Armed Services YMCA of Alaska

ASYMCA strives to strengthen our military families by focusing in three specific areas: 1) Develop youth through programs that incorporate education, academic and social engagement; 2) Enable healthy living through programs that promote standards for a lifetime of healthy eating and physical activity; and 3) Foster social responsibility through programs which increase family resilience.

ASYMCA of Alaska operates over 25 free or low cost programs and services in Alaska, 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. We do this by connecting families to information and resources to help them meet the unique challenges of military life; and partnering with local military installations and leadership to identify areas of need for our military families, and gaps between those needs and current programming.

The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) has been providing services to junior enlisted military personnel and their families since 1941. 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. Programs such as the Children’s Waiting Room, on-installation shuttle service, food pantries, and family bonding events 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.

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. As one of only three charities with a relationship to operate on installations in collaboration with the DoD, today ASYMCA supports 75 installations nationally, with the ASYMCA of Alaska serving the entire geographic state of Alaska. The ASYMCA of Alaska provides youth development, healthy living and social responsibility programs and services that address food insecurity; provide deployment support; assist with travel aid; and offer low-cost day camps for school-age children, child watch options for medical appointments and workouts, and more. Moving into the future, the ASYMCA of Alaska seeks to address gaps in affordable and accessible children’s care and development programs, expand services to meet the growing needs of an expanding military community in interior Alaska, and provide expanded access of support services to military members stationed in rural Alaska.