US Coast Guard Auxiliary Des Plaines

Mission Statement

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the civilian, volunteer arm of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Auxiliary supports the mission of the Coast Guard by promoting safety among recreational boaters in the United States and by providing services to Coast Guard units. Auxiliary members belong to a Flotilla. Several Flotillas make up a Division, and the Divisions are organized into Districts covering areas of the country. As of 2015, there were approximately 32,000 members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Collectively, the Auxiliary contributes more than 4.5 million hours of service each year and complete nearly 500,000 missions in service to support the Coast Guard. Every year, Auxiliarists help save approximately 500 lives, assist 15,000 distressed boaters, conduct more than 150,000 safety examinations of recreational vessels, and provide boater safety instruction to more than 500,000 students. In total, the Coast Guard Auxiliary saves taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year.