VERO BEACH — Vero Beach Power Squadron (VBPS) placed second out of five squadrons nationwide nominated for the United States Power Squadron National Distinguished Civic Service Award sponsored by Boat US.
Judy Peschio, commander of the squadron, accepted the award at the 2013 United States Power Squadron (USPS) annual conference in Jacksonville, FL this January.
This award honors the squadron who has the most member volunteer hours in its community in the name of the USPS. VBPS members donated more than 10,000 hours of their time to community organizations and events during 2012.
They taught basic boating courses, helped with local environmental projects, participated in local boat shows and parades, worked in boating safety for kids/youth, performed maritime security patrols, vessel safety checks, and multi-media activities.
The Vero Beach Power Squadron is one of more than 400 squadrons in the USPS, which was first organized in 1914. USPS will be celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2014.
USPS is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to making boating safer through education. USPS has nearly 40,000 members across the country and in some U.S. territories.
The VBPS is part of District 8 that includes the fifteen squadrons on the southeast coast of Florida from Sebastion to Key West.
For local information and how to join, please visit the website www.VeroBeachPS.com.