After more than a year of social distancing and cancelled events, the Coast Guard Ball is back!
This year’s Ball will be held at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Maryland on Saturday, Sept. 25.
The theme for this year’s Ball is: “Celebrating Resilience Through Unity.” The focus of this theme is a reflection on our service’s performance and accomplishments in the face of the unprecedented challenges throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Linking that performance to last year’s hallmarks of devotion and adaptability, we will highlight the premise that our service is truly stronger together.
The Ball will be open to active duty, reserve, and retired military personnel, Coast Guard civilian employees, Coast Guard auxiliarists, and their guests. Additional details, including prescribed uniform and attire, available discounted lodging, and ticket sales, are available on the 2021 Coast Guard Ball website.
One of the keys to the success of the Ball is representation from all paygrades. To help facilitate this, we offer the “Sponsor A Shipmate” program. Anyone can make a donation to sponsor tickets for junior members and their guests. Additionally, junior members (E-5 and below) can submit their names to be added to a lottery for the chance to receive sponsored tickets. Both donations (Donate page) and name submissions (Sponsor a Shipmate page) can be made on the Ball’s website.
To help us ensure the Ball will be a successful and memorable event, we are looking for volunteers to serve on subcommittees, and to assist with setup and tear down on the day of the Ball. No prior Ball or event experience is required.
We are also holding a contest to decide the design of the challenge coin that all attendees of the Ball will receive. The front of the coin will feature the winning design, and the reverse will feature the Coast Guard seal. All submissions must be received no later than Wednesday, Aug. 4, and must be submitted via email to CoastGuardBall@uscg.mil. Basic design criteria include: 2 inch coin; up to 7 colors; incorporate verbiage “2021 Coast Guard Ball” and “Celebrating Resilience Through Unity”; and capture the essence of the Ball’s theme. The winner will receive recognition in the Ball program, as well as 2 tickets to the Ball. Any expenses for travelling to the Ball will be the responsibility of the winner.
All questions or interest in volunteering for this year’s Ball should be directed to the Ball Committee by sending an email to CoastGuardBall@uscg.mil or submitting the contact form on the event website.
Please join us for what is bound to be a great night out as we celebrate our service!