The Coast Guard Enlisted Association Southern New England Branch held a bake sale on Aug. 25 with the original intent of raising money for their branch. When they heard about the flooding in Louisiana and that the District 8 Chaplain was collecting gift cards for Coasties affected by the floods, the branch unanimously voted to match the profits and put all proceeds toward the cause.
 
The Bake Sale was a huge success. The CGEA had three tables full of assorted baked goods, coffee, milk, lemonade, plates, and napkins. They had no prices for any of the items, and were simply asking for donations. In a four hour period, They made $2,002.
 
The CWOA Long Island Sound Chapter then contributed $200 to the cause and the South Eastern Connecticut CPOA matched their whole profit.  In all $6,202 in gift cards will be sent down to Chaplain Stennet in District 8 for Coast Guard Families in need.

Today members from the CWOA Long Island Sound Chapter, the Southeastern Connecticut CPOA , and the CGEA Southern New England Branch got together for a luncheon at the Academy's Officer's Club.  In attendance were the Academy Superintendent Rear Admiral Jim Rendon, The Assistant Superintendent Captain Ron LeBrec, and the Academy's Command Master Chief Joseph Smith. All three associations have worked together before at sometime or another but the association presidents wanted to get all three together for and informal lunch just to meet each other. The hope is that this will create more interaction in the future.

CWO3 Kerby welcomes everyone to the luncheon and highlights each associations recent events.

(From left to right) SK1 Nick Saporito, President of the CGEA Southern New England Branch, CWO3 Craig Kerby, President of the CWOA LIS Chapter, and MECM David Carr, President of the SECONN CPOA.

A retirement ceremony was held today in the Henriques room on the Coast Guard Academy for CWO4 Pete Mantel.  Pete has been an instructor at the Coast Guard's Leadership Development Center and a Judo Coach for the Academy's Judo Team. Pete is retiring after 30 Years serving with the Coast Guard. We all wish him good luck in the next chapter of his life.  Thanks for your service.

Member of the LIS Chapter dropped donated linens off at two shelters that are part of New Reach, Inc. in New Haven, Conn. August 4. The shelters were Martha's Place and Life Haven Shelter. Life Haven accepts families with female heads of household and those who are in the late stages of their pregnancy. Martha's Place accepts single women and families with female heads of household. Both shelters were extremely appreciative of the donation.
 
Pictures with volunteers who helped unload and two of the staff members.

Shelters and organizations in South East Connecticut received much needed bed linens again this year thanks to members of the Long Island Sound Chapter of the CWOA and the graduating class of the Coast Guard Academy. The donated comforters and sheets will be used to help the homeless around the New London and New Haven areas.
 
“Each year these shelters provide help and support to needy people and families,” said CWO3 Craig Kerby, President of the Long Island Sound Chapter. “Our donations help to ensure that these shelters have linens to distribute to these people.”
 
Each May graduating cadets receive their diplomas, toss their hats in the air, and leave the campus for their assignments out in the fleet, When they leave, they no longer have use for the bedding they used in their dorm rooms. That’s where the LIS chapter has stepped in. For the third year in a row the chapter has collected these unwanted linens and redistributed them to local organizations.
 
“We started the collection drive around the first of the year, advertising that we would take the bedding when they leave, rather than them just throwing it away” said CWO4 (ret) Scott Epperson. “Some cadets drop off their linens early in the year, but on graduation day we literally get piles and piles of bedding.”
 
This year, Kerby, Epperson, Tina Epperson, and CWO3 Mike Bryant washed and packaged the bedding for distribution over a four-week period. In all more than 200 Comforters, 40 blankets, 350 sheets, 70 pillow-cases, and almost 100 mattress pads were processed and distributed.
 
“Although it's a lot of hard work getting the linens collected, sorted, washed, dried and folded, along with dedicating numerous hours of personal time,” said Kerby “it's well worth the effort when we deliver these linens to the shelters and see the sincere appreciation on the faces of both the workers and people who will be receiving the linens’