This article originally appeared in the December 2021 issue of Security Business magazine. When sharing, don’t forget to mention Security Business magazine on LinkedIn and @SecBusinessMag on Twitter.
While so many people and companies in our industry are very giving, not all of them are comfortable shouting about it from the mountaintops, so to speak. In this regard, I am sometimes asked why Security Business devotes this annual section to the community and charitable work of the integrators in our industry.
My answer is simple: By trumpeting these amazingly kind acts from our "mountaintop," it encourages more companies – whether they are interested in publicizing them or not – to make sure they continue (or better yet, launch) their own community service programs. As we outline our submissions for this year, realize how many more of your fellow integrators have their own charitable programs...and whether you are an executive, salesperson, technician, if your company doesn't have these intiatives, there's no time like the present!
Here's a closer look at some of the great activities performed in 2021:
One of the service projects for ADT Always Cares in 2021 was the day before the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, when dozens of team members volunteered to help more than 1,000 families in need. Wearing masks and staying safely apart, employees distributed thousands of new shoes and socks to residents in vehicles lined up in a parking lot. “Seeing everyone come through that line and having the honor to serve them was wonderful,” saysPanashe Muwunganirwa, ADT Area Administrative Manager. “The energy and enthusiasm of everyone volunteering was infectious.” In addition to the volunteerism, ADT contributed $10,000 to Feeding Tampa Bay.
Allied Universal is an active, responsible corporate citizen and supports numerous charity and community organizations engaged in a wide variety of public service initiatives. Our employees dedicate extensive personal time and energy to support meaningful causes important to their communities. In 2021, Allied Universal donated over $1 million in direct donations to various charities and community organizations. We support a number of nonprofit organizations such as American Heart Association and United Way, industry groups, including the International Security Foundation and community-focused initiatives such as scholarship foundations, supporting victims of human trafficking, veteran support, educational and cultural organizations, faith-based organizations, community colleges and local and regional charities. In 2020, Allied Universal provided more than 310,000 meals to nine food banks across the nation to help support each non-profit organization's on-going emergency response efforts to combat food insecurity for families who were impacted by COVID-19.
Over the years, Amerigard Alarm & Security Corp., Scarsdale, N.Y., has given back in multiple ways. “Certainly, the most dramatic was to support the NYPD at Ground Zero immediately after 9/11, following which we donated a free security system to the Twin Towers Fund,” explains CEO Richard H. Cantor, CPP. The company has contributed to ASIS and UL, taught the Basic Methods of Security Course at the NYPD, and has been a member of the FDNY Industry Advisory Board. Most recently, Amerigard assembled a full Fire & Life Safety program for the Rotary Club, the local community and local firefighters, consisting of six weekly Zoom presentations.
Brady Integrated Security, Greensboro, N.C., has partnered with Habitat for Humanity for more than five years, assisting in making affordable homeownership a reality for local families in need. As a veteran-founded and veteran-focused company, Brady has also strengthened its partnership with the 3rd Special Forces Group Warrior Fund. Brady raised funds in November in honor of Veterans Day, and renewed the Brady Trane Scholarship in honor of Al Kuhnemann, a veteran of Brady and the U.S. Armed Forces. Brady has also continued to aid other organizations such as the Adopt-A-Stream program and the Tanger Center for Performing Arts.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Convergint expanded its commitment to fostering a culture of service and giving in the
Electronix Systems, Huntington Station, N.Y., proudly sponsors “A Mother’s Kiss,” an organization that helps families of child cancer patients; as well as the First Responders Children’s Foundation, which helps support children who have lost a parent in the line of duty. In addition to its annual corporate sponsorships, Electronix Systems employees have participated in annual toy drives. In 2012, the company partnered with the New York Fire Alarm Association to provide toys to the pediatric floors at four local hospitals – starting a tradition that has endured every year since. Each holiday season, Electronix Systems also hosts a food drive to collect non-perishable foods to donate to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Integrated Security Technologies (IST), Herndon, Va., participated in SIA’s Women in Security’s CAN DO challenge, collecting more than 2,000 pounds of food that was distributed to 14 charitable organizations in eight states. IST sponsored the Shenandoah Slammers, a girls softball team in Mount Jackson, Va. The account support team participated in the Virginia Run/Walk 100 Miles, raising funds for the Stop Solider Suicide Association. And the company collected Toys for Tots at its annual holiday party.
