Armed Services YMCA and Department of Defense partnership gives military families access to youth development, family strengthening, and health and well-being programs

Davenport, IA & Moline, IL - May 15, 2009 – As part of the new Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) and Department of Defense (DoD) Outreach Initiative, The Scott County Family Y and the Two Rivers YMCA also known as the Quad Cities YMCAs, are providing military families with access to youth development, family strengthening, and health and well-being programs at community YMCAs nationwide. Membership fees will be underwritten by the DoD and administered through Military OneSource, an information and referral service for military families. YMCA of the USA, the national resource office for America's 2,686 YMCAs, will help launch the initiative at participating YMCAs across the country.

"The Quad Cities YMCAs are happy to help meet the critical needs facing families of deployed military service members," said Tony Calabrese, Chief Operating Officer for the Scott County Family Y. "Families are the most affected when a loved one gets deployed, so we are deeply committed to providing them with the support they need."

The ASYMCA-DoD Outreach Initiative responds to a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008, which requires the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan to support military family readiness and to ensure that military family readiness programs and activities are available to all military families, including those of the National Guard and Military Reservists.

Eligible military families participating in the initiative are eligible for YMCA memberships based on participation requirements. Those eligible to participate in the new initiative include :

• All interested families of joint deployed National Guard and Reserves of all military branches;

• Families living in newly established Joint Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) bases;

• Active Duty Independent Duty station personnel and their families; and

• Relocated spouses and family members of deployed Active Duty personnel.

"The YMCA has a long history of supporting military service members and their families - since the Civil War - so it was natural for us to join this initiative," said Mike Wennekamp, Associate Executive Director of the Two Rivers YMCA. "During this time of conflict, it is more important than ever that we continue providing services and support to these families in the absence of a deployed spouse."

More information about the ASYMCA-DoD Outreach Initiative can be found by visiting www.asymca.org. For information about participating YMCAs, please visit www.ScottCountyFamilyY.org or www.TwoRiversYMCA.org or www.ymca.net.

More than 85 students, who participate in the Scott County Family Y's After-School programs, will come together for Earth Day near the Collins House at Garfield Park, 1234 E. 29th Street, Davenport. The clean-up begins at 3:00pm. The students will be picking up litter and planting flowers in that area for approximately 45 minutes.

The Scott County Family Y strongly believes in teaching children to give back to the community through volunteerism and recognizes the importance of Earth Day as a way to reinforce the YMCA's core values of Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility.

On Site Contacts: Angie Gillespie, Youth Leadership and Development Director, West Family YMCA; Adam Backous, Youth Leadership and Development Director, Davenport Family YMCA; Sarah Harris, Youth Leadership and Development Director, North Family YMCA.