11.26.2024
« Return to News2024 Fall Newsletter
SITREP CGMA Disaster Relief
As of 04 November, overall Year-to-Date Financial Assistance provided is $7.2 Million Dollars supporting 4,549 clients. Over $1.1 million in Disaster Relief Assistance has already been provided this year to the Coast Guard community. From assisting with damaged household goods to helping pay insurance deductibles and replacing spoiled food, CGMA Disaster Relief helps member begin the process of recovery. Claims can be submitted up to 90 days after the event, and are still coming in post Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Here’s the breakdown:
When Disaster Strikes, CGMA is here to help.
Just days after reporting to U.S. Coast Guard Station Sand Key, BM2 and his family faced Hurricane Helene’s devastating storm surge. Their new home was inundated with 6 feet of water and sewage, destroying nearly all their belongings. With no renter’s insurance due to the storm’s timing, they were left with unimaginable loss.
Thanks to CGMA, a $24,000 grant covered 100% of their damaged household goods, helping them recover and rebuild. For over a century, CGMA has been the only organization able to provide this level of support for our Coast Guard members and families.
This is the power of CGMA. This is the power of us.
Follow us on our Socials: Linked In | Facebook | Instagram
CGMA Celebrates 100 Years!
On November 6th at the District Winery in Washington, D.C., CGMA hosted Centennial Celebration. Special guests included the Honorable Secretary Mayorkas, our Service Secretary, as well as Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Fagan and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Heath Jones. Over 40 Coast Guard Flag Officers and Command Gold Badges were in attendance! We were grateful to have Commander, Seventh Coast Guard District RADM Doug Schofield emcee the event as well as several members of our CGMA Board of Directors attend. The Coast Guard Jazz Band provided entertainment, and a good time was had by all!
CGMA is grateful for the generous support of our Centennial event sponsors TriWest, First Command, Whiting-Turner, Humana, USAA, Moran Towing, and Triumph who helped make the event possible! Click here to see more pictures of the event!
CGMA Board of Directors adopts 2025-2030 Strategic Plan
In late September, members of the Strategic Planning Committee and CGMA senior staff created the Strategic Plan for the next five years with the help of Tim Ciampaglio, who provided an in-kind donation by QM Consultants. The Board of Directors adopted the new plan shortly thereafter. Here’s a snapshot of this living, breathing document to guide our way:
CGMA envisions a Coast Guard community empowered by a trusted network and shared resources to eliminate financial worry. CGMA:
- Amplifies the voices of our Coast Guard community to harness strengths and address needs.
- We leverage our network to foster a culture of financial security, ensuring no one walks alone.
- Through proactive collaboration and tailored support, we are the go-to resource that turns today’s financial challenges into tomorrow’s stability.
Some of our Objectives include:
Improve Financial Literacy of the CG Community – to include advocating training and leveraging resources for the entire community—Reservists, Civilian Employees, Auxiliarists, Retirees, and their spouses—improving financial knowledge.
Reinvigorate Relationship with CG – to include creating a sense of ownership of CGMA throughout the Coast Guard, from the deck plates to senior leadership.
Improve Communications with Stakeholders– recognizing that each stakeholder consumes communication differently.
Improve Programs and Processes – ensure programs remain relevant, current, and cost-effective as well as easy to access.
Leverage Technology and Data – to include creating intuitive and frictionless interfaces with reps/ clients/ donors while honoring process integrity.
Maximize Human Capital – to ensure CGMA maintains a high-performing, highly engaged staff and positive work environment that adapts to evolving work practices.
CGMA in the News and other Events
In November, Keisha Reynolds of MyCG posted an article introducing the new CGMA CEO who talks about CGMA history and the path ahead.
However, beyond practical steps toward financial readiness, Millard wants to create a cultural shift regarding the subject. “I would like to foster a culture of financial security so that people don’t feel like they’re alone,” explained Millard. “Politics, religion and money are the three things you’re not supposed to talk about at work. But we should talk about money. Those who have experience should teach others how to budget, save, and maximize their benefits,” she said.
CGMA CEO participates in Booz Allen event
CGMA CEO, Brooke Millard, participated in Booz Allen Hamilton’s Veteran’s Day breakfast event alongside other Military Aid Society Leadership. The four leaders spoke about how their organizations support the readiness of U.S. Military members. Booz Allen Hamilton broadcast the event to multiple work sites hosting Veterans Day events worldwide; of the 40,000 employees who work at Booz, 33% are military vets!
Left to right:
Tony Grinston, Sergeant Major of the US Army, Ret. & CEO of Army Emergency Relief;
Brooke Millard, CDR, USCG, Ret. & CEO of Coast Guard Mutual Assistance;
Ed Thomas, Maj General, US Air Force, Ret. & CEO of Air Force Aid Society;
Dawn Cutler, Rear Admiral, US Navy, Ret. & COO of Navy Marine Corps Relief Society;
Jon “JP” Perez, Rear Admiral, US Navy, Ret. & moderator of panel.
CGMA Hosts 2024 Invitational Golf Tournament in Myrtle Beach,
13-16 November
Over 100 golfers met at the Barefoot Resort in Myrtle Beach to play four rounds of golf on four different courses. Three rounds were individual tournament play; Saturday’s event was a two-person scramble. CGMA was delighted to welcome back golfers who have participated for years as well as introduce 30 new enlisted members to the event, including several E-4s and E-5s who flew in from MSU Houma, Louisiana; Air Station Ventura, California; and a group of Active Duty members from Air Station Barber’s Point, Hawaii. Overall winner was William Farynaz, whose 3-day score totaled just 217. Average 3-day score of all participants was 290. No surprise that Saturday’s scramble was led by Farynaz and his teammate Robert Hill, who shot 62 together!
Please save the date for and join us at next year’s tournament in Myrtle Beach November 11-15, 2025. For sponsorship inquiries, contact Jenna Nichols at jenna.nichols@mycgma.org
Call to Action: Giving Tuesday on 3 December via missionGIVE.us
If you intend to donate to CGMA soon, please consider donating on 3 December, Giving Tuesday, as Lockheed Martin has graciously supported a matching campaign up to $1 Million dollars! Please use the missionGive.us website for this ask.
For the 3rd year in a row, the four official Military Aid Societies, of which CGMA is for the Coast Guard, are joining forces to raise critical funds for military families in need.
This year’s campaign theme, entitled #missionGIVE, will be conducted on social media with the goal of securing essential funds to provide service members and their families around the world with vital emergency relief, financial support, and educational resources. Unfolding across social media platforms on #GivingTuesday, December 3, 2024, supporters are encouraged to visit missionGIVE.us, where they can allocate their contributions to one or more of the four military aid societies.
Message from CEO
As you can tell, both CGMA’s Board of Directors and CGMA’s Staff have been BUSY! We truly LOVE executing our mission. THANK YOU for your amazing support of our Coast Guard community! We cannot do our mission without the generosity of donors like you!
Yours in Service,
Brooke Millard, CDR, USCG, Ret.
Chief Executive Officer, CGMA