Armed Services YMCA of the USA
Strengthening Our Military Family
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Military families move 6-9 times before a military child graduates from high school, 3 times more frequently than their civilian counterparts. Due to the service member’s upward trajectory, military families are faced with ongoing transitions that impact their financial security, and their physical and mental health. By offering programs that focus on Youth Development and Healthy Living, ASYMCA helps mitigate the negative effects of frequent moves and the ensuing isolation. ASYMCA programs and services enable military parents and children to make new friendships and feel part of a community. Through programs like Operation Hero and camp, military children develop emotionally and academically, and military spouses connect with others who have the same challenges. What results is improved resilience among military children and spouses, and a sense of wellbeing for the entire family. This allows the deployed service member to stay focused, and ultimately, to be successful and safe.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Operation Hero
Operation Hero is an afterschool enrichment program designed to address issues faced by many military children. Military children bear a tremendous amount of stress related to frequent moves, parental deployment, and trauma resulting from the wounding or loss of a mother or father. Operation Hero provides a safe environment where these children can express their emotions, receive academic and emotional support, and connect with peers who are experiencing the same challenges. The program provides tools (e.g. Operation Hero’s innovative homework app) and opportunities for military children to adjust positively to the challenges of military life.
Thanks to our donors, this no-cost program gives military parents the chance to get their children the help and support they need, without worrying about financial costs. Operation Hero is made possible through support from organizations like USAA Bank.
Operation Little Learners
Forced frequent moves due to military orders is one of the unique stressors of military family life. Operation Little Learners provides military parents tools to enhance the developmental areas of their child and offers opportunity for early learning and bonding. The program also connects military families to a support network filled with other parents and children experiencing similar challenges. With a curriculum focused on phonics, writing, science, and math skills, each student graduates fully prepared for kindergarten having established a foundation for future social and academic success.
Children's Waiting Room
Children’s Waiting Room is a child care program located inside military and civilian hospitals that allows parents to attend scheduled appointments without the stress of having to find child care outside the hospital. When families have the ability to drop off their children inside the hospital at no or low cost, they are more likely to attend scheduled appointments, and in locations with Children’s Waiting Room hospital administrators report a 30% drop in no show rates. Siblings kept out of clinic areas have reduced exposure to other sick patients. Providing a child watch program at hospitals allows service members and spouses to make healthier health care decisions. Children's Waiting Room is made possible through support from organizations like Health Net Federal Services.
Camps
Camps and camping opportunities offered throughout the year at our branches and affiliate locations continue to be one of ASYMCA’s most popular programs. Camps encourage healthy living as part of our core mission of strengthening our military family, and provide much needed recreational and bonding opportunities for military children and families who have experienced multiple deployments. Camping provides a fun, educational and safe outdoor experience for military children and families to bond, make new friends and build their support networks by connecting with others who have similar backgrounds and experiences as members of the military community.
Childcare
Child care and preschool have consistently proven to be an overwhelming cost for junior enlisted service members and their families. ASYMCA offers accessible, quality child care and preschool programs at affordable rates in order to prepare children for future success by teaching social skills, creativity, literacy, and fine & gross motor skills. Child care increases the military family’s financial security and well-being by enabling military spouses to seek work outside the home or continue their education, which may lead to future employment or improved employment opportunities. As a result, service members can stay focused on their mission while their spouses and partners provide vital financial resources for their family. Childcare is made possible through support from organizations like USAA Bank.
Operation Holiday Joy
Operation Holiday Joy was initially established in collaboration with Woman’s Day Magazine and their readers to raise awareness and funds for military service members and their families during the holidays. Since 2004, Operation Holiday Joy supporters have donated more than $1.3 million for military and their families, enabling the purchase and distribution of more than 320,000 toys and the delivery of more than 25,000 baskets of food to junior enlisted families in need during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
Operation Kid Comfort
Operation Kid Comfort provides handmade quilts and pillows at no cost to the children of deployed active duty military service members. ASYMCA Volunteers craft custom-made quilts and pillows with photos of the service member to help children cope with emotional stress during a parent’s deployment. With your support we can provide comforting quilts to more children, making mom or dad feel closer to home.
Operation Ride Home
Operation Ride Home provides financial assistance to active duty junior-enlisted military and their families to travel from their place of military service, back home for the holidays. Since Operation Ride Home began, a total of 6,410 individual junior enlisted service members and their family members have travelled from their bases to homes around the country for the holidays. Men and women from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard have been assisted with travel to 47 of the 50 states.
