The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) is the oldest organization supporting our military community, dating back to the Civil War. Their impact is huge, with thousands of military families receiving assistance with childcare, health, education, employment support, and collaboration within many communities today. As an association of the YMCA, their mission is focused on social responsibility, healthy living, and youth development.
Our nation has benefitted from the ongoing mission of the YMCA, an organization that has stood by the military members and their families for more than a century. We can give back in different ways to help.
The YMCA’s History of “Firsts” and Service
The YMCA’s history of societal influence and humanitarian efforts is unmatched. The ASYMCA’s Military Outreach Initiative, which has been extended through July 31, 2026, supports military readiness and family resilience with access to fitness facilities, childcare, and more. With more than 170,000 no-cost memberships and 185,000 military children supported by its programs, this organization continues to make a positive difference since 2008. See more information about this program, eligibility requirements, and how to apply.
When the Global COVID-19 Pandemic rapidly changed the world in 2023, the Armed Services YMCA distributed more than 2 million pounds of food and provided emergency childcare to approximately 4,000 children. In 2003, the ASYMCA at Fort Bragg started Operation Kid Comfort in response to the War on Terrorism. There is a long and honorable history that reaches much farther.
The YMCA attended to the needs of servicemembers, prisoners of war, and noncombatants during the Civil War and mobilized overseas support in the Spanish-American War. The first Army YMCA was established in 1889 at Fort Monroe, Virginia. By 1902, Congress authorized permanent YMCA facilities on military bases. It continued on with support ranging from providing dormitories and canteens to using YMCA swim instruction techniques that led to Warfare Aquatics during World War I. It was the YMCA’s role that led to what we now know as post exchanges and morale, welfare, and recreation, but most notably, that our military needed these kinds of resources. When the Great Depression hit, the YMCA was there with vocational training support. During World War II, the YMCA helped with funding, relief packages, mobile canteens, and morale care. It also helped form the United Service Organization (USO) in 1940 as a joint effort.
Among its other accomplishments are the following inventions:
- Basketball by James Naismith in 1891
- Volleyball by William Morgan in 1895
- Toastmasters International by Ralph C. Smedley in 1903
- Associated Press in 1907
- Father’s Day by Louise Smart Dodd in 1909 (with presidential endorsements later)
- Racquetball by Joe Sobek in 1950
Ways to Help
According to the YMCA fact sheet, the organization’s impact extends to 16.9 million people and 805,000 military service members and their families. Opportunities to help include donations and volunteering your time.
Volunteerism:
Time is a valuable currency, and your time can help programs and services. You may be surprised by the ways in which you can do this. For example, the ASYMCA’s annual art and essay contest for military youth leverages volunteer submission reviewers.
Monetary Donations:
There are multiple options, which include selecting the ASYMCA for the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC #11085) or the employer matching gift program, as applicable. You can donate securities via wire or stock transfer, or major planned gifts. You can also directly contribute through individual giving, one-time, recurring (Valor Corps), or in memoriam online at https://give.asymca.org/inspire.
Other Donations:
Donations can also be provided in the form of eBay charity auctions, Wyndham Hotel and Resorts points, or donated motorized vehicles, which include boats, RVs, trailers, and motorcycles.
Military communities are unified and resilient, but the future is unknown. We can answer the call for help today and find ourselves in need of it tomorrow. Together, we can continue to build upon the legacy of the ASYMCA and its partnerships across America by giving back. You can learn more at How to Help.
