YORKTOWN, Va. – Coast Guard response boats are moored to the pier at Training Center Yorktown Nov. 12, 2011. Training Center Yorktown is one of three training centers in the U.S. where students learn techinical and leadership skills. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Walter Shinn.
YORKTOWN, Va. – The Coast Guard, United Service Organizations and the Armed Forces Families Foundation are scheduled to unveil a new USO Center and family care center at Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown Thursday at 10:00 a.m.
The new USO Center will be one of only two located on a Coast Guard base. The center will provide Internet access, television, videogames, food and programming for military personnel, their families and retired veterans.
Additionally, four rooms on base will now collectively serve as a new nursing and family care center. The rooms are split between two buildings on base, and have been equipped with state-of-the-art equipment for nursing mothers. The center will also include a small children’s play and reading area.
“Training Center Yorktown is extremely proud to host a USO Center. This lounge, along with upgrades to additional facilities, will be utilized and appreciated by our 550 permanent military crew, roughly 8,000 students annually, along with family and others who visit,” said Capt. Jay Vann, commanding officer of Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown. “Thank you to the USO and the Armed Forces Families Foundation for providing us with this wonderful support.”
Training Center Yorktown will be the first U.S. military base to offer a state-of-the-art nursing facility for mothers and a fully functioning USO Center on the same installation.
Funding for the new USO center and family care center was made possible by the Armed Forces Families Foundation, a charity organization helping military families throughout the southeast U.S.
AFFF donated a total of $35,933.84 for the purchase of supplies and to pay for the work needed to outfit the new spaces. The funds donated by AFFF were raised within the Hampton Roads community through annual fundraisers held at local Taco Bell and IHOP restaurants.
“We’re honored to provide the funds to help make this project a reality and to partner with the USO to give the service members stationed at Training Center Yorktown a facility that they can enjoy for decades to come,” said John Wright, a member of the board at AFFF. “One of the things that makes this such a special project is that the funds were raised right here in the greater Hampton Roads community through our Taco Bell and IHOP partnering locations.”
The updates to Training Center Yorktown come at a critical time. Since January, the base has received three times the amount of recruits normally stationed at the base, a number that is reportedly expected to increase.
An admiral from the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area Command is scheduled to preside over the grand opening ceremony for the new centers. Other expected attendees include, representatives from the governor’s office, Senator Tim Kaine’s office, local military installations and members of the USO of Hampton Roads and Central Virginia board of supervisors and staff.
AFFF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides 100 percent of the funds raised back to projects to help military families.
To date, the Armed Forces Families Foundation has raised and given back more than $1.9 million to benefit military families. Recent projects include:
- $31,978 for the construction of a event pavilion at the Asheville, N.C. VA hospital
- $14,994 purchase of 25 new HP ProBook computers and needed materials for Fort Gordon’s Freedom Park School in Georgia
- $26,282 to upgrade entertainment systems within the USO Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida
- $46,000 to install a new playground, accessible to over 300 families stationed on MacDill Airforce Base in Tampa, Florida
To learn more about the Armed Forces Families Foundation or to help fund other projects that help military members and their families, please visit www.armedforcesfamilies.org/.
About Armed Forces Families Foundation:
The Armed Forces Families Foundation (AFFF), together with participating Taco Bell and IHOP restaurants, are proud Supporters of America’s Armed Forces and their families. The ARMED FORCES FAMILIES FOUNDATION with its Taco Bell and IHOP partners have raised over 1.9 MILLION DOLLARS. 100% of every dollar raised goes toward projects to help those who protect our Freedom. For more information, please visit http://www.armedforcesfamilies.org/
