2021 Hometown Hero Awards Presented to Local Coast Guardsmen, Supporters

The Cape May Country Coast Guard Community Foundation has announced the recipients of the Hometown Heroes Awards for 2021.  These awards recognize (1) people or organizations active in the Cape May County community that go above the call of duty to embrace the Coast Guard as part of the community and (2) United States Coast Guard members or family members whose actions help to connect the Cape May County community and the United States Coast Guard, exemplifying courage, kindness, and unselfish character which contribute significantly to the betterment of Cape May County.
Each year, the Foundation carefully identifies those who have shown support, dedication and made a difference in unique and memorable ways within the Coast Guard Community by soliciting awardee nominations from Coast Guard personnel and command, and from the community at large.
Four award recipients have been selected this year, and the Foundation invites the public to join them in congratulating the honorees: Dr. John Burns, Aux; SKCM Ileana M. Ortiz, USCG; the C-View Inn for their dedicated service within the Cape May County Coast Guard Community; and the community members who attended the weekly Cape May Coastie Send-offs.
Dr. John Burns, Aux
Dr. John Burns, a member of USCG Auxiliary 82, has volunteered countless hours of his time in various capacities supporting local Coast Guard units and the community as a whole. His selfless service positively affects members and families of the Coast Guard while bolstering overall community relations.  As a certified Officer of the Day for the Coast Guard Cutters BONITO, HAMMERHEAD, and SHEARWATER, Dr. Burns dedicates time to standing watch, often on weekends.         
He also served as the Auxiliary Unit Coordinator for Station Cape May. Once again, Dr. Burns worked tirelessly to recruit an additional communication watch stander for Station Cape May. His efforts were successful and led to the certification of an additional Auxiliary member who maintains watch over the unit’s radios and monitors for reports of distress.
To top it off, at the height of the pandemic, Dr. Burns and his wife Chris tediously constructed face coverings for Coast Guard members and their families. The face coverings were delivered at a critical time when commercial availability of a similar product was negligible. They provided direly needed face coverings to ensure the safety of the Coast Guard members and their families, to include special fabric patterns for use by children. They also donated face coverings to the Cumberland County Guidance Center, First Step Clinic in Bridgeton, and to the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic in Cape May.
The actions displayed by Dr. Burns align seamlessly with the Coast Guard’s core values of Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty. Dr. Burns’ desire to assist Coast Guard members and their families is unyielding and is most deserving of recognition for his selfless service to others. It is truly an honor and privilege to serve alongside an individual who enthusiastically supports the community at large.
The C-View Inn
The C-View Inn, established in the late 1800s and located in the heart of Cape May, has been known for their tag line “Great Food, Cold Beer, Cape May’s Oldest & Friendliest Local Bar.”  The C-View Inn is also known for their contributions to the community by supporting many local causes through fundraising and events at the Inn.  During a time when so many small business and restaurants were struggling, The C-View went above and beyond to support the Coast Guard during the height of the Covid-19 outbreak.  The C-View graciously provided a special pre-determined menu for approximately 10 weeks and offered 10% Military discounts to Active Duty, Reserves, and Veterans of the Community. 
The C-View Inn supported recruits with last minute meals in conjunction with the Chief Petty Officer’s Mess, meticulously receiving and making orders for them due to being restricted to the base due to the pandemic.  They also worked with the CPOA by supporting 200+ recruits with a specialized recruit menu for approximately 5 weeks every Saturday. This greatly enhanced the recruits’ morale as they were restricted to the base and not able to participate in off-base Liberty.
In addition, they excelled at delivering food to all members of the community safely within the COVID-19 protocols.  Thank you to the C-View Inn for feeding the stomachs and the souls of our Coast Guard and community members.
SKCM Ileana M. Ortiz, USCG
Ileana M. Ortiz, an active-duty member of the Coast Guard for 24 years, has proven to be an avid animal lover through her dedication  and volunteer service at the Animal Outreach of Cape May County.  Ileana has volunteered every Saturday at Animal Outreach where she has been an active volunteer for over 4 years and in 2019 became a member of the Board. 
Throughout her tenure at Animal Outreach, Ileana has displayed the selflessness indicative of her character.  She has dedicated every Saturday to disinfecting litter boxes, laundering pounds and pounds of animal bedding and provides care to animals in need by administering medication.  She has also gone above and beyond by fostering three kittens with critical medical needs. 
Ileana showcased her dedication further by assisting several members of TRACEN in the adoption process of an animal in need or in assisting them with adoptions services if they could no longer care for their pet. 
As a Board Member of Animal Outreach, Ileana has helped to manage the facility and is integral part of making decisions about the shelter’s policies and future of the organization.  Her efforts and dedication to the community have helped to save the lives of countless animals, reduce the stray cat population, and aided in over 600 adoptions.  Thank you to Ileana M. Ortiz for the dedication you have to our cherished companions. 
Cape May Coastie Send-off attendees
The weekly graduations at USCG Training Center Cape May (TRACEN) were closed to all visitors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020.  The celebratory lunches on Fridays in Cape May were replaced with buses full of the newest Coast Guardsmen traveling to the Philadelphia International Airport to report to their first duty station.
Members of the Coast Guard families living in base housing outside the gates of TRACEN decided to show their support by standing along the sides of the roads as the buses departed.  The Cape May County Coast Guard Community Foundation posted a call for community members to show their support by standing along the sides of the roads as the buses departed.  The response was immediate and continued to grow over the ensuing months through good weather and bad.  Community members would arrive early with flags and signs to wave and cheer as the buses passed by in minutes.
There was a wide variety of community members who attended these weekly departures.  People who lived in the neighborhood would walk over each week along with people who would drive from outside Cape May County to be there to honor the men and women of the Coast Guard.  Military veterans from all branches and local Coast Guard Auxiliarists were there.  Families and friends of the graduating recruits would travel from their homes around the county to catch a glimpse of their recruit before heading to the airport for a brief reunion.  Workers would spend their lunch time and tourists would stop their bike rides to participate.  The community embraced the opportunity to show their support and looked forward to returning each week.
A new program was developed after receiving a request from a recruit’s parent to create signs for the graduating recruits.  There have been nearly 600 signs celebrating the newest Coasties since the program started.  The community members are honored to have the opportunity to represent the families and friends who are not able to attend the graduations in person.  Thank you to every community member who has volunteered their time to show their support for the graduating recruits.