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Help Support the YMCA in a Variety of Ways

Access to Health Care
All families need health insurance for their children. The YMCA is here to help.

The YMCA supports families in their efforts to maintain the health and well-being of their children by increasing their access to health care. Through the Access to Health Care program, families can receive low or no-cost health insurance coverage for their children.

Low or no-cost health insurance options include Family Medicaid and CHP+. Family Medicaid is no-cost public health insurance for low-income parents with dependent children, pregnant women, and children age 18 and under. CHP+ is low-cost health insurance for children age 18 and under and pregnant women. Medicaid and CHP+ are administered by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.

The YMCA provides trained staff to assist eligible individuals and families with the application process.

Operation Kid Comfort
The Southeast Family Center/Armed Services YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region is teaming up with Ft. Carson and the National Armed Services YMCA to bring Operation Kid Comfort to this area for children of deployed parents.

The Southeast Family Center/Armed Services YMCA and a group of very talented quilters have come together to provide comfort for children of deployed parents. This program eases the stress of a parent's absence from the home by providing a free photo quilt for children six and under and pillows for children seven and older. Photographs of the deployed parent and family are scanned into a computer, and then printed onto fabric. The photos are incorporated into a quilt or pillow, then given to the child to play with, sleep with, or use to comfort them with the memory of their deployed parent. Quilts are put together by volunteers and given to families free of charge thanks to the generosity of local individuals and companies.

Extended Family
A Tri-Lakes Family Center Member's Story

Meet Jill. Jill is married to Terry and together they've adopted 11 children. Four of their children are grown with families of their own; seven remain in the home. Most of their children, like Zachary, have special needs and were abused or neglected prior to adoption.

Zachary is one of their sons. Jill and Terry brought him home when he was only seven days old. Zachary had a stroke as a result of his biological mother's drug use during pregnancy and the center of his brain never finished developing. In fact, his doctors were not optimistic about his future. His prognosis was dire, but he fought and survived. Today, the YMCA provides a safe place for Zachary to interact with other children and to apply the skills he has learned through continued therapy. Since coming to the Y, he has become stronger and more self-assured.

All of Jill and Terry's children have faced challenges. The YMCA continues to offer opportunities that help them to reach their goals, to play together, and to assist each other. Jill considers the YMCA a part of their "extended family."


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