Soldier’s Closet – Okla. YMCA Clothing Drive
YMCAs across Oklahoma are enlisting the support of their communities in a statewide clothing drive for the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) in Lawton. Clothes donated at any Y location in the state from June 21 through July 18 will go to the Soldier’s Closet, a free store open to junior enlisted military families at Fort Sill.
The Soldier’s Closet served more than 2,500 Fort Sill soldier families last year. The army post is expected to process and deploy a record number of troops this year, according to Bill Vaughn, executive director of the ASYMCA in Lawton. The most requested items at the Soldier’s Closet are baby clothes and formal dresses.
“We have had a baby boom at Fort Sill and can’t keep baby items in supply,” Vaughn said. “Ball gowns are also in high demand. Our young soldiers are invited to several balls a year and formal dresses are expensive for young couples to purchase, so they turn to the Soldier’s Closet.”
Clothing donations can be dropped off at any Y location across the state during regular business hours. Visit www.ymca.net for a complete listing of all Oklahoma Y locations. For more information on the Soldier’s Closet or the Armed Services YMCA at Fort Sill, contact Bill Vaughn at (580) 355-5520.
Media Advisory | May 5, 2010
Armed Services YMCA to Honor Individuals and Organizations for Supporting Military Families
Congressman Louie Gohmert to Keynote 23rd Annual Recognition Luncheon
The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) will present a number of awards to outstanding individuals and programs that work to improve the quality of life for junior enlisted personnel and their families at their 23rd Annual Recognition Luncheon on Capitol Hill next week. The ASYMCA is a national nonprofit organization and the leading provider of social and support services to members of the U.S. military and their families. The awards will be presented during Military Appreciation Month.
ASYMCA, with support from event sponsor General Dynamics, will announce the winners of the annual art and essay contest and present scholarships to students who entered original works on their military families and heroes; Raytheon Program Achievement Awards to ASYMCA branches for best new program, most innovative improvement and best use of volunteers; and six Raytheon Community YMCA Awards, which recognize the YMCAs for programs supporting the military. The event will feature a keynote address by Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-1-Texas).
WHAT: Armed Services YMCA 23rd Annual Recognition Luncheon
WHEN: Thursday, May 13, 2010 | 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Cannon Caucus Room (Room 345), Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC
RSVP: casey.clark@fd.com or (202) 346-8844
A full list of honorees from forward operating positions around the world and Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, along with copies of winning student essays and art work will be available at www.asymca.org/press on May 10, 2010.
Press Release | April 9, 2010
ASYMCA Installs Student Art & Essay Display at BWI Marshall Airport
Winners of 2009 Student Art and Essay Contest, ASYMCA Operation Kid Comfort Quilt on Display in Concourse C
The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) worked with officials at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) to install a display of the 2009 Student Art and Essay Contest winners and a sample of the organization’s Operation Kid Comfort quilts, which are made by volunteers for children of deployed military personnel.
Airport visitors can see the exhibit, located between Concourse C and Concourse D on the upper level of the BWI terminal, on display through August 2010.
The 2010 Art and Essay Contest winners will be announced on May 13 at ASYMCA’s annual recognition and awards luncheon on Capitol Hill. The 2010 winning pieces will be displayed in the Russell Senate Office Building Rotunda in Washington, D.C., before replacing the 2009 winners in the BWI display.
“BWI is a regular point of entry and departure for the brave men and women of our armed services,” said Frank Gallo, national executive director of the ASYMCA. “As we begin April, the Month of the Military Child, this display is a fitting tribute to the thousands of military families that we strive to support with our various programs throughout the year.”
The annual ASYMCA Student Art and Essay contest for children of U.S. service members awards a total of $7,600 in U.S. Savings Bonds to 1st and 2nd place winners of both contests. Participants range in grade from kindergarten to high school seniors and submit original work centered on the themes, “My Military Family” for the art contest and “My Military Hero” for the essay competition. The annual contest is officially launched every November during Military Family Month and is open to all eligible children of U.S. active duty or retired service members.
