adrienne Harrison, Lewis main store, central checkout
Isis Escobedo, Lewis main store, jewelry counter
Brandon Marklin, JBLM Lewis Class Six manager
Therese Bundang, JBLM Liberty Express manager
Tommie Morey, JBLM North Express manager
Lucie Opher, JBLM Pendleton Express manager
Brenda Tolle, JBLM Madigan Express manager
Penny Palmer, JBLM retail business manager
Fort Wainwright
Kristen Lawson, Military Clothing store manager
Patricia Heisman, services business manager
Helen (Narja) Odain, supervisory customer service associate
Scotti Blensly, department manager
Mercedita Rodgers, assistant main store manager
Marissa Escobia, shift supervisor
Chania Nickens, visual merchandiser
Trinity Teske, store assistant
The Exchange has partnered with AER since 2017 to provide shoppers the opportunity to donate to the relief fund at checkout, and since then shoppers have contributed more than $5.8 million. Donations from military exchange shoppers last year helped support more than 31,000 Soldiers, retirees and Army families in 2023.
Since AER was established in 1942, more than 4 million Soldiers and families have received AER assistance, with more than $2 billion in financial assistance distributed in the form of college scholarships, emergency travel funding and more.
In 2023, Exchange shoppers donated $2.5 million to military relief funds, including the Air Force Assistance Fund and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, to help service members, military families and retirees. Since 2017, shoppers have donated more than $9.2 million.
