A Final Letter from Immediate Past President Linda Carrion

Letter from the President

First and foremost, I would like to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who supported me this year and made sure to give me words of affirmation and encouragement to navigate this tough period.

Thank you, Carmenzina with Party with the Smiths, Secretary by title, however, that is an understatement, to our Board, for the hard work and dedication to the club. For representing the club with such grace and making sure all our events and communication are top-notch! It has been an honor to serve alongside you and a gift to call you my best friend.

If you have not had the pleasure of meeting Carmenzina at one of our events, be sure to connect with her at www.partywiththesmiths.com. She does amazing work and is truly an asset for any event you may have.

Even through the pandemic, we stayed diligent in keeping the club alive and made it a priority to maintain our members’ health in mind.

From virtual events with Laura DiBella, executive director for the Florida Harbor Pilots association to sporadic happy hours.

Together with the working group known as the Transportation and Logistics Network or TALON, led by our dear friend Ike Sherlock, we held a successful virtual event in September, Supply Chain in the New Decade. As well as a Sock drive in December where we collected over 1,000 socks for the local Sulzbacher Center.

We hosted a panel discussion for students, attended beach clean-ups, and launched our first ever Virtual State of the Port with our platinum sponsor JAXPORT which drew in record crowds. Attracting over 700 transportation and logistics professionals from throughout Northeast Florida and as far away as Nigeria.

We were able to attend in person, and award U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer of the year to Canine Enforcement Officer Darin Witte and the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville Sailor of the year to MK2 Timothy Bible.

We had a great turnout at our annual Golf Tournament with over 100 golfers, and I cannot fail to mention the meaningful ceremony at Maritime Day with the help of our friends at the Beaches Honor Guard, the St. Johns Bar Pilot Association, and JFRD Marine 40 making it a memorable one that brought tears to many in attendance.

Through these events, the club raised over $14,000 towards our charitable giving efforts! On Change of Command, we presented a check to AMIKids Jacksonville with an $8,000 donation!

At the beginning of this month, our board member and past president Lindsey Brock drafted a Resolution on behalf of the club in opposition to a 50% increased vessel registration fee ordinance and submitted it to City Council. I am happy to announce that the proposed increase was defeated, and it did not pass!

If you had the opportunity to experience our change of command event, I am sure you will agree it was an unforgettable night!

On this night, we recognized all our Corporate Sponsors as well as our Student Port Members in attendance from Keiser and UNF. We recognized the Student Propeller Club members of the year, Nicholas Ierna with UNF and Ian Alphonse with Keiser University.

Our night was filled with tears of Joy as we presented the following awards to our Past President and Board Member Ed Coppedge with Coppedge Marine, Inc: Member of the Year, Southeast Region Member of the Year, and he was also voted in as an Honorary Member for the Propeller Club.

This year, the Annual Robert J. "Bobby" Coppedge Maritime Person of the Year went to Captain Mark Vlaun with the US Coast Guard. This is an award that is presented to an individual who has made an extraordinary impact on our maritime industry.

Congratulations to our Past President, Liz Miller with Liz Miller Solutions, for taking on the Role of Southeast Regional Vice President for the International Propeller Club. Thank you to David St. Pierre, current Southeast Regional Vice President, for taking the time to send us a message in a video, be sure to check it out!

Lastly, I am happy to announce that our Propeller Club, Port of Jacksonville was recognized as the Southeast Region Club of the Year! (Did you have any doubts that we weren’t?!) Haha, yes we did it!

All these accomplishments were conquered during an extremely difficult year.  For some, it was the loss of family members, financial burdens, and mental health struggles. With that in mind, I would like to talk about a very personal one. Mental health, Why?

Because I believe that being aware of this issue can save lives.  As a matter of fact, mental health is something I was struggling with even before COVID-19.

About 4 years ago, everything became extremely challenging for me. I took on this Propeller Club journey as a volunteer, in one of the worst times of my life. I was struggling with being a single parent of my two beautiful girls and trying to deal with past childhood traumas and barely keeping my head above water.

Taking a seat on this board did not only challenge my professional experience but also challenged me mentally.  Still, even recognizing this, I strived to push forward and put on a smiling face. Hoping all along, no one saw the mask.

I became an expert in the art of hiding. When we are suffering, we hope no one sees it. It is so difficult to think that not only our loved ones, but people who surround us, are suffering alone and we do not have the slightest clue.

I am more thankful than ever to be alive and for that voice inside of me, that screamed at me to get help and be able to share this message with you all tonight. An important message, especially in these times where we see that mental health affects us all in different ways.

That message is to talk to someone, get help! You can move forward; it will get better! And listen, be a support system for everyone, both loved ones and strangers alike, as you too can save someone’s life. You never know what someone is going through.

Sometimes one word, one smile, one gesture, and in my case, being part of this association can truly make a difference.

Here at the Propeller club, I have found comradery, made lifelong friends, found a purpose, and most importantly found myself.

It has been an honor to have served as your 2020 - 2021 President and will continue to be here for you, not only as someone you can count on for club business, but also as an advocate for mental health, and someone you can talk to.

Congratulations to Whitney Croxton on your journey this incoming year, to you the torch has been passed, hold it high.

Thank you very much to the Board of Governors and those who supported me!

Warmly,

Linda Carrion