Operation Kid Comfort is a national ASYMCA program that provides personalized quilts to children of deployed military personal 6 years of age and younger and pillows to children 7 and older. Designed to provide comfort during the often difficult time of separation for military children, the program relies on ASYMCA volunteers who collect photographs of the deployed parent and stitch a transfer of the images into custom-made quilts and pillows.
Press Release | March 18, 2010
Armed Services YMCA Honors Military Medical Personnel at 4th Annual Angels of the Battlefield Gala
Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, delivers keynote address and conducts re-enlistment ceremony for husband-and-wife Navy corpsmen
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, March 17, the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) honored military men and women who administer life-saving medical treatment to our troops on the front lines at the 4th Annual Angels of the Battlefield Gala. ASYMCA is a national nonprofit organization and the leading provider of social and support services to members of the U.S. military and their families. The keynote speaker for the event was Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of U.S. Naval Operations.
Press Release | March 9, 2010
ASYMCA Receives 4-Star Rating from Leading Independent Charity Evaluator
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) has received an “Exceptional” rating from Charity Navigator for the fourth straight year. The designation recognizes ASYMCA for consistently executing its mission to enrich the lives of junior enlisted personnel and their families in a fiscally responsible way.
Organizations reviewed receive zero to four stars based on their ability to efficiently manage and grow finances. As America’s premier independent charity evaluator, Charity Navigator reviews the financial health of more than 5,500 of America’s largest charities, providing donors with objective, reliable assessments of the financial health of their chosen charity.
Press Release | Nov. 9, 2009
ASYMCA Kicks Off Military Family Month with Announcement of Annual Art and Essay Contest for Children of U.S. Service Members
President Obama Joins ASYMCA in Celebrating Military Family Month
WASHINGTON, DC — The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) is celebrating Military Family Month – November 2009 – by inviting children of U.S. Armed Forces members to create artwork and essays centered on the themes, “My Military Hero” and “My Military Family.” The annual ASYMCA Art and Essay Contest is officially launched every November and is open to all eligible children of U.S. active duty or retired service members
Press Release | Sept. 8, 2009
Operation Kid Comfort Chosen as Banner Project for 9/11 National Day of Service
The 200+ volunteers gearing up for the three-hour quilt-making marathon at RFK Stadium on Sept. 11 aren’t seasoned “stack and whackers” or appliqué aficionados — most have never even touched a quilting needle. Still, these DC-area residents will commemorate the inaugural 9/11 National Day of Service by donating a few hours of their time to one of the Armed Services YMCA’s (ASYMCA) most popular programs: Operation Kid Comfort, which provides personalized quilts to children ages 6 and under who are having a hard time coping with the overseas deployment of their military mom or dad.
Press Release | July 13, 2009
Armed Services YMCA Receives 2009 Best of Alexandria Award
Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting military personnel and their families, has been selected for the 2009 Best of Alexandria Award in the Social Service Center category, sponsored by the U.S. Commerce Association.
Each year, The Best of Alexandria Award Program honors outstanding organizations throughout the country that make a positive contribution to their local communities. Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The Best of Alexandria Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity, and the winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally and through third parties.
Press Release | July 8, 2009
Operation HERO Program Receives $20,000 from TriWest
In a newly released Department of Defense survey, one third of military parents report their child’s grades and behavior in school declined when a loved one is deployed.
Assisting Fort Riley children with these challenges when they return to school in August is the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) Operation HERO program. Operation HERO is a mentoring program for children ages 6 to12 who experience temporary difficulty in school—social and academic—because of emotional stress from deployment, family disruption and frequent moves. The program provides after-school tutoring and mentoring assistance for military children that range from grades one through five. The program runs twice a week throughout the school year serving approximately 180 students.
Press Release | May 13, 2009
Armed Services YMCA Honors Those Who Support Military Families at 22nd Annual Recognition Luncheon
At its 22nd Annual Recognition Luncheon on Capitol Hill today, the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) presented a number of awards to outstanding individuals and programs that work to improve the quality of life for junior enlisted personnel and their families. During this heavy time of deployment, it’s important, now more than ever, to support programs that serve military families and honor individuals who work on behalf of our troops and their families.
