Volunteer Life Saving Corps

What is the core mission of your organization? “To maintain a group of individuals thoroughly trained in life-saving and first aid, who are expected to respond promptly in any emergency requiring such service, regardless of time and place.”

How are you creating measurable social impact? In the 112 years since our founding in 1912, Volunteer Life Saving Corps members have accumulated more than 1,621,000 hours of volunteer service to the community while rescuing 1,940 persons in peril of drowning, assisting 2,194 people in distress, and handling more than 26,000 first aid cases, ranging from jellyfish stings to cardiac arrest.

What challenges are you addressing in your local community? From 1912 to 2022 the Volunteer Life Saving Corps was the lone agency providing lifeguard services to Jacksonville Beach residents on Sundays and national holidays. In 2022 the City of Jacksonville Beach’s Ocean Rescue department began staffing lifeguards and officers on Sundays and national holidays. The VLSC continues to provide lifeguarding and first response services, on Sundays and national holidays, alongside the City’s staff as these days continue to be some of the busiest days at the beaches!

How do you build trust with the populations you serve? On April 17, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson chartered this group of volunteers as the American Red Cross Volunteer Life Saving Corps, a name which stayed with the organization through 2014. That year the American Red Cross decided to re-focus their efforts solely on disaster relief and training, opting out of the “boots on the ground” model. In keeping with the spirit of their original members, the Volunteers now known as the Volunteer Life Saving Corps, Inc. (VLSC), formed a 501c3 non-profit corporation, to continue serving their community and safeguard decades of institutional knowledge.

What collaborations or partnerships have been most effective? Our ever building network of alumni provides our active membership gateways into a variety of careers in both the public and private sectors. The reason our members remain involved in the VLSC for life is clear, there is simply no other organisation like the Volunteer Life Saving Corp. The sense of purpose our members get from being part of a team that saved a life as a volunteer is unmatched. The Meninak Club of Jacksonville sponsors our annual 3.5 ocean marathon. We were the primary consultants for the Jacksonville Jaguars when they installed swimming pools in their stadium, providing valuable insight and the unmistakeable lifeguard chairs that the current guards sit in.

How are you using storytelling to raise awareness? Our membership and alumni are never shy to tell how their time with the VLSC made a positive impact in their life or professional career. We actively support our community through events like “Deck the Chairs” and the “Hammerhead Ocean Marathon” although we are always looking for ways to get our story into the public’s eye. We would benefit from any information that boosts donations and recruiting!

What motivates your team to keep pushing forward? More than a century of local pride and unmatched institutional knowledge!