USO Lounge at Charlotte Douglas International Airport Gets Make‐over

Made possible by funds raised though local Taco Bell fundraiser

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (December 12, 2011) – On behalf of the Armed Forces Families Foundation (AFFF), Charlotte Taco Bell restaurants raised money this summer to fund the recent remodel the USO of North Carolina’s Charlotte Douglas International Airport Center. The Charlotte Center is one of the busiest USO facilities in the country, serving an average of 8,500 service members and their families from all over the world each month. The Charlotte Center functions as a lounge for military personnel, military retirees and their families. The center is staffed by volunteers and offers comfortable chairs, books, magazines, television and refreshments. Internet and phone use is available free of charge to help service members connect with loved ones while far away from home.

The AFFF grant was used to purchase new lounge chairs, book cases and end tables. The Center was also furnished with new computers for service members and families for use in the lounge to check mail and send video messages to their loved ones. The Quiet Room, where families can sit in peace and quiet while awaiting the arrival of the remains of deceased service members, was also renovated.

The USO’s Charlotte Douglas International Airport Center is located at 5501 Josh Birmingham Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28208, in the Main Atrium on the Second Floor. The Center is open Monday through Sunday from 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM. All military ID‐card holders are welcome.

For more information or to donate to AFFF, please visit the www.armedforcesfamilies.org.

All proceeds go to the Armed Forces Families Foundation (AFFF), which has also completed four major projects in 2011, including the renovations to the Mayport USO Center in Jacksonville, Fla., a Family Wellness Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., a family rest area at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and a Family Readiness Program for the Marine Special Operations Battalion in Camp Pendleton, Calif., which is one of the most heavily deployed units of the Marine Corps.

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