Supporting Voluntary Maritime Rescue Organizations

Your Support Helps:

Your tax-deductible donations, sponsorships and membership fees allow AFRAS to support volunteer maritime rescue organizations via the following means:

  • Using the tax-deductible donations received to provide direct financial support by way of grants or the direct purchase of equipment for voluntary maritime rescue organizations who, like AFRAS, are members in good standing of the International Maritime Rescue Federation.
  • Providing indirect financial support, serving as a “clearinghouse” for U.S. taxpayers to provide tax-deductible donations to international non-profit search and rescue organizations, to include the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) in the United Kingdom & Ireland and for Virgin Island Search and Rescue (VISAR) in the British Virgin Islands.
  • Providing subject matter expertise and promotion of search and rescue through our attendance at various national and international forums and site visits.
  • Through our sponsorship of various maritime rescue awards (and hence, our recognition of the organizations that conduct or who are called upon to perform search and rescue), by highlighting the heroism of those who literally have put their life on the line to effect a successful rescue at sea.  AFRAS formally sponsors five maritime rescue awards, three of which (the VADM Thomas Sargent Gold Lifesaving Medal, the Silver Lifesaving Medal, and the Amver Award (merchant marine industry) are awarded at our annual ceremony on Capitol Hill with U.S. Coast Guard Commandant and/or Vice Commandant in attendance, in addition to many Members of Congress.  The C-PORT (commercial maritime assistance industry) Award recipient is recognized at their industry’s annual conference, and recognition of the Caribbean SAR Award recipient has been handled via diplomatic channels.  Details of each award can be found by accessing the “Honoring Extraordinary Rescues” button.
  • Providing AFRAS members literature via our newsletter and via RNLI publications that highlight the search and rescue mission.  Our web-site is also available as a research tool to query the search and rescue mission of other organizations (please access the “SAR Organizations and Affiliations” button for more details).