Kat Burgess of the Coast Guard Auxiliary in Coos Bay was awarded a special Fluid Art composition created by David Crabtree a local artist in Florence, Oregon. The composition is entitled ‘Tsunami at Sunset‘ the piece reflects beautifully, the emotional impact and awareness of a Tsunami event for those of us living on the Oregon Coast.
David awarded the piece after meeting Kat Burgess while attending the Florence Event Centers “Beat the Wave” expo.
Kat Burgess who has a lifetime of volunteering experiences, had recently joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary after speaking to members at a HS basketball tournament in March. She was invited to their meeting, she brought along friends, 6 of whom have now joined as well!
Kat notes that “The flotilla 51 members are kind and nurturing, they are never too busy to answer questions have been with us newbies the whole way. My friends and I are very glad we have found a home with them.
When Kat moved to Coos Bay, she became a member of the Community Emergency Response Team, where she was Vice President and Secretary.
Kat also joined the Medical Reserve Corps. In 2020 she was made team leader, and currently has been Unit Leader for over four and a half years, her love of volunteerism was a big influence in keeping everyone together through COVID and beyond!
Her unit has won local, county, state and national awards for excellence.!
Kat is accustomed to public education and outreach, she has been been doing it for years. So for her it was a ‘no-brainer’ to suggest that the Coast Guard Auxiliary become more visual in the Emergency Preparedness arena.
Kat states “ Post Cascadia we will need all hands on deck. The Auxiliary will be at ground zero, along with the rest of the community; why not work and train together now? “
Kat’s idea of organizing small watercraft owners to lend assistance during the post disaster chaos has gotten huge support from both the Coast Guard Auxiliary and from every small boater and kayaker she has spoken with..
Kat’s foresight is noteworthy, she muses that “…there are thousands of folks in our community who will want to help. If they aren’t known to authorities, their valuable experience would most likely go unused. That is a huge waste of resources!
Hopefully we can get something started that will grow strong and help protect our communities.“
Kat reflected on the joy that she felt. “It was a real “treat to have both Flotillas 51 from Coos Bay and 52 from Florence working together at Saturday’s “Beat the Wave” event it was a great learning experience.“
Wil Sumner (Florence) Bill Malone (Coos Bay) Kat Burgess (Coos Bay) Tom Carsen (Florence)
When asked how she has kept her joy and infectious smile strong over all the years and uncounted volunteer experiences Kat replied, “Gads! I guess I like to help people, huh? I come by it honestly though. My folks were always volunteering for as long as I can recall,. . Mom and dad raised me to think of others. I was a Job’s Daughter, Girl Scout and a Candy Striper.”
“I paused my volunteering while I did the wife and mother job… although that was unpaid labor too lol.”
“When my son had grown, I took a CPR course. The instructor was my old HS coach. He got me into volunteering with Red Cross, as an instructor.”
“Wanting more knowledge, I went through EMT training and became a volunteer skills instructor at our local college. I happily volunteered to speak on campus Career Days, sharing with the next generation is a privilege!”
“I was also a volunteer Firefighter, before moving to Southern California.”
“Volunteering?!, It makes my heart happy.!!”
Kat Burgess interview retold by Sarah Crabtree
For more information about the artist David Crabtree, go to https://davidcrabtreeart.com