Coast Guard Auxiliary reaches out to rebuild
The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary in Naples harbor, an all-volunteer force multiplier for the U.S. Coast Guard is in a bit of a jam.
A member of the Naples community for 70 years, we haven’t yet secured the necessary resources to rebuild our facility at 1099 9th Street South which was devastated by Hurricane Ian.
What we do: We teach safe boating classes that include Boating Skills and Seamanship, Local Boating Knowledge, and GPS For Mariners.
Members conduct hundreds of courtesy vessel examinations on an annual basis. We assist in search and rescue missions and provide maritime radio assistance to Southwest Florida boaters. Members collect water samples and assist in pollution response and marine safety events.
Members volunteer as food services cooks for active duty personnel, while others support the many marine dealers located throughout Collier County with safe boating brochures and educational booklets. We perform regular safety patrols on our waterways between Marco Island and Naples in addition to assisting local law enforcement during regattas and local water events. Another member flies air patrols in support of the U.S. Coast Guard.
All of our 60 plus members are volunteers. No one is paid. Many members are retired military personnel, former business and health care professionals, while other members are good Samaritans who desire to keep Naples the safest and friendliest city in the nation.
When you visit our beaches and see those life jacket loaner stands, it is the volunteers of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary who perform weekly maintenance and replacement of jackets on those stands. Our partnership with the NCH Safe and Healthy Children’s coalition began in 2014 and has grown to include other Naples agencies and sponsors with our shared mission -- save lives.
Without touching on everything we do; we invite you to access our Flotilla 9-3 website (uscgaux.info).
As Naples has relied on us for 70 years, we now need to turn to you to help us in restoring our building.
Friends of Flotilla 9-3 have seeded “The Naples Water Safety Fund” at the Collier Community Foundation whereby you can support our Flotilla through a tax-deductible donation.
We need everything including furniture, kitchen appliances, classroom tables and chairs, plumbing and electrical supplies and a boat to name a few. All were decimated as a result of the Ian storm surge.
Thank you for any consideration you may provide.
Dick Hartig is flotilla commander, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Naples.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Coast Guard Auxiliary reaches out to rebuild
