By Necoia Shavers
Military Outreach Coordinator, First Coast YMCA
The military community is at the heart of Jacksonville. The city is home to a strong active-duty and veteran population and thousands of military families. The First Coast YMCA offers programs and resources to support those who serve and the families who serve alongside them.
November is National Military Family Month, and as an affiliate of the Armed Services YMCA, the First Coast YMCA celebrates the strength and sacrifice of military families. For the month of November, the First Coast YMCA offers military and first responder families the month free when they sign up and join a local branch. That support continues year-round through programs built for service members, veterans and their families.
Fitness and community for service members
Operation Strong & Ready is an eight-week wellness program at select branches for veterans that offers support for both their physical and mental health. Participants meet twice a week for one-hour sessions led by personal trainers. The training is an opportunity to prepare for branch-specific fitness tests or simply find a fitness group of like-minded individuals.
The First Coast YMCA also partners with the Sierra Club’s Military Outdoors program to get service members and veterans outside. Participants take a break from daily stress through guided hikes, outdoor adventures and environmental education alongside fellow service members and veterans.
The 20th annual Josh Watkins Tennis Tournament, taking place Nov. 12-15, also brings together athletes, veterans, families and community supporters. This community event benefits the Marine Corporal Joshua Watkins Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of North Florida, supporting military veterans pursuing higher education.
Support for military kids and families
Military kids face challenges many of their peers never will, from frequent moves to time apart from a deployed parent. Thanks to support from the Armed Services YMCA, Operation Hero is a free program that helps active-duty military children in first through sixth grades work through those challenges. Along the way, kids build resilience, confidence and friendships with peers who understand what they’re going through.
The First Coast YMCA also hosts events that bring military families together. At the annual Military Family Camp Day at Camp Immokalee, kids and parents spend the day zip-lining, kayaking and more. For families who often spend long stretches apart, opportunities like this allow them to create moments that matter together.
Each summer, the First Coast YMCA, along with military outreach partner VyStar Credit Union, hosts its annual Military Back-to-School Bash. This event gives military children a day dedicated to them, giving away free backpacks filled with school supplies, so no child is left empty-handed. It’s a way to ease back-to-school pressure on parents and help military families start the school year with confidence.
Keeping membership within reach
To help keep costs down, the YMCA offers military scholarships and membership rates based on the status and rank of the service member or veteran. Members can get full access to facilities, programs and services with no long-term contracts. Additionally, when service members travel anywhere in the U.S., they are able to visit other YMCA branches at no cost for up to 28 days.
Donor support allows the First Coast YMCA to offer scholarships to families who need additional support and extends to its military programming as well. The First Coast YMCA works toward fundraising goals for its Military Wellness programs, which help keep programs like Operation Strong & Ready and events like the Military Back-to-School Bash available to service members and veterans.
No matter where your family is on its military journey, the First Coast YMCA is here to help. To learn more about programs at your local branch, the resources your family may qualify for or to donate to military programming, visit fcymca.org or contact Military Outreach Coordinator Necoia Shavers at nshavers@fcymca.org.
