Northern Connection magazine is proud to salute the men and women from the North Hills area who are serving in the military.

January 2009: Airport Ambassadors and Local YMCA Lend Support to Military Personnel and Their Families

By Paula Green

Saying goodbye to a loved one is never an easy thing.  It is especially difficult when they are serving in the military and are getting ready for deployment.  Hopefully, this burden will now be a little bit easier for veterans and their families who use Pittsburgh International Airport.

In November, the Allegheny County Airport Authority along with Allegheny County executive Dan Onorato held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Military & Family Courtesy Center.

The military facility is located just past GateA4 in the airside terminal of the airport.  It was launched as a part of the volunteer Airport Ambassadors program, which staffs the center.

The new area is equipped with a television, a natural gas fireplace, and a snack area.  The intent is to provide military personnel with a comfortable, private place to spend final moments with their families before their departure.

Response to the Military & Family Courtesy Center have very favorable; one soldier from Meadville wrote the following comment in the guest book:  “Thank you.  I have always known Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities to be very patriotic.  I have wondered when the airport would acknowledge the efforts of military service men and women, but more importantly their families.  Last year, when I had to say goodbye to my children in the terminal departing for Iraq, the lack of privacy was painful.  Thank you for this!”

A few other comments are: “Thank you so much for your support.  It is always nice to know we have people who care about us and fight to make things a little bit easier and nice for us.”

“I really appreciate being able to come and relax before shipping out.  The folks who ran this were very nice and made my group feel comfortable.  Thank you very much.”

“It is nice to have a place to unwind away from the bustle.  I am sure it will be well utilized.”

Heading north of Pittsburgh into Butler County another facility is lending support to military families.   The Butler County Family YMCA is providing military families with access to youth development, family strengthening and health and well-being programs.  This new program is part of the national Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) and Department of Defense (DoD) Outreach Initiative.

Under this new program, membership fees to both the Butler YMCA (339 N. Washington St. in Butler) and the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA (2001 Ehrman Road in Cranberry Twp.) will be underwritten by the DoD and administered through Military OneSource, an information and referral service for military families.

“The Butler County Family YMCA is happy to help meet the critical needs facing families of deployed military service members.  Families are the most affected when a loved one gets deployed, so we are deeply committed to providing them with the support they need,” said Larry Garvin, president/CEO of the Butler County Family YMCA.

Northern Connection magazine would like to express a special thank you to the Pittsburgh International Airport Ambassadors program, and to the Butler County Family YMCA for their dedication and support to the military.

Back to top

Support Our Troops Archives - click here to read about the service men and women previously honored in Northern Connection magazine.