Seafarer’s Gala

The Seafarers’ Center of Beaumont will host their annual Maritime Gala on Thursday, Aug. 25, at 6 p.m. inside the MCM Eleganté Hotel in Beaumont.

The event will feature a gourmet dinner, music and will honor Speaker Dade Phelan of the Texas House of Representatives with the Tom Jackson Sabine Neches Waterway Outstanding Service Award. Phelan is the is the 76th Speaker of the Texas House and is currently serving his fourth term as State Representative for District 21.

This prestigious award is made each year in memory of Tom Jackson (1952-2005). Jackson was the general manager of the Jefferson County Waterway Navigation District, where he spearheaded efforts to deepen and widen the waterway system. He chaired the Sabine Neches Waterway Safety Council and served on many United States Coast Guard and United States Army Corp of Engineers committees. The award is awarded to one individual annually for outstanding contributions and support for the waterway system. Previous recipients include Henry Nix, Paul Beard, Captain Mark Taylor, Rep. Joe Deshotel, Senator Brandon Creighton, and Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick, Congressman Randy Weber and Randall Reese.

This year’s keynote speaker is Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens, who also operates a Marine Division of the sheriff’s department.

Tickets can be purchased by calling (409) 832-3292.

The Seafarers’ Center of Beaumont is a 501(c)3 and is “home away from home” for seafarers visiting the Port of Beaumont and other local docks. Chartered in 1972 as a nonprofit organization under the laws of the State of Texas, the Center has served over 750,000 visiting seafarers. The Center exists as the result of a deep desire and concern within the local maritime industry, followed by active support and involvement of the community and local churches, to provide a safe and welcoming recreational and spiritual environment on land for those who have chosen the sea as their livelihood. Working closely with the United States Coast Guard, shipping agencies, and other regulatory arms, the Center provides advocacy for all merchant mariners from around the world to ensure that seafarers’ rights and dignity are preserved without regard for interfaith and cultural backgrounds. Chaplains and volunteers assist thousands of mariners each year, offering a hand of friendship and pastoral care. They also provide practical services like gifts from organizations, individuals and local churches, access to the internet, personal items, calling cards, and local transportation. Seafarers’ Centers operate around the world in or near ports to serve mariners who make the sacrifice to serve the transportations industry away from their families for months at a time.