Where we work
Accreditations
Charity Navigator 2012
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
No target populations selected
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
No target populations selected
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of overall donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
No target populations selected
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total dollars received in contributions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
No target populations selected
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of meals served or provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
No target populations selected
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total number of counseling sessions performed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
No target populations selected
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of participants who received mental health referral services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
No target populations selected
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of in-hospital child watch visits
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
No target populations selected
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of parents and children engaged in parent-child interactive early learning readiness
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
No target populations selected
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of program sites
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
No target populations selected
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of participants engaged in programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
No target populations selected
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
ASYMCA strives to strengthen our military families by focusing in three specific areas:
- Develop youth through programs that incorporate education, academic and social engagement.
- Enable healthy living through programs that promote standards for a lifetime of healthy eating and physical activity, and
- Foster social responsibility through programs which increase family resilience.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
ASYMCA operates five Core Programs and a variety of other Services at thirteen individual Branches across the country, serving our largest military population and the one most in need, our junior enlisted service members and their families in each of our military branches. Additionally, ASYMCA partners with Affiliates from Y-USA to reach military members in communities without an ASYMCA presence. Specific strategies across the ASYMCA Enterprise include:
- Deliver standardized and accessible programs and services that can be replicated from one geographic area to another in order to provide a continuity of service to our military families.
- Connect families to information and resources to help them meet the unique challenges of military life.
- Partner with local military installations to identify areas of need in our military families and gaps between those needs and current programming.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) has been providing services to junior enlisted military personnel and their families for more than 150 years. In 2017, we served 250,000 participants through 1.3 million points of service at 75 military installations across several hundred program sites.
One of three non-federal entities that operate on installations, ASYMCA is established and positioned to serve military families, providing programs which Strengthen Our Military Family. Such programs as childcare, camp, parenting classes, nutritional support, and health education help our military family overcome the challenges of military life.
All ASYMCA programs are designed to build the stamina of deployed military members by supporting their families. This critical support helps ensure that they remain focused throughout their training and deployments, contributing to their wellbeing while they strive to keep our country safe.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Founded in 1861 to provide aid to soldiers in the Civil War, ASYMCA is our nation's oldest military-family focused charity. ASYMCA has worked closely with the US Department of Defense (DOD) to fulfill its mission, to enhance the lives of service members and their families in spirit, mind and body through programs which address the unique challenges of military life. 1 of only 3 charities with a relationship to operate on installations in collaboration with the DOD, today ASYMCA supports 75 installations, across 18 states and Puerto Rico, serving young military troops and families. ASYMCA provides youth development, healthy living and social responsibility programs/services like after school mentoring, camp, early learning, childcare, food aid, deployment support, travel aid and more. ASYMCA is improving program standardization and accessibility, so programs may be replicated from one geographic area to another in order to provide a continuity of service to our military families.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Armed Services YMCA of the USA
Board of directorsas of 3/14/2019
John Tilelli
Cypress International
Term: 2018 - 2019
Michael Basla
CACI
Matthew Benedict
MARCOA Media
John Bird
USAA
Derek Blake
La Quinta Inns and Suites
Kate Boyce Reeder
KRBR Consulting, LLC
Bob Burke
Bob Burke Consulting, LLC
John Butler
Health Net Federal Services
Kevin Campbell
J. J. Cawelti
DFW Airport
Marty Chanik
Vincent De Sio
YMCA Retirement Fund
Sharon Dunbar
General Dynamics Mission Systems
Michael Grady
David Halverson
Cypress International
Kevin Isherwood
GEICO
Neil Jarvis
Fujitsu Defense and National Security
Scott Laverty
Western Stone and Metals Corp.
Joseph Militano
Leonardo DRS
David Page
Brown-Forman
Richard Pattenaude
Ashford University
Melvin Spiese
Matthew Stover
Pam Swan
Veterans United Home Loans
Mitchell Waldman
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Vernon Wallace
Raytheon
Andy Walsh
William Zemp
Southern New Hampshire University
Kathie Zortman
Ricardo Chamorro
PENFED
Lawrence Hughes
7-Eleven
Andrea Inserra
Booz Allen Hamilton
Jeremy Martin
Bell
Meg O'Grady
Purdue Global
Tim Paynter
Northrop Grumman
Lauren Stevens
Northrop Grumman
David Scanlan
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable