Eugene Sweeney and Golden Compass co-chair Ann Burris at 2019 award ceremony
Captain Eugene “Gene” Sweeney was working at Hvide Marine (now Seabulk International), when he first learned of Seafarers’ House. The company’s founder, the late Hans Hvide, was a supporter and Sweeney “followed his lead.” That was more than 20 years ago.
Gene was a seafarer, sailing for many years and experiencing first-hand the life of a merchant mariner. He felt very strongly about giving back to the industry from which he drew his livelihood. While many nonprofit supporters come and go, Sweeney has stayed steadfastly involved with Seafarers’ House, where he currently serves as president of the Board of Directors, as well as co-chair of the annual Golden Compass Gala, its primary fundraiser of the year. He has worn many hats over the years, starting as a member of the Development Committee, then as treasurer, vice president and eventually president of the board.
Whenever there is an event, there’s a good chance Gene will be there. Whether he’s wearing a tux at the Golden Compass gala, or shorts and a T-shirt at the annual Day of the Seafarer event – sponsored this year by The Church By The Sea in Fort Lauderdale – Sweeney’s commitment to Seafarers’ House is evident.
Eugene Sweeney (second from right) at the 2019 Day of the Seafarer event.
During his tenure, he’s seen many changes and the growth of an organization that serves more than 150,000 mariners each year. When he joined Seafarers’ House, the organization had dozens of employees and was financed heavily through the sales of long-distance calling cards. Over the years, leadership outsourced the logistical elements such as the international store operations where mariners and the port community come to purchase food, toiletries and other necessities; the electronics store; and other services, to focus more on the mission – to provide mariners with practical care and spiritual support.
With so many people relying on Seafarers’ House as a place to “relax, recharge and replenish,” the existing facility has “outlived its physical life by 150 percent” says Sweeney, and is “inadequate for the needs of today’s mariners.”
That’s why Seafarers’ House is in the midst of a capital campaign to build a new Place of Welcome.
“With port time restricted by turnaround schedules and government restrictions, mariners and in many cases port workers, need reliable and free WiFi, a money remittance facility, a quiet place away from the pressures of shipboard life, a spiritual shoulder to lean on in times of stress, a general store to buy needed personal items and a café to recharge the body,” says Sweeney.
Being part of a team that has “put together a strong board of directors, a dedicated administrative and pastoral staff and working toward the construction of a new facility to better serve mariners and the local maritime community” are accomplishments he views with great pride.