Governor Quinn Encourages Residents to Support Illinois Military Family Relief Fund

CHICAGO – May 23, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today called on Illinois residents to donate to the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund. To date, the fund has distributed more than $11 million to Illinois military families to assist with the financial burden at home when a loved one is deployed overseas.

“I want to salute all the residents of Illinois who donated and made it possible to fund more than 20,000 applications, but our work is not done,” said Governor Quinn. “When our brave men and women answer the call to duty, they should not have to worry that their families are suffering financially at home. This Memorial Day all of us in Illinois can help our military families by donating to the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund.”

Donations to the fund can be made by visiting OperationHomefront.org. Checks can be made payable to the Illinois Military Family Relief and mailed to: The Illinois Department of Military Affairs, ATTN: IMFRF, 1301 N. MacArthur Boulevard, Springfield, Illinois 62702-2399.

The Illinois Military Family Relief Fund was drafted by then-Lt. Governor Quinn, passed unanimously by the General Assembly and signed into law in 2003. It established a check-off box on the Illinois income tax return that allowed residents to make tax-deductible donations directly to the fund. More than 35 states have passed legislation modeled after the Illinois fund.

Governor Quinn also proclaimed May 23, 2010 as Jack “Butch” Pascoe Day in Illinois. Pascoe served in the Army National Guard for more than 26 years before retiring as the State Command Chief Warrant Officer. He began working with the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund in 2006.

Governor Quinn has also advocated for the passage of a National Military Family Relief Fund. The legislation, House Resolution 1175, was announced by Governor Quinn and Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) and is based on the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund. It would allow taxpayers to voluntarily contribute to the fund by filling in an amount on their federal income tax forms. Active-duty servicemen and servicewomen fighting in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and veterans and their families would be eligible for grants.