Photo by Rick Thompson NAVAIR Commander Vice Adm. David Venlet addresses command representatives during a recent Navy-Marine Corps Relief fundraising drive kickoff.

From now through April 16, volunteers are collecting donations, which will go directly to assist Sailors and Marines and their families. Last year, NMCRS helped one of every six Sailors and Marines, providing $47.8 million in direct assistance.

NAVAIR Commander Vice Adm. David Venlet told the command representatives, ‘‘If they learn here at Pax River what Navy-Marine Corps Relief does, they can carry it with them. This is about helping a fellow shipmate.”

Venlet proceeded to do just that, being the first to hand Pax River N-MCRS Director Maureen Farrell his.

Pax River Command Master Chief John Stigler reminded volunteers that ‘‘one out of every six you talk to about a donation may need a Quick Assist Loan or other assistance. Let’s see to their needs. We have to find a way to reach those people and raise those donations.”

The emphasis is on encouraging 100 percent participation. As volunteers talk to individuals within their command, they aren’t only raising funds; they’re raising awareness.

‘‘There’s nothing worse than a client coming in with a huge financial issue because he didn’t come to us first,” said Farrell. ‘‘He’s paying 14 percent, and we could have given him an interest-free loan.”

Interest-free Quick Assist Loans have saved a lot of young Sailors and Marines from payday loan lenders, said Farrell. Even more helpful than that $300 infusion of cash to take care of a pressing need, is the financial and budgetary education N-MCRS provides its clients.

‘‘Young people don’t know about financial management. They don’t teach it in school. A lot of young Sailors don’t understand credit cards,” explained Farrell. ‘‘We do a lot of education.”

The N-MCRS annual fund drive lets members of the Pax River community help fellow Sailors and Marines in their time of need. Where does all that money go?

When money problems attack, N-MCRS stands ready as the first line of defense. ‘‘Most of our Sailors and Marines only need a hand up,” said Farrell.

Most loans and grants help cover basic living expenses like rent, utilities, and food. N-MCRS funds also pay for essential vehicle repairs, household setup, emergency leave, dental expenses, and other verified and approved expenses. The money helps Sailors and Marines and their families get their minds off their financial problems and back on their mission.

In 2009, N-MCRS provided $189,500 in financial assistance to Sailors and Marines at Pax River. According to Farrell, that year also saw an increase in requests from retired service members, many of whom have spouses who lost their jobs in the economic downturn.

N-MCRS also funds support the Visiting Nurse Combat Casualty Assistance (CCA) program. In 2009, CCA Visiting Nurses helped more than 750 families fleetwide, providing resource information and emotional support.

Although wounded Sailors and Marines get excellent medical care, families are often ‘‘lost in the shuffle,” said Ruthie Moore, director of nursing for the CCA, ‘‘Our job is to help the families learn how to deal with what they’re facing.”

After the service member has left medical care, or even separated from the Navy, CCA nurses are still available to families for information and emotional support. ‘‘We are registered nurses who go face-to-face, anywhere in the country, for as long as they want us to.”

According to Nurse Moore, that face-to-face contact is often the only way for a nurse to really know what is going on.

‘‘The Sailor does not complain. The Marine does not complain. The family often ignores their own needs, to take care of their wounded Sailor. They all say ‘there’s someone worse off than me,’ but we don’t give up,” Moore said. ‘‘We’re there to make sure the family is doing the best they can do with whatever they’re dealing with.”

It’s not all hardship, however.

N-MCRS sponsors ‘‘Budget for Baby” classes to help service members with a new baby on the way. Parents learn about the financial impact of a baby, and receive ‘‘Baby Seabags” containing layette items and a handmade afghan.

N-MCRS also encourages service members to come in to make a budget to save money for future purchases, or just to understand their finances better. ‘‘Financial readiness equals command readiness equals fleet readiness,” said Farrell. ‘‘We don’t want them thinking about their problems. We want them thinking about their jobs out there.”

The drive is being chaired by ABHC John Dobey and ACC Robert Kanning for the Naval Air Station, while NAVAIR chairs are DCCS Carl Phillips, AZC Daniel Dawson, and AWOC Gerard Richards.

To learn more about NMCRS, talk to the fundraising volunteer in your command, or visit www.nmcrs.org.