2013 Armed Services YMCA and GEICO Essay Contest Winners Announced
We would like to thank the hundreds of applicants that participated in this year’s contest!
The annual Armed Services YMCA 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.
Winners of both the art and essay contests have their winning entries displayed at 33 Armed Services YMCA Branches and affiliate locations, as well as military bases worldwide during Military Family Month in November, 2013. Winners also receive special Apple product prizes to help youth create and express themselves.
“Our annual art and essay contest allows children to express their love, appreciation and admiration for their military heroes,” said Mike Landers, CAPT, USN (Ret), and CEO of ASYMCA. “Their essays and artwork also serve to remind us of the sacrifices our men and women in uniform, and their families, make each day for our country.”
Entries for the art contest depict the theme, “My Military Family.” Co-sponsored by GEICO, the art contest promotes art among children in grades K–6 of active duty or retired (with 20+ years of service) members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and National Guard/Reserves families.
2013 Armed Services YMCA and GEICO Essay Winners:
First and Second Grade Isabel Kliethermes of Goldsboro, NC daughter of Major Clinton Kliethermes, USAF and Lana Kliethermes
Third and Fourth Grade Brenna Meehan of Coronado CA, daughter of CDR Lawrence E. Meehan, USN and Amy Meehan
Fifth and Sixth Grade Kelsey Mashburn of Vilonia AR, daughter of TSgt Mark Mashburn, USAF and Audrey Mashburn
Seventh and Eighth Grade Byanca Hutchins of Oceanside CA, daughter of CPO Janina L. Hutchins, USN and Maria Hutchins
Ninth and Tenth Grade Elizabeth McCormick, APO AA, daughter of Major Jeff McCormack, USMC and Bridget McCormack
Eleventh and Twelfth Grade Jesse Alan Davison of Vanzant MO, son of ENC/DV Ralph R. Davison, II and Beverly Davison
Click here to see the 2013 Art Contest Winners
Over 100,000 Military Children Impacted by the YMCA DoD Initiative with the Armed Services YMCA
Do you know that over 1,481 YMCAs participate in the YMCA Department of Defense Initiative Program?
The Armed Services YMCA makes military life easier, and has partnered with YMCA’s nationwide along with the Department of Defense to offer youth development, healthy living and social responsibility to military families. Over 100,000 military children have been impacted by this opportunity since 2008. Active-duty, Guard, Reserve and their families can see if they are eligible for the free program by here.
- Fun Fact- The Armed Services YMCA also partners with 300 Y’s for the Navy Special Warfare Recruit Fitness Training Program!
Armed Services YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day® on April 20 Aims to Help Military Kids Exercise Minds and Bodies
San Diego| Scoop San Diego | April 18, 2013
On Saturday, April 20, the Armed Services YMCA San Diego (ASYMCA) is celebrating YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day® with a free community event that encourages military kids in San Diego to get moving and learning, and families living healthier. Healthy Kids Day, the Y’s national initiative to improve families’ health and well-being, takes place at 1,900 Ys and kick-starts healthier behaviors now and throughout the summer, a critical out-of-school time for children’s health.
Military children face many unique challenges such as relocations and the prolonged and frequent deployments of a parent. In addition, many U.S. children do not get the daily recommended hours of physical activity and reading, and daily amounts of healthy foods. According to the latest findings of the YMCA’s Family Health Snapshot – a survey of parents that gauges their children’s activity levels during the school year – only 19 percent of children get 60 minutes of physical activity, only 17 percent read books for fun, and only 12 percent eat at least eight fruits and vegetables daily.
“At the Armed Services YMCA San Diego, we understand that military parents have enough to worry about. We don’t think that keeping their kids physically and intellectually active every day should be one of them. We want to help ensure fewer kids are at risk of childhood obesity and more kids excel in school,” said Paul Steffens, Executive Director. “We are so excited to partner with the YMCA for this national initiative and specifically gear our ASYMCA’s Healthy Kids Day to military families. This event will get kids moving and learning while also helping families get a jump on creating a healthier summer, and ultimately a healthier future.”
ASYMCA’s Healthy Kids Day takes place at the Santo Baseball Field from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. This event will feature fun, active play and educational activities. Families will get active with an obstacle course, mini-ball games, bounce houses, and tug-o-war. Healthy snacks like trail mix and fruit pizza will provide refreshment, while resource tables and activity booths like the Rad Hatter’s silly hat making booth will provide a place to relax. Gym Ventures will also be leading gymnastic-style exercises, while Heartlight will be coordinating fitness dance routines and jump rope fun.
ASYCMA’s Healthy Kids Day is supported by Coleman University and San Diego Uptown Rotary. ASY is proud to host representatives from Cabot Creamery, Feeding America San Diego, Chicano Federation, and Sunflower Family Child Care, who will provide a variety of healthy snacks and awareness materials for attendees.
YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day is supported by national media partners Sprout and Lazy Town, who are committed to encouraging kids to lead a healthy lifestyle. Representatives from the Downtown YMCA, Mission Valley YMCA, and Borderview YMCA will join the Armed Services YMCA at Saturday’s event. The YMCA of San Diego County will be celebrating Healthy Kids Day the following Saturday, April 27th—allowing military families the chance to participate in two weekends of fun.
For more information, contact Cat Quirk at 858-751-5755 or visit MilitaryYMCA.org.
Dance strengthens bond between fathers, daughters
Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs Military Newspaper Group | April 14, 2013
Capt. Derek Foster, commander, Company A, 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, dances with his daughters, Ruby, 12, left, and Gracie, 9, during the seventh annual Military Father Daughter Dance at the Crowne Plaza Colorado Springs hotel, Saturday.
