05/08/2026
Calling ALL Volunteers!
From 27 May through 1 June 2026, New Orleans will serve as the opening port of the national Sail 250 celebration, commemorating our nation’s 250th birthday. During this time, our city will welcome approximately 3,000 Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and international partners from across the globe!
This will be an extraordinary, once-in-a-generation event.
For most of these visiting service members, this will be their first time in New Orleans, and if there is one thing we know, it is this:
There is no place in the world like New Orleans.
Our culture.
Our food.
Our music.
Our people.
And above all, our unmatched hospitality and passion for celebration!
Together, we have the opportunity to define what this experience feels like for them, and to give them not just a visit, but a true taste of what makes our city so special.
At the USO, our role during this event is simple and powerful: to ensure every service member who steps ashore feels welcomed, appreciated, and at home. Or, as we often say, to give them a “big New Orleans hug.”
That is where you come in.
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Volunteer Opportunities Are Now Open
We are now actively organizing volunteers across several key USO-supported events and activation points throughout Fleet Week.
If you are ready to be part of this effort—and to help us showcase the very best of New Orleans—please take a moment to sign up today using the links below:
USO Fleet Week Events (Welcome Celebration, Comedy Night, and Concert):
Volunteer Sign Up -USO Hospitality Center NOLA Sail 250
USO Fleet Week Support Center (Pier Side Operations):
Volunteer Sign Ups for USO Events During Fleet Week/NOLA Sail 250
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Where You Can Make an Impact
Volunteers will help bring to life several signature moments, including:
Welcome Celebration (The “Big NOLA Hug”) | 27 May
Pier side at the Port of New Orleans (880 Port of New Orleans Place)
Welcoming service members as they first come ashore—with the full spirit of New Orleans on display
USO Fleet Week Support Center | 28–31 May
A daily hub providing rest, refreshments, and connection
Comedy Night (29 May) and Headliner Concert (30 May)
High-energy experiences that reflect the music, laughter, and soul of this city
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Bring Others With You
If you are part of an organization, business, church, or community group, we would be honored to have you stand with us.
If you know others who would be inspired by this opportunity, please forward this message and invite them to join you.
Because in New Orleans, we do not just show up, we show up together.
This is more than volunteering, it is a chance to serve those who serve, and to represent our city in the way only we can.
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Points of Contact
If you would like to coordinate more directly on specific events:
Welcome Celebration: Jason Burkett – [email protected]
Comedy Night and Concert: Nicole Lewis – [email protected]
USO Support Center: Kim DeVries – [email protected]
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We are deeply grateful for the energy, patriotism, and community spirit so many of you have already shown.
This will be a historic week for New Orleans and for our nation.
Let’s rise to the moment. Let’s show them our city.
Let’s give them a New Orleans they will never forget!
Respectfully and Semper Fidelis,
Jason
Colonel (ret) Jason Burkett, U.S. Marine Corps
Executive Director, USO Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida
Cell: 504.296.2246
https://lams.uso.org
https://uso.org
