Hogan Family YMCA to host Veterans Prayer Breakfast

MADISON – The 14th annual YMCA Veterans Prayer Breakfast is scheduled for Nov. 8 at the Craig and Steven Hogan Family YMCA in Madison.

Co-hosts for the event are the North Alabama Veterans and Fraternal Organizations Coalition or NAVFOC.

“Patriotic music will lift the spirits as we lift up our military in gratitude and prayer at the annual breakfast,” Mary Anne Swanstrom said. Swanstrom is Director of Communications for Heart of the Valley YMCA.

Guests can check in at 6:45 a.m. and visit with other attendees during a coffee social in the atrium of the YMCA. Doors will open to the breakfast at 7:15 a.m., and the program will start promptly at 7:30 a.m.

Lt. Gen. James Dickinson, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Space & Missile Defense Command, will offer the keynote address for the occasion. Harpist Olivia Hitt and baritone Michael Beutjer will perform and lead the assembly in song. Max Bennett, Chairman of Veterans Week, will serve as emcee.

Individual tickets are $25 each. Sponsor tables are available for $300.

For tickets, visit any YMCA branch in Madison or Huntsville, or individuals can call 256-428-9622, ext. 3008. To buy tickets online, visit ymcahuntsville.org/veterans. In the “Buy Tables & Tickets online,” click the dropdown arrow to select the number of tickets to buy.

Veterans, active-duty military, reservists and National Guard members can request one free ticket per person by Nov. 1. For free tickets, visit a branch, call or email events@ymcahuntsville.org. Guests who are not in the military must buy a ticket.

“No one will be turned away. Seating on the bleachers is available when seats at the tables are filled,” Swanstrom said. For other questions, call 256-541-8129.

In addition, Veterans Week recognition at Hogan Family YMCA and other branches includes free admission for all veterans and those with valid military identification, including their families, from Nov. 4-11.

“As part of Heart of the Valley’s ongoing commitment to supporting the total family, the Y offers free membership to soldiers before and after deployment and to their families while their loved one is away. In 2018, Heart of the Valley YMCA gave more than $129,000 in membership and programs to military families and individuals,” Swanstrom said.

Heart of the Valley YMCA’s mailing address is 120 Holmes Ave., Suite 300, Huntsville AL 35801.