US Power Squadrons and BoatUS Bestow Civic Service Awards at Annual Meeting

At the US Power Squadrons (USPS) Annual Meeting held recently in Jacksonville, Florida, five Squadrons from across the country and one District were honored with Civic Service Awards. Sponsored by Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), the awards are given annually to the USPS District and Squadrons in recognition of exceptional service and public boating safety education and service to the boating community.
BoatUS Foundation Assistant Director of Boating Safety Ted Sensenbrenner, who presented the awards said, “Power Squadron members are keen boaters with a wealth of knowledge and experience to share. These volunteers spend their own time in the evenings to teach boating safety classes and give up their weekends to offer free vessel safety checks that keep us all safe on the water. We thank them for their commitment to help others out and greatly value the services they provide.”

The five Squadrons that earned Civic Awards in 2012 are:
Colonial Sail & Power Squadron, District 5, VA
Vero Beach Power Squadron, District 8, FL
St. Petersburg Sail & Power Squadron, District 22, FL
Ocean City Power Squadron, District 5, MD
Northern Neck Power Squadron, District 5, VA
Awards are determined by the amount of logged classroom hours, community outreach hours (including attendance at boat shows) and conducting vessel safety checks. These voluntary and free safety reviews are designed to educate boaters about recommended and required safety equipment aboard recreational vessels and to assess the condition of the safety equipment they have aboard.
The Top District Award, which recognizes the collective efforts of all of the squadrons within a region, went to District 8. It serves the recreational boaters in South Florida from Sebastian Inlet to Key West.