Free gym memberships and a 24 Hour Library
Oct 07 2008
When my son was a pre-schooler, it was an absolute pill trying to snag a drop in slot at the CDC so that I could squeeze in a workout. It was also ridiculously frustrating that when I could find childcare, I’d spend more time taking him to and from there than I did at the gym. I was thrilled when I found the YMCA a few miles away from our house. They had a great gym and I would drop my son off for a few hours of “pre-school” class while I worked out. It was awesome and so convenient. I always left feeling better and he was always happy to have had some time with other kids engaging in productive activities.
I have very fond memories of our YMCA, so I was really excited when I found out that the YMCA, ASYMCA and DoD have entered into a partnership to provide free memberships to military families who live too far away from an installation to be able to take advantage of the facilities on base.
When it comes to benefits, it seems like our Guard and Reserve families are often left out in the cold. Since they’re generally geographically dispersed and often reside far away from a military installation, they’re unable to take advantage of many of the resources found in traditional brick and mortar buildings that we as active duty families take for granted. So it’s nice to see that people are starting to think outside the box in order to deliver services to our Guard and Reserve troops and their families. This way they can access their benefits without having to leave their community.
In a related topic, how cool would it be to have access to a 24 hour library? With our busy lives, it seems nearly impossible to get to a library during regular operating hours. Now, you have access to resources around the clock through the e-library program launched by the Department of Defense. This is a relatively new program, so the jury’s still out. If you’ve had experiences using the e-library, let us hear from you. Would love to know how well it works.
Free gym memberships and a 24 hour library – benefits delivered when we want them where we want them….what a great concept!
I absolutely agree that it is a very positive step that the DoD has taken with this partnership, however (and it’s a BIG however), as currently written this benefit only applies to Guard and Reserve members/families on Title 10 orders, not Title 32. Other than families of those members currently on a deployment (who obviously deserve any additional benefits available), the vast majority of Guard & Reserve members, even those of us who work for for the Guard or Reserves full-time (AGR, etc.) are paid under Title 32 funds and therefore CANNOT take advantage of this great program. The only solution I can see is for us to ask our legislators to pressure the DoD to include Title 32 Guard & Reserve members/families.
Hope the use of a YMCA gym applies to retirees ??
As the family of a non-deployed and unemployed Guardsman, I agree with CPT G, we cannot access this benefit unless our soldier is deployed–thus it is ineffective as a long term asset. Further, with the greater tempo of deployments, the Guardsmen are at a disadvantage in their jobs in spite of SMCRA and they and their families need the stress relief of a regular place to work out. I would love to even find a discount on a gym membership for my family in rural North East Texas–none are offered.