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WHY IT 
MATTERS

In 2024, 14 Coast Guard members died by suicide, the highest number in a decade [1]. Financial pressure does not exist in isolation. Research among veterans has linked severe financial stress with increased suicide risk [2]. At CGMA, we were seeing our own warning signs.

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Demand for Debt Management support had tripled over three years. Military families continue to experience food insecurity. And our own research was showing us something we could not ignore: too many Coast Guard members do not fully understand what CGMA is and how we can help.

  • Smiling USCG member standing on a Coast Guard boat
  • USCG civilian holding a binder in front of a red helicopter.
  • U.S. Coast Guard member in Sector Houston cap at a port
  • Coast Guard pilot in uniform by an orange helicopter
  • Service dog wearing blue goggles and noise-canceling earmuffs.
CGMA Representatives.mp4
WHERE HELP STARTS

KNOW WHERE TO TURN

Too often, someone finds us only because, in the middle of a crisis, a supervisor, shipmate, instructor or friend says:

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Have you talked to your CGMA representative? 

Find my representative

HELP SHOULD NOT DEPEND ON CHANCE

WHAT MUST CHANGE

Some clients told us they had spent years in the Coast Guard without understanding what CGMA could do for them [3]. Some had even donated to CGMA without realizing that one day they might be the person who needed help. That is not good enough. 

Young girl hugs a coast guard member in a blue cap, why it matters.
WHEN IT MATTERS

THE PRESSURE IS REAL, SO IS THE SUPPORT.

People need to know where to find it before the crisis arrives. These are real examples of how CGMA can help [4].  

A Coast Guard family needs more than $12,000 to move lifesaving medical equipment .

Someone needs help leaving an abusive situation and finding a safe place to live.

One member in our research needed nearly $18,000 just to get into a home after a PCS.

Someone needs help leaving an abusive situation and finding a safe place to live.

A member is watching high-interest debt grow faster than they can pay it down.

One member in our research needed nearly $18,000 just to get into a home after a PCS.

Coast Guard Academy Bears football player running with the ball.

WHY A FOOTBALL GAME?

For CGMA, Secretaries’ Cup was never just about a football game. It was an opportunity to put thousands of members of the Coast Guard community in one place and remind them of something simple:

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We are Coast Guard. We help our own. 

See how we help

Financial assistance is one important part of a broader support system, not a substitute for mental health care. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or self harm, please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

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Resources:

[1] Official Coast Guard suicide statistics (DVIDS / Defense source), [2] Financial stress and suicide-risk research, [3] CGMA client-experience research and journey maps, [4] CGMA Annual Report and impact data

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