Programs

THE COUNCIL'S ADOPT-A-SHIP/STATION PROGRAM

Under the Council’s Adopted Ships Program, the Council forms a special relationship with a particular ship or military unit and provides ongoing morale and family support to those entities.  For example, the Adopted Ships Committee regularly organizes and funds recreational events such as lunches, dinners, and holiday parties for the crews of its adopted ships.  It also secures tickets to Broadway shows and to television programs for sailors and Marines who are visiting New York.  The Committee has also arranged for internships for crew members with civilian organizations in order to provide opportunities for the crew members to enhance their skills.  Council members visit the ships where they interact with the crews.  In addition, the Council provides recognition by reporting the units activities and achievements in The Log.  Currently, the Council has adopted the Los Angles-class submarines  U.S.S. DALLAS (SSN 700), U.S.S. SPRINGFIELD (SSN 761), and U.S.S. SAN JUAN (SSN 751) as well as SUBMARINE GROUP TWO.  It has also adopted U.S.C.G.C. STURGEON BAY and U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York.

YOUTH PROGRAMS

To help cultivate young people’s interest in the sea, the Council sponsors three Sea Cadet units and two NJROTC units.  The cadets are from the New York Metropolitan area and range in age from 11 to 17 years old.  They have monthly meetings under the supervision of adult members and for other occasions such as field trips and parades.  Past special events have included spending a weekend onboard U.S.S. SAIPAN (LPA 2) a field trip to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and assisting at an air show at McGuire Air Force Base. 

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Higher education is becoming increasingly important in today’s society while at the same time, the cost of such education is sky rocketing.  In order to help ensure that the families of those who serve are not closed out, the Council provides university scholarships to young people whose parents are from the New York Metropolitan area  and who have served or are currently serving in the sea services.  In addition to scholarships which may be used at any university, the Council makes grants to the State University of New York Maritime College and the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

SEA SERVICE SUPPORT PROGRAMS

The Council also funds a number of educational and cultural programs including: the Marine Corps University Professional Reading Program, the Naval War College Visiting Lecture Series, and the Coast Guard Art Program.  In addition, the Council is one of the sponsors of the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize, which is awarded to the author of the outstanding scholarly book on naval history published each year.

In addition to these formal programs, the Council provides support to the sea services when opportunities present themselves.  For example, the Council recently purchased $10,000 worth of long distance phone cards for distribution to sailors and Marines serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

ANNUAL ANNIVERSARY DINNER

The Council also encourages corporations to support the sea services.  Each year the Council holds a black-tie Anniversary Dinner at which the Council recognizes the role business plays in supporting the sea services.  Awards are given for leadership in industry, achievement in science, outstanding work in the media, and to the civilian ship that performed the most extraordinary rescue at sea during the past year. 

Past Dinner Chairmen have included: Robert LaPenta, President and Chief Financial Officer of L-3 Communications Corporation; Mark Newman, CEO of DRS Technology Inc.; Nicholas Chabraja, Chairman of General Dynamics; Vance Coffman, Chairman of the Boeing Company; and Dennis Picard, CEO of the Raytheon Company. 

Industry Award Winners have included:  John A, Johnson, Chief Executive of Treadwell Corporation; C. Michael Armstrong, Chairman of AT&T; Harry Stonecipher, President of McDonnell Douglas; Kent Kresa, Chairman of Northrop Grumman Corporation; and Norman Augustine, CEO of Martin Marietta Corporation.

Media Awards have been presented to: Malcom Forbes; Marshall Loeb; Michael Bloomberg, Jack Jacobs, analyst for the NBC networks and Mort Zuckerman, Publisher of the New York Daily News.

Keynote Speakers have included: Senator John McCain; Admiral Vernon Clark, Chief of Naval Operations; General James L. Jones, Commandant of the Marine Corps; Admiral James Loy, Commandant of the Coast Guard and Admiral Frank Kelso, Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic.