MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- Since 1904, the Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society has provided financial, educational and other assistance to members of the U.S. Naval services, eligible family members and survivors in need while receiving and managing funds to administer these charitable programs.

With headquarters in Arlington, Va., NMCRS is a non-profit charitable organization sponsored by the Department of the Navy and operates nearly 250 offices ashore and afloat at Navy and Marine Corps bases throughout the world.

The NMCRS provides financial assistance to eligible recipients in the form of interest-free loans and grants to help with emergency needs, as well as need-based scholarships and interest-free loans for educational purposes, said Ann W. Evans, director, Miramar Office of the Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society.

"The NMCRS primarily provides financial assistance through educational programs for those under conditions of need," said Evans, who first joined the NMCRS in 1961. "Some of our services include budget counseling services, food lockers, infant layettes and Budget for Baby Seminars, thrift shops and visiting nurse services. Financial management is a big part of our services, and many of our clients are young with little experience handling funds or managing a household."

Evans said the NMCRS's vision is to be a "center of excellence" committed to ensure that all available resources are used to help all Marines and Sailors, including active duty, retired and their eligible family members, to be more financially self-sufficient and better able to find solutions for their financial needs.

"Our volunteers are absolutely wonderful," said Evans, a Phoenix native. "We have more than 3,000 trained volunteers, both ashore and aboard ships, that do a great job to help accomplish the major portion of NMCRS's work. The volunteers are supported by a small group of employees."

Evans said that the NMCRS enjoys an active partnership with the Navy and Marine Corps and benefits significantly from the command structure here at Miramar and around the globe. The commanders themselves, as well the senior-enlisted leadership, chaplains and Family Service Center personnel, play a very important role in helping the NMCRS provide the financial assistance to those with mismanaged funds.

Although sponsored by the Department of the Navy, the NMCRS receives no funding from the government, Evans added.

The work of NMCRS is supported by an annual fund drive conducted by the Navy and Marine Corps and by a direct mail campaign of the Navy and Marine Corps retired community, said Evans.

"Both fund drives are conducted under the auspices of the Secretary of the Navy and all contributions are returned to clients in the form of relief or educational assistance," Evans explained. "In February we sponsored a successful budget initiative and the latest fund raising campaign enables us to provide help to servicemembers when they have financial difficulties as a result of need. So far the fund-drive has been successful, but we are really looking for even more assistance than ever before."