MASON CITY – Veterans may be in store for a little better treatment at the Mason City YMCA.
An NIT reader – who has said he is a military veteran – began a discussion recently on NIT on how military veterans (not active) get no discount at the Mason City YMCA. The reader claimed he had gone to the YMCA recently and was told by staff they would do nothing for him as far as allowing access and that he would have to pay full price.
NIT has learned that the YMCA Board has been asked by its President, Mary Markwalter, to offer to a 20% membership discount to anyone who can verify that they have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Proposed verification of past service will be a DD-214, (all U.S. Service Men and Women receive a DD-214 when they are discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces.) Mrs. Markwalter contacted NIT Friday to alert our newsroom to this development, in the wake of comments that were read on NIT.
Mrs. Markwalter said that currently, the YMCA offers free admission to Active Duty U.S. Armed Services men and women. She agreed to update NIT as to how the board votes on this matter.
Right on for us vets, Thanks Matt for printing my complaints and for looking into this. I feel 205 is a start but I’d like to see the Y come up with a higher discount. Anytime fittnes has a hometown hero rate not sure what it is.
Great! Now my dad can get a 20% discount even though he made over $200,000 last year.
That is a decent start.