Welcome to the Air Force Enlisted Village!
The Air Force Enlisted Village was founded in 1967 to provide a safe, secure and dignified place for indigent surviving spouses of retired Air Force personnel. The Village’s primary goal and focus is to “Provide a Home,” and financial assistance to these women. The surviving spouse with the greatest need is cared for first and none are refused assistance due to financial status. Low pay and frequent military moves leave some spouses without careers, home equities, retirement plans or any significant assets. Surviving spouses requiring financial assistance live here among peers sharing memories of Air Force life without the stigma normally associated with subsidized housing facilities. Explore our site for more details!
Hawaiian-themed food, music and dancers at 2009 Annual Luau.
Bob Hope Village to Celebrate 25th Anniversary with Annual Luau on May 29th
Palm trees, pineapples and tropical flowers of many colors will grace the Bob Hope Village pool and banquet hall on May 29, 2010 as residents and the Air Force community celebrate the 25th anniversary of Bob Hope Village. The occasion will feature Hawaiian-themed food, music and dancers and will highlight Bob Hope Village from its inception to today. The event will also honor Col. Bob Gates and recognize the birthdays of Bob and Dolores Hope.
Twenty five years ago, enlisted Air Force widows began calling Bob Hope Village “home.” The need for such a place arose when a survey revealed that over 50,000 enlisted Air Force widows were living in poverty. Frequent military moves and low pay had left many of them without careers, home equities, retirement plans or any significant assets. A group of Air Force non-commissioned officers wanted to change these statistics and sought a way to help provide a home for these women. They had the assistance of former Air Force Chief of Staff General and Mrs. John D. Ryan, and in 1967 formed the Air Force Enlisted Men’s Widows and Dependents Home Foundation—now known as the Air Force Enlisted Village—with plans to build a community where enlisted Air Force widows could live safely and with dignity.
Building a community for enlisted widows was a tremendous financial undertaking so the group of non-commissioned officers took their plan to the Air Force family—individual Air Force members, wives clubs, and organizations such as the Air Force Association and the Air Force Sergeants Association helped with fundraising. They had enough funds to make an immediate impact and in 1975, purchased an apartment complex in Fort Walton Beach, FL. Enlisted Air Force widows finally had a safe home at Teresa Village; however, there were many more widows that needed help.
The group pressed on with plans to build their own community. Fundraising continued and by 1980 the group purchased land from the Air Force in Shalimar, FL outside Eglin AFB. Construction for an enlisted widows’ community began in 1984 and the group decided to honor Bob Hope, the world famous comedian and actor who was still entertaining troops, by naming the widows community “Bob Hope Village.” By 1985, enlisted Air Force widows would finally have a home in Bob Hope Village.
Today, the Bob Hope Village campus includes 256 garden apartments; a community center with banquet hall, beauty salon, fitness room, gift shop, library and swimming pool; chapel service at the Dolores Hope All Faiths Chapel; Garden of Hope; Bob Gates Welcome Center; and an assisted living residence, Hawthorn House. Bob Hope Village residents are provided with services such as transportation to doctor appointments and shopping; 24 hour medical alert system; security, maintenance; wellness seminars; and social activities.
Dana Phillips has always had dreams of walking and passing through towns and meeting people along the way. While she was deployed during Christmas of 2007 she decided to hike the Appalachian Trail and make her experience a fundraiser for the Air Force Enlisted Village.
Dana, a retired Air Force chief master sergeant, had contributed to the AFEV through the Air Force Assistance Fund for many years while serving. “I feel the Air Force Enlisted Village is an organization dedicated to making life better for others and I would like to help,” she said. “It’s comforting to know places like the Air Force Enlisted Village are there to help others who might otherwise have nowhere to go.”
Dana’s goal is to get 1000 people to sponsor her at a penny per mile. Her journey of 2175 miles begins on March 22, 2010.
Dana said the hike should take about five months to complete. She has read journals from others who have hiked the trail and knows that she will encounter difficulties and discomfort but feels the experience is well worth it.
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Air Force Enlisted Village • 92 Sunset Lane • Shalimar, FL 32579-1000 • Phone: 850-651-3766 • 1-800-258-1413 • Email: afef@afev.us
Hawthorn House: 850-609-2550 • 1-866-312-1703 • FAX 850-609-2553 © 2009 Air Force Enlisted Village
