Page 146 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2021

FINAL SAY
FELICE KELLY
GILLUM
Executive Director, USO Gulf Coast
The Mississippi Gulf Coast has always been one of the most patriotic communities in America. With so many military installations in this area, our military is at the core of our community. It’s no secret that Coastal Mississippi is one of the best-kept secrets. Consequently, it’s no surprise that so many service members and their families who are stationed here elect to make the Gulf Coast their home.
From the friendly smiles of airmen on Keesler Air Force Base to the resourceful Seabees at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, our military has always risen to any challenge placed before them. As our nation’s men and women in uniform work so diligently to keep our country safe and secure, it is the mission of the USO to strengthen America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home, and country throughout their service to the nation.
USO Gulf Coast takes pride in providing quality programs and services to our service members and their families to lift their spirits during their call of duty. The USO Gulf Coast operates four USO centers and provides outreach in a tri-state area. They have USO centers in the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base MEPS in New Orleans, and Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg. Collectively, USO Gulf Coast Operations provides quality programs and services to over 100,000 service members annually.
Like the rest of the world, our operations have been dramatically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The USO was forced to re-evaluate how we meet the needs
of our nation’s heroes, and we have worked diligently to ensure our service members and their families are provided quality programming and services during this challenging time in our nation’s history.
The USO has been on the frontline supporting our National Guard as they work tirelessly around the clock
during this pandemic. We need the support of our community to continue to lead the way in support of our nation’s military. USO Gulf Coast is also actively supporting training students and service members preparing to deploy or returning home from deployment as they complete their mandatory quarantine on the local installations.
If you are interested in volunteer opportunities with the USO or would like to donate to support our operations, please visit www. gulfcoast.uso.org. All donations to the USO are tax-deductible. We have many employee engagement opportunities available if your company wants to become a sponsor of the USO Gulf Coast. You may also contact us at usogulfcoast@uso.org for more information on how you can become part of our amazing team. We thank everyone in this amazing community for your continued support of the USO Gulf Coast and our operations.
146 | July 2021
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