Auxiliary Supports Coast Guard Recruiting Event

Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg held a recruiting event Dec. 5 at St. Pete Pier. Division 7 Auxiliarists supported this endeavor by setting up a boating safety and Auxiliary recruiting booth alongside them. The event was organized by Chief Erin Everson, Recruiter in Charge while Douglas Colwell, Division Chief- Recruiting Support served as lead for Auxiliary participation.

Despite public response being light largely due to COVID-19 restrictions, both Coast Guard and Auxiliary participants deemed it a worthwhile event and placed Jan. 15, 2021 on their calendars for a follow-up.

Auxiliary members participating included Tony Novellino, Division 7 Commander, Daniel Helou, Flotilla Commander Flotilla 72 St. Petersburg, Como Donald Lloyd, Como Kevin Cady, both from Flotilla 72 St Petersburg; Douglas Colwell, Bruce Talbot from Flotilla 9-10 Fort Myers and Cape Coral, Saraia Lamb from Flotilla 72, Pat McAlvey, Flotilla 75 Apollo Beach, and John Kline, also from the St. Petersburg fl otilla.

After the event, Colwell emailed Novellino: “BZ for a great event and for having recruited very professional Auxiliarists who were notably pro-active as they augmented Coast Guard Recruiting Offi ce in

Tampa Bay’s recruiting eff orts. The members engaged the public when both recruiting new Auxiliarists and delivering our command message to always wear your life jackets when underway.

“Chief Erin Everson, Recruiter in Charge and Chief

Andrew Rupp both phoned me after we concluded our recruiting event to extend their gratitude and profound respect for your team. They stated how this public recruiting event has been a bright light for this year’s recruiting events when compared to all others resulting from the COVID-19 issues impacting their results. Additionally, Chief Everson stated how they are already looking forward to our next recruiting event, duplicating Saturday’s eff orts, scheduled for Jan. 15, 2021 at the St. Pete Pier event to launch their recruiting eff orts for 2021.”

Participating Auxiliary members were thrilled for the opportunity to support the Coast Guard, especially during the pandemic when Auxiliary participation in events is severely restricted. Ω

Top: Auxiliary members support Coast Guard recruiting efforts Dec. 5 at the St. Pete Pier. The Auxiliary promoted boating safety as well as recruiting efforts.

Below: Pat McAlvey photographs a fl y-over by a Coast Guard helicopter, scheduled for public viewing during the event. Photos by Tony Novellino