Dear OCBF Members and Friends:
We are proud to announce that the OCBF and the Armed Services YMCA at Camp Pendleton (“ASYMCA”) are again partnering to support our young enlisted Marine and Navy service members and their families based at Camp Pendleton, 29 Palms and San Diego by providing bikes, helmets, and toys to hundreds of military children this Holiday season!
Since 2005, the ASYMCA has given bicycles to deserving, junior enlisted service members and their families. Because the ASYMCA does not receive federal funding and must rely on the local community for support, the OCBF has supported the bike giveaway effort since 2006. A tax-deductible donation of just $65 buys a child a new bike and helmet. Again this year you have the option to allow the ASYMCA to use your donation toward its greatest need for holiday program participants by noting “General Holiday Support” in the “leave a comment” section of the online donation form.
With OCBF assistance last year, 159 bikes and helmets were given to military children living at Camp Pendleton and 177 additional toys were provided to families in need! This achievement is the result of your support. With “donor fatigue” from natural disasters, inflation, and new troop deployments into Europe and Middle East, there is a shortage of funding. Moreover, supporting our troops isn’t as popular within the community at large as it once was. The OCBF has again agreed to assist to make sure that these critical programs continue. We would like to ensure a minimum of 300 bikes are available this holiday season and we will hopefully be able to exceed that minimum.
To achieve our goal, we are asking that each member make a tax-deductible contribution to the ASYMCA. Donations can either be made by a check payable to “Armed Services YMCA,” with “OCBF Bike Giveaway” or “General Holiday Support” written in the memo section or can be made online HERE. Checks should be mailed to the OCBF, 6789 Quail Hill Parkway, # 204, Irvine, California 92603. Please have your donations arrive by December 1, 2023 so that the funding can be available for bike purchases. For many of the junior enlisted and their families living in the high-cost area of Southern California, a bike is out of their reach, so your contribution to the event will be a very significant gift.
Thank you for your kindness and making this holiday season a brighter one for our Marines, Sailors and their families.
Very truly yours,
Rika Kido
President, OCBF
Hon. John E. Ryan (ret.)
Former Member, ASYMCA
Board of Management
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The need for your support has never been greater! Many factors, such as high out-of-pocket expenses (housing, gas, and recent inflation on other goods and services) and high rates of spousal underemployment/unemployment are some of the reasons why many military families we serve are struggling to make ends meet during the Holidays.
Did you know… military family respondents reported higher rates of difficulty making ends meet than civilian families.
Did you know… military spouses experienced unemployment rates more than six times the national average
Did you know… 26% of enlisted families reported low/very low food security last year.
Did you know… improving access to childcare was top need for military spouse caregivers. The waitlist can be up to two years at Camp Pendleton!
Did you know… there are 43,000 active duty and approximately 36,300 family members that live or work on Camp Pendleton.
Did you know… the base is larger than cities of Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos, Solana Beach, and Vista combined.
Did you know… that most enlisted service members are in their late teens or early 20’s, are married, and nearly half have children. Their basic take home military pay has their family living at or below the poverty level.
Did you know… that 66% of Marines are 25 or younger.
Did you know… the Armed Services YMCA Camp Pendleton served 46,801 active duty and family members in 2022.
Did you know… the Armed Services YMCA Christmas Holiday programs supported 3,211 family members in 2022.
Did you know… as a result of your past generosity, 159 bikes and helmets were given out in 2022 to military children living at Camp Pendleton!
