Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Operation Kid Comfort


The Armed Services YMCA's (ASYMCA) Operation Kid Comfort is designed to address the emotional stress that children of military personnel suffer during a parent’s absence from home. Operation Kid Comfort provide FREE quilts for children six and under and FREE pillows for children age seven and up.

ASYMCA volunteers collect photographs from military families to make “photo-transfer” quilts that feature images of the deployed family member. Photographs of the deployed parent are scanned into a computer, printed, and placed onto the fabric. The quilt is then given to the child to play with, sleep with, or use to comfort them from the grief of missing their deployed parent.

Parents are asked to provide six to nine photographs of their children with their military parent and/or other family members. It is best to send the photos electronically or via mail on a disc.

To request a quilt or pillow, fill out the form found here. The completed form along with the photos should be emailed to one of the ASYMCA locations listed below. These locations can accept requests only from families assigned to these military installations.

Fort Bragg/Pope AFB Operation Kid Comfort
Myra Burton at 910.436.0500; Email: mburtonasymca@earthlink.net

Ft. Drum Operation Kid Comfort
Jollivette Richards at 315.755.2016; Email: okcfortdrum@yahoo.com

Fort Riley Operation Kid Comfort
Nancy Smith at 785.238.2972; Email: asymca@nqks.com

San Diego Operation Kid Comfort
Youth and Community Outreach at 858.751.5755; Email: quilts@asymcasd.org

Requests from other locations should be sent to:

ASYMCA National Headquarters
Susan Simms at 800.597.1260 x 14; Email: ssimms@asymca.org