YMCA Honors Veterans With Military Family Month

To commemorate Veterans Day on Monday, all veterans and military families are invited to gather for coffee and fellowship starting at 11:30 a.m. at the Somerset Hills YMCA, Mount Airy Road, Basking Ridge.

This November, both the Summit Area YMCA and the Somerset Hills YMCA are recognizing military families by bringing them together to strengthen relationships, build connections, and have fun. "Military Family Month" provides the opportunity for all to recognize the dedication, sacrifice and service of military personnel and their families. 

The Somerset Hills YMCA covers all of the Somerset Hills communities and Warren, with members from other nearby towns.

During the month of November and throughout the year, the YMCA offers programs and services aimed at helping military families to thrive, in gratitude of all that those families do to support our nation, according to the YMCA.

To further support military families, both the Somerset Hills YMCA and the Summit Area YMCA and the Somerset Hills YMCA offer special membership rates. Information about the Military Membership can be obtained by contacting the Membership Teams at the Berkeley Heights YMCA, the Summit YMCA, or the Somerset Hills YMCA. 

Additionally, the Summit YMCA offers free Yoga to able bodied active military personnel, post 9/11 veterans, as well as parents, spouses and caregivers of military personnel. The Yoga classes, offered on Tuesdays at 7 p.m., are designed by the Warriors at Ease Foundation to specifically treat combat stress (PTSD), unresolved trauma and anxiety disorder.

“The Y encourages everyone to recognize the sacrifices that military members and their families make in service to our country,” said Anjali McCormick, vice president of marketing, Summit Area YMCA and Somerset Hills YMCA.

On Monday, veterans and military families are invited to a free breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Berkeley Heights YMCA, 550 Springfield Avenue in Berkeley Heights, or at the Summit YMCA, 67 Maple Street in Summit. 

First established by the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) and recognized by first lady Nancy Reagan in 1993, Military Family Month recognizes the dedication and service of military personnel and their families. On Oct. 30, 2009, President Barack Obama continued this important initiative by proclaiming November  as Military Family Month, calling on “all Americans to honor military families through private actions and public service for the tremendous contributions they make in the support of our service members and our Nation.”