The Gold-Star Family Emergency Relief Fund provides immediate and direct relief for survivors’ families who experience temporary economic hardship. This fund provides $20,000 a year in aid for unexpected emergencies, catastrophic medical bills, childcare, spousal employment education, post disaster relief, and nutritional assistance. The fund can also provide no-interest loans or grants to help meet immediate needs and make a positive step toward lasting financial stability. Secondly, the Foundation provides education grants, loans, or scholarships to dependent children, surviving spouses, and survivors of all branches of service. These resources have benefited Gold-Star Families and Survivors experiencing financial need during the Christmas holidays through gift-giving trees and other direct aid. Finally, the Foundation understands the unique bonds, mutual support, and sense of community that exists within the survivor community in Arkansas. The Foundation provides programs that enable survivor families to come together to support one another. These family-based programs consist of an annual Christmas celebration at the State Capitol and a summer resiliency retreat for the families at Greers Ferry Lake. A cornerstone awareness campaign, undertaken with and for the families, commemorates the service members with a combat boot display on the front steps of the State Capitol during Arkansas’s Gold Star Family Day.