Matthew Vieira named Coast Guard Volunteer of the Year
SAULT STE. MARIE — Every year, the City of Sault Ste. Marie chooses to honor an individual volunteer among the Coast Guard. This year, they recognized Matthew Vieira.
Vieira originally came to the Sault Ste. Marie Sector of the U.S. Coast Guard out of the Coast Guard Academy, unsure if he was going to make the Soo a permanent residence for himself or not.
After coming to Sault Ste. Marie in 2017, he began to fill a need in the community that he witnessed. As a Division III wrestler, he is well informed about the sport, and began to notice a growing need in the community for local coaches.
When local wrestling programs struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, Vieira dedicated a lot of volunteer time to teach students in a safe manner to keep the athletics programs going. Officials said he was an important part of rebuilding the high school program after the team was forced to forfeit the 2020-21 season.
During this time, he became a part of the parent-coaching board, organized and led practices, taught technique and organized matches, including the first home district tournament in 10 years.
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"When the program struggled during COVID, he stepped up," said Coast Guard Captain Anthony Jones at the city commission meeting on March 6. "He's spent over a thousand hours supporting wrestling programs in the Soo."
Vieira has volunteered more than 1,200 hours into local efforts and raised more than $4,000 for local teams. He is planning to continue raising funds in the future.
After originally being unsure about whether he wanted to stay in Sault Ste. Marie after his deployment, Vieira decided in 2020 that he loved the area so much he resigned from his official position in the Coast Guard and became a local volunteer.
"He loved it so much here that he turned in his blue suit for a volunteer suit," said Jones. "He now works as a civilian and he will be a part of this community for many years to come."
Vieira is still a part of the Sault Ste. Marie sector, even after his assignment has ended, and can continue to volunteer locally.
"Thank you to the city for recognizing the Coast Guard and the interactions we have with the community. We really cherish being part of the community, and this helps us solidify that relationship," said Jones.
— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Matthew Vieira named Coast Guard Volunteer of the Year in Sault
