Since 1861, the Armed Services YMCA has been a place for service members and their families to receive support. It is a separate organization from the neighborhood YMCA and is dedicated to currently serving military personnel and their families.
The Armed Services YMCA is a nonprofit with a mission: Strengthening Our Military Family. Most programs and services are offered at no very low cost, and no membership fees are charged.
In 2018, the Armed Services YMCA engaged more than 225,000 people in its programs located near or on military installations, and delivered nearly 1 million points of services to junior enlisted soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen, coast guardsmen and family members at 200 service centers in 18 states.
Service members and their families benefit from a wide variety of services that range from recreational events and sports teams to family help in housing and food, and as well as several programs, including:
- Jack Daniel's Operation Ride Home, which gets service members to family at the holidays.
- Children's Waiting Room, a child care program located inside military hospitals that allows parents to attend scheduled appointments without the stress of having to find child care outside of the hospital.
- Child care and preschool at affordable rates, to prepare children for future success.
- Operation Little Learners, an interactive education program for parents and children ages 2-5. Parents learn to be the primary educator of their child with tools to enhance child development and early learning, as well as parent-child bonding.
- Operation Camp and camping to encourage healthy living, recreation and connections with other military children.
- Operation Hero, an after-school program designed to help military children in grades 2 to 8 address the unique challenges they face, such as frequent moves and deployments.
For more information:
Armed Services YMCA National Headquarters
14040 Central Loop, Suite B
Woodbridge, Va., 22193
Phone, toll free: (800) 597-1260; (703) 313-9600
Fax: (703) 313-9668
Email: asymca@asymca.org
