The following is text of a news release from the Coast Guard Foundation:
(STONINGTON, Conn.) — The Coast Guard Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced Tuesday that its 27th annual Tribute to the 7th Coast Guard District, is rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 23 at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. This event was originally planned for April, but in accordance with federal and state directives related to COVID-19, and in consideration for the health and safety of its generous supporters, the foundation is rescheduling all events through June 2020.
At the Fort Lauderdale event the Coast Guard Foundation will honor Coast Guard heroism and mission excellence, as well as recognize the heroic efforts of crews responding to those in need during Hurricane Dorian. Hurricane Dorian was an extremely powerful and devastating Category 5 hurricane, that became the most intense tropical cyclone ever to strike the Bahamas. It first made landfall in the Bahamas on Sept.1, 2019. Two weeks after Dorian hit, the Bahamian government reported nearly 70,000 people were displaced by the storm, about 1,300 people were listed as missing and at least 77 deaths were recorded. The Coast Guard sent five MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters operating out of Andros Island, Bahamas and five cutters to the region to assist with rescue and recovery efforts. Before the mission shifted to more long-term care, Coast Guard crews received 1,388 search and rescue calls, conducted 136 aviation sorties, conducted 62 surface sorties and successfully rescued 407 people.
“We are humbled to recognize the brave men and women of the Coast Guard’s 7th District for their tireless efforts in the face of nature’s wrath,” said Susan Ludwig, president, Coast Guard Foundation. “Even though these individuals were facing some of the worst weather ever imagined, they performed their duties professionally and effectively and, in many cases, were the difference between life and death.”
The Coast Guard Foundation’s Tribute to the 7th Coast Guard District will begin with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m., with dinner and the program following at 7:30 p.m.
For more information on the Coast Guard Foundation or its scholarship programs, visit www.coastguardfoundation.org or call (860) 535-0786.