Bart Shanks from Hub’s Yacht Club and Marina in Minnesota with donated SeaChoice life jackets.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SEA TOW FOUNDATION
In answer to a call from the Sea Tow Foundation for the marine industry to help supply life jackets for its Life Jacket Loaner program, Brunswick Corporation donated 868 life jackets from its Land ‘N’ Sea brand to be distributed throughout the loaner stations.
“Safety is our number one priority both on and off the water,” says Mike Conners, Land ‘N’ Sea president. “We are thrilled to participate in the Sea Tow Foundation’s mission to make the water safer for everyone and the donation of Seachoice life jackets to aid in their mission was a perfect way for us to continue to support our great friends at the Sea Tow Foundation.”
As the largest life jacket loaner program of its kind in the world, the Sea Tow Foundation has helped establish over 1,000 stands across all 50 states and beyond to help prevent drownings and promote safe boating. This year, the foundation received over 250 applications from 46 states, creating a gap of 15,000 life jackets between what is needed and what the Sea Tow Foundation can provide.
“Land ‘N’ Sea’s generous donation of 868 life jackets will have an incredible impact on being able to establish new life jacket loaner stations and replenish existing ones,” says Gail R. Kulp, executive director of the Sea Tow Foundation. “This life jacket donation exemplifies the boating industry’s commitment to boating safety, and we hope more companies will follow Brunswick’s lead by donating new or gently used life jackets or providing funding to allow us to purchase more life jackets.”
The jackets will be distributed for immediate use in Florida and Texas, and will be available for use in the upcoming boating season in Michigan and Minnesota, with 383 life jackets allotted to loaner stations in Michigan hosted by the Ashleigh Iserman Boating Safety Foundation, Manistee Area Leadership Program and the City of Algonac. In Minnesota, 409 life jackets will be distributed to loaner stations hosted by Friends of Pool 2, SWELL Wakesurf, Hub’s Yacht Club and Marina and USACE – Pokegama Dam.
To learn more, visit boatingsafety.com.
