The Armed Services YMCA and Department of Defense Outreach Initiative offers YMCA memberships to eligible military families and personnel who may not have access to a nearby military facility.
Eligibility Categories
Family members of deployed Title 10 National Guard and Reservists who are deployed for a minimum of six months may participate in the initiative. Families of active duty National Guard and Reservists who have not deployed are not eligible for funding. In addition, these groups are eligible:
Active Duty families who live in one of the selected BRAC bases (contact Military OneSource at www.militaryonesource. com or 800-342-9647 for a list of eligible Joint Bases);
Active Duty Independent Duty personnel and their families as approved by their Military Service Headquarters;
Relocated spouses and family members of deployed Active Duty personnel
Note: Only Title 10 personnel are eligible
Ineligible Categories Grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles of military families are not eligible unless both parents are deployed and one of those relatives has been declared the legal guardian. In addition, the program is not open to recruits, veterans, retirees.
To qualify:
1. Complete the YMCA/DoD Eligibility Form. Click here to download form.
2. Bring the form, along with your deployment orders and military ID card, to the YMCA.
About the YMCA Outreach Initiative
YMCA of the USA, the Armed Services YMCA and the Department of Defense have launched the YMCA Military Outreach Initiative. This initiative leverages the YMCA movement's national scale and mission to engage families facing the hardship and uncertainty of military deployment. The nation's 2,686 YMCAs 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 YMCA's tradition and history of support for our military. YMCA volunteers provided relief services to soldiers during the Civil War. During World War I, the YMCA 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 YMCA joined five other national voluntary organizations as the principal founder of the USO. In 1947, the USO deactivated, and the YMCA'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.
By choosing to participate in the Outreach Initiative, our YMCA facilities welcome qualified military personnel and their families and support them in reaching their child development, family strengthening, and health and well-being goals.
Military personnel looking for more information about participation guidelines may contact Military OneSource at 800-342-6947.
