Help San Diego’s Armed Services YMCA , Friend to 9,000 local Military Families! … Here’s how YOU can help the “Y” and the Warriors

How can  You show Real  support today for families of  Sailors, Soldiers, Marines and Airmen?   Read  on. San Diego is  rightly proud of its San Diego Armed Services YMCA, which helps those families every day, guided by the ASYMCA’s history and  heritage, from 1921 to the present….  Brittany Catton, their development director, sent along the attached material.   If YOU want to help the SDASYMCA do their fine work, with financial aid or volunteer work,  (A) post your name and e-mail address to this story, and you will be contacted, or  (B)  visit the chapter’s website:  http://www.militaryymca.org/

………..What   Do  They   Do ?

The San Diego Armed Services YMCA serves 9,000 service members and their families each month with over 40 absolutely free family bonding, youth development, and therapeutic programs to address the unique stresses of military life.  Some of these programs include free programs for wounded, injured and ill at Balboa Naval Medical Center. Programs include therapeutic horseback riding, C5 Medavac and Family Support, holistic services, therapy dogs, ward visitations and connecting patients with the San Diego Community with special outings and opportunities. Programs are designed to give support to our wounded, injured and ill military and their families, and offer therapeutic and recreational opportunities to help them improve in mind, body and spirit.

The San Diego Armed Services YMCA’s Family Outreach program has social workers that provide over 200 confidential, in-home, free counseling for military families each month. The program has doubled in the past year due to prolonged and increased deployments and additional stresses put on military families.

…………Looking  Out  for  the  Kids

Operation Kid Comfort is another unique and popular program for military children of deployed.  Each child with a parent deployed can receive a free photo quilt with favorite family pictures to help the child cope during the deployment.  Each quilt takes 8 hours to make by volunteer quilters. The program is designed to address the emotional stress children suffer during a parent’s deployment. Over 3,500 quilts for military children of deployed since 2006 have been quilted with love, totaling 35,000 hours of volunteer service. The program receives over 60 quilt requests each month, and those numbers spike dramatically during large scale deployments of Navy and Marine Units overseas.

…………How They Do It,  and Have for 90 Years  !

The San Diego Armed Services YMCA is a top-rated, fiscally responsible charity serving military families in San Diego since 1921.  Thank you for helping military families stress less and connect more! For more information, please visit www.militaryymca.org.

See this Fox 5 Story of a Military Child receiving their Operation Kid Comfort Quilt:        http://www.fox5sandiego.com/videobeta/e2c500bc-2156-4f5f-81f7-658aa3fd12c6/News/Quilts-Give-Comfort-To-Military-Kids

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Shown below is a recent letter the YMCA sent to these families, offering a spectacular range of services and activities for parents, teenagers and  children.  Please read it over, to  see just how worthy this cause really is of YOUR support!

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San Diego Armed Services YMCA: Stress Less and Connect More with Free Programs
to Preserve Military Families

Dear San Diego Armed Services YMCA Supporters,
Usually once a month, you get our PhotoSnapshot of Events. This month, we thought we would share with you in real time what we are doing this week to assist military families. Maybe you know of some active-duty families that would enjoy these fun, free events! Thank you for your ongoing support, we could not do it without you! Please let us know if you prefer just the snapshot, or like to see our events in real time as well to share with your military networks.
Thank you!

1.   WHAT WE DO: Click here to see our June PhotoSnapshot: Universal Studios, Drew Brees, Wounded Warrior Golf Tournament,  The American Freedom Festival and  more!

2.  FAMILY BONDING: We will be hosting a Free Ticket this Friday 6/17 starting at 9am for free San Diego Fair tickets,up to 4 per family with military/dependant ID and thank you note! We will post on the link when closed. Click here for all information.

3. STRESS LESS: With our monthly Neighborhood Exchange on 6/23 from 10am-12pm. Click here for zip code and income requirements.

4. YOUTH DEVELOPMENT:We heard your feedback that you need more programs for your military teens! Leaders in Training: Apply early to our premier weeklong Leaders in Training program specifically for military teens 15 to 17 years old. A FREE teen program with curriculum designed to practice core leadership skills and basic job readiness knowledge through professional outings to local San Diego businesses. CLICK HERE to apply. Application period ends on June 30^th.

5. YOUTH DEVELOPMENT:Camp Hero  & YES!: New for 2011 apply for Camp Hero and YES! outing in one application!! Camp Hero is a FREE Day Camp centered around being a military child. YES! Youth are day outings exploring San Diego with trips to Camp Surf and Horseback Riding for children 7 to 12 years old all during the month of August.  Application period is now open until June 22^nd. Click Here to apply!

6. YOUTH DEVELOPMENT: We want to give military parents a break with Intersession Day Out (IDO): The Padres and the SDASYMCA will host a free day outing to the Padre Game for military children ages 10 to 15. No rank restrictions, first come first serve. CLICK HERE to register!

7. FAMILY  BONDING:Was your loved one deployed during the 2010 Holiday Season? Sign ups for our Annual Christmas You Missed Event with Barona Resort and Casino are now open! This year, Christmas will be recreated on Monday morning, July 18th! Click here for all info.

8. CONNECT MORE:By bringing the whole family to your favorite museum. Military and their families will get free admission May 30th thru Labor Day! Click here for all details.

9. VOLUNTEER: Please click here to see our June Military Volunteer Calendar.

10. HEAR IT FIRST: Do you get excited about free tickets and programs and you don’t want to wait for the email?  Join our facebook page to hear it first!

Sincerely,

The Staff and Volunteers of the San Diego Armed Services YMCA