Story and photo by Cpl. William Smith
4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office
Fathers held their daughters and twirled them around the dance floor, the young women dressed in gorgeous gowns, their eyes full of admiration for those who held them as they danced to “My Girl.”
The Armed Services YMCA hosted the seventh annual Military Father Daughter Dance at the Crowne Plaza Colorado Springs hotel for dads and daughters to strengthen bonds, April 13.
“The Father Daughter Dance is all about (dads) connecting with their daughters,” said E.D. Rucker, military outreach coordinator, Armed
Services YMCA. “The Armed Services (YMCA) mission is to enhance the life of the active-duty members and their Family. The dance is about them bonding; it is about the dad and the daughter having that time together.”
Fathers were raving about the opportunity to dance the night away with their daughters.
“Last year we were not able to come (to the event) because I was in Afghanistan,” said Capt. Derek Foster, commander, Company A, 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
“With my many deployments, just being home is great, but being able to come to the dance with my daughters is just amazing,” Foster said.
For some of the attendees the dance was the first chance to create memories.
“The bond and the memories that my daughter and I are creating are amazing,” said Sgt. James Spaulding, health care specialist, 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Div., as he held his daughter, Alyssa, 3.
“We don’t have a lot of memories because I was deployed and this is the first daddy-daughter date, first daddy-daughter anything, the first of many (to come).”
Foster said that events like these help servicemembers to reconnect with Family.
“Your Family is always there for you, so take advantage of the time you get with them,” Foster said.
Foster’s daughters, Ruby, 12, and Gracie, 9, both said they were excited that their dad was able to come to the dance, and enjoyed spending time with him.
Rucker said the YMCA staff looks forward to hosting events that help servicemembers.
“It is a beautiful thing, and (the dance) is my favorite event that we put on,” Rucker said. “Realizing what … military men and women do, seeing that you guys are so proud and your daughters are so proud that they are with their dads. When you see that, it touches your heart, it just touches your heart.”
Check out this surprise video of two military children receiving their ASYMCA Operation Kid Comfort Quilts
” I cried watching my little ones open the package. My husband cried seeing the pictures. My kids have cried with happiness talking about Daddy. And, my four year old now wants to quilt the whole house with pictures of Daddy – starting with the curtains and the couch. They certainly put some much needed happiness in our home. ” -The Hester Family
Request a Quilt-Operation Kid Comfort
The Armed Services YMCA’s Operation Kid Comfort Program
Creating comfort through free custom-made quilts for children of deployed military personnel
Created in 2004 at Ft. Bragg/Pope Air Force Base in Fayetteville, N.C., the Armed Services YMCA’s Operation Kid Comfort is designed to address the emotional stress that children of military personnel suffer during a parent’s absence from home, providing free quilts for children ages 6 and under and pillows for children ages 7 and older (although the Armed Services YMCA does do quilts for wheelchair bound and special needs military children, please specify on your application if needed). To date, the program has made more than 20,000 quilts for children of deployed parents through participating branches and our online service for active-duty families who are not near a participating branch. Each quilt takes eight hours of volunteer time and about $50 worth of materials and postage. Your online donation today can help more military children cope with deployment, please note Operation Kid Comfort on the donation form to support more military children. Thank you!
Click here for more information, to request a quilt or to volunteer.
Operation Hero
The Armed Services YMCA’s award winning Operation Hero Program is an after-school program targets children ages 6 to 12 years of age who have been identified by school personnel and parents as exhibiting low self esteem, or difficultly adjusting both academically and socially in the school environment. Often these difficulties are caused by frequent moves and family disruption due to deployments. Curriculum is designed to help children handle the challenges of military life, provide tools to help them succeed in school, and help develop a positive self-image while improving social and communication skills.
Military Families interested in the program can contact their local ASYMCA branch to see if they are currently running a program at their child’s school. Program sites are determined by a current ASYMCA presence, an invitation by the school to host the program, a need for the free program as determined by the teacher as well as the parent, along with available private funding and donations for staff and materials.
Operation Outdoors- Camping Scholarships
Click here to learn more about the $200,000 donation by the Newman’s Own Foundation for 2013
“ The impact this funding will have on our military families and their children is immeasurable. These funds will provide hundreds of military children with learning and bonding opportunities, coping mechanisms to help them deal with the challenges of military life, as well as memories that will last a lifetime” – Mike Landers, President and CEO
Over the past four years, over 20,566 military children and their parents have received a camping experience thanks to generous grants from the Sierra Club, Newman’s Own, and other generous donors like the PenFed Foundation.
Overnight, day or specialty camps at the Y share one thing: they’re about discovery. Military children have the opportunity to explore nature, find new talents, try new activities, gain independence, and make lasting friendships and memories. And, of course, it’s fun too.
Camping, like many Armed Services Y programs, is about learning skills, developing character and making friends. But few environments are as special as camp, where kids become a community as they learn both how to be more independent and how to contribute to a group as they engage in physical, social and educational activities. Camping teaches self-reliance, a love for nature and the outdoors, and the development of attitudes and practices that build character and leadership—all amidst the fun of camp fires, bugle calls, canoeing, archery, talent shows, and meaningful relationships. Armed Services Y counselors are dedicated to making sure camp is an amazing experience for every camper.
We have more than 130 years of experience in providing a safe, thriving environment for young military children to explore personal interests, build self-esteem, develop interpersonal skills, discover the creativity and health benefits of the outdoors, cope with the challenges of military life, and make lasting friendships and memories.
