By Melissa Yuchasz
Executive Director, First Coast YMCA
Nassau County is home to almost 9,000 veterans, with military families making up a large part of the community. The First Coast YMCA recognizes this and has developed resources, programming and opportunities for the people who make this community what it is. As an affiliate of the Armed Services YMCA, we prioritize programs that support the physical, emotional and social well-being of military members and their families.
This November, the McArthur Family YMCA and YMCA at Wildlight are strengthening their commitment to those who have served. Through a series of programs and partnerships for veterans, active-duty military members and their families, the First Coast YMCA creates opportunities for them to connect, thrive and grow.
Serving military families close to home
For those who enjoy the outdoors, the YMCA Military Outreach Program and Sierra Club Military Outdoors are hosting a Military Outdoor Adventure Hike on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to noon. Participants will meet at the YMCA at Wildlight, explore the scenic trails behind the branch and finish with a yoga class. This event is open to all ages and abilities and is free for veterans, active-duty military members and their families.
While community connections matter, stability starts at home. To help with food insecurity growing across the region from rising costs, the First Coast YMCA partners with Ravens of Elijah Food Ministry on a community food distribution serving veterans, active-duty military personnel and their families. The distribution, hosted at the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay Child Development Center in Camden County, Georgia, just outside of Nassau County, will provide free groceries and turkeys while supplies last, easing some of the pressure of food insecurity on Thanksgiving.
Support across the First Coast
In honor of National Military Family Month, veterans, active-duty military members and their families are invited to experience the First Coast YMCA free of charge throughout November. Guests can use the fitness center, try group exercise classes and enjoy KidZone and many of the same benefits available to members.
These connections are especially important as military children often face repeated moves, long separations from deployed parents and uncertainty that many of their peers never experience. Thanks to the support of Armed Services YMCA, Operation Hero at the First Coast YMCA gives active-duty military children in first through sixth grades a place to talk through changes like relocations and parent deployment. Locally, this after-school program will begin in January at Wildlight Elementary School. It’s a space where children can connect with others who understand their experiences while developing leadership, communication and problem-solving skills.
For military families, balancing work schedules with the demands of service can make the hours after school a challenge. To help ease that load, the First Coast YMCA offers 20% scholarships for after-school care to active-duty families with service members in pay grades E-1 through E-6.
School is another element of military families’ everyday routines. That’s why the Military Back-to-School Bash is a way the First Coast YMCA helps set families and their children up for success. This event gives military children free backpacks filled with school supplies, leaving no child empty-handed. Back-to-school season can be stressful for both parents and kids, so this event helps military families start the school year with confidence.
Standing with those who serve
Whether it’s providing a Thanksgiving meal, inviting families onto local trails, opening its doors for a month of wellness or investing in the next generation, the First Coast YMCA continues to show its commitment to military families long after their service ends.
As Nassau County’s military community grows, these partnerships reflect the First Coast YMCA’s mission to strengthen spirit, mind and body for all while ensuring veterans and military families know they are valued, supported and connected to a caring community.
For more information about these programs or to learn how to get involved, visit fcymca.org or contact Executive Director Melissa Yuchasz at myuchasz@fcymca.org.
