Sea Tow Foundation announces 2024 Life Jacket Loaner Program Awardees | Boating Industry
The Sea Tow Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to boating safety, is proud to announce its 2024 Life Jacket Loaner Program Awardees. With the inclusion of these new groups, the Sea Tow Foundation will officially have Life Jacket Loaner Stations established in all 56 states and territories, reinforcing their dedication to preventing drowning incidents across the nation.
“We are thrilled to extend our reach to all corners of the nation, thanks to the dedication and support of boating safety advocates around the country,” said Kim Perry, Program Coordinator for the Sea Tow Foundation. “By empowering communities across the country with resources like loaner stands and life jackets, we are working together to ensure that boaters have access to a properly-fitting life jacket when on or near the water.”
Administered through the U.S. Coast Guard’s Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, the 2024 grant program has allowed the Sea Tow Foundation to award 116 deserving groups across 45 states and territories. Among them, 49 groups located in 39 different states are opening Life Jacket Loaner Stations for the first time, reflecting the growing impact and outreach of the program. A handful of the groups opening Life Jacket Loaner Stations applied for the grant because a water-related accident or tragedy occurred in their community and they wanted to make a difference. This expansion ensures that more communities than ever before have access to essential life jackets in sizes for anyone to borrow and return for free.
The life jackets and stand building kits are being awarded to a diverse array of organizations, including community groups, marine businesses, health care organizations, law enforcement agencies, municipalities, parks and more, including over a dozen Sea Tow franchises who are replenishing their Life Jacket Loaner Stations with new life jackets.
Despite this significant achievement, the Sea Tow Foundation was not able to provide nearly enough life jackets to everyone that applied, so the demand for life jackets remains high. To further support the mission, industry companies or individuals with a surplus of new or gently-used life jackets are encouraged to donate them to the Sea Tow Foundation so that boaters can use them at the over 1,300 nationwide Life Jacket Loaner Stations. If you have life jackets to donate, please contact the Sea Tow Foundation at [email protected] or fill out this form.
For more information about the Sea Tow Foundation’s Life Jacket Loaner Program, visit: https://www.boatingsafety.com/page/life-jacket-loaner-program.
