Military Outreach

We understand that military families are under enormous strain. By joining the Y, you and your family can spend quality time together and enjoy fun activities in a warm, supportive environment. It’s also a place to meet other military families who can relate to your unique situation.


ABOUT THE YMCA OUTREACH INITIATIVE

YMCA of the USA, the Armed Services YMCA and the Department of Defense launched the Y Military Outreach Initiative in 2008. This initiative leverages the Y movement’s national scale and mission to engage families facing the hardship and uncertainty of military deployment. The nation’s 2,686 Y’s have the unique capacity to respond to the needs of this widely dispersed population through supportive, community-based programs that foster child development, family strengthening, and health and well-being. It also carries forward the Y’s tradition and history of support for our military. Y volunteers provided relief services to soldiers during the Civil War. During World War I, the Y launched a massive program of morale and welfare service for the military, serving 90% of U.S. military forces in Europe. During World War II, the Y joined five other national voluntary organizations as the principal founder of the USO. In 1947, the USO deactivated, and the Y’s Army and Navy Departments moved immediately to fill the gap in social services for military personnel, changing its name to the YMCA Armed Services Department. The Armed Service Department has operated under its current name since 1984.


WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR FREE MEMBERSHIP?

  • Family members of deployed National Guard and Reservists
  • Active Duty Independent Duty personnel and their families
  • Wounded service members assigned to a Community Based Warrior in Transition Unit (CBWTU)
  • Relocated spouse/dependent children of deployed Active Duty personnel

Note: The Relocated Spouse category supports families/spouse that relocates away from an installation/duty station while the active duty service member is deployed. All of the following criteria must be met:


– The service member is on active duty.

– The service member is DEPLOYED for a minimum of six months (on deployment orders—NOT unaccompanied orders, NOT geographic bachelors)

– The spouse has relocated away from the military installation where the service member is assigned (most often, back home near family).



Check your eligibility

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?

Click HERE for more information and application materials.