J&K Security Solutions of Madison, Wis., sponsored the annual Raise for DAIS Golf outing and auction to benefit
Securityhunter, Baltimore, donated to Catholic Charities Pregnancy and Adoption Services in honor of one of our employees and his family. Catholic Charities provides assistance to pregnant women regardless of any interest in adoption services. Additionally, partnering with a local church, Securityhunter gave seed money with the agreement the church would match the amount and develop a program to assist persons seeking to become entrepreneurs. The program, “Our Dreams Matter,” with the assistance of SCORE, the nation's largest network of volunteer expert business mentors, is currently in the planning stages.
Sentry Alarms, Binghamton, N.Y., believes strongly in community/business partnerships. “It is weaved into the fabric of who we are as a company,” says President Jean Levenson. The company has participated with Meals on Wheels; donated a camera system to the Broome County Urban League, ensuring a safer environment for their after-school programs; made monthly donations to the Binghamton Canine Unit fund; and continues to monitor an alarm system they donated to a local zoo. Levenson adds that Sentry will install a camera and access system at no charge in the Volunteers Serving Neighborhood Environments (VINES) organization when they construct a new building in 2022.
Security Gives Back is an annual article in Security Business, but it is still a year-round collection process! Please send in your stories and photos of community support, charity and volunteerism as they happen to [email protected] for inclusion in this article next year.
Security Pros Take the Field for Children in Need
Mission 500's Annual Security Softball Game raises more than $33,000
Mission 500, a 501C-3 charity supported by the security industry dedicated to serving the needs of children and communities in crisis across the United States, held its 7th annual Security Softball Game on Saturday, October 9, 2021, at Overpeck County Park in Leonia, N.J.
With Security Business and SecurityInfoWatch among the sponsors, this year’s event – which featured a home run derby prior to the featured matchup between the Security Sluggers and Protection Pirates softball teams – raised more than $33,000.
The event enabled Mission 500 to meet its goal of filling 300 care packs with essential school supplies for donation to children living in severe poverty in the South Bronx who attend Title One schools in the area. Additionally, $2,500 of the proceeds raised will be donated to the New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation Children’s Camp, a not-for-profit dedicated to the advancement of burn care, research, prevention, education and the proper treatment of burns. The organization also sends burn victims under the age of 18 to have fun at summer camp.
“The security industry community never fails to show their support, whether it is with this annual softball game or the many other events that the Mission 500 organization works with each year,” says Ken Gould, Mission 500 chairman and owner of KJG Consulting. “Thank you to everyone who participated, and special thanks to the event sponsors. We could not have done it without you.”
Other event sponsors included: Alarms R Us; Altronix; American Security; Anixter; Axis Communications; Beacon Protection; Chartrand Associates; Credo Cyber Consulting; Complete Security Systems; Dahua USA; DMP; First Response Systems; Guardian; ISC East, Ken Gould Consulting; Keri Systems; Lensec; LRG Marketing Communications; NJELSA; Napco StarLink; NYFAA; PSA Security Network; Paige DataCom; Purr’n Pooch; Security Systems News; Security Today; VGM Group; Volt; and Zenitel.
At the Mission 500 annual softball game, participants filled 300 care packs with essential school supplies for donation to children living in severe poverty in the South Bronx.
Security Gives Back Spotlight: The Kindness Games
A social media movement launched by security pros in 2020 has quickly grown into a full-fledged company
The Kindness Games is a global movement centered around Kindness & Gratitude that launched in Sept. 2020 by Facebook Head of Global Security and Privacy Protection Tim Wenzel, CPP, and Lee Oughton, COO and co-founder of Fortress Risk Management. Both of them decided that the best thing they could do to counter-program the hate and division being spread throughout the summer of 2020 was by spreading kindness as ferociously as others were spreading discontent.
Their initial LinkedIn post reads: “During these times of tension and a complete lack of appetite to have empathy for our fellow humans, let's each do our part to outdo one another in acts of random kindness to people we know, love, work with, or maybe just met. Purposely invoking the Hunger Games theme... What if we ferociously pursued shout outs of kindness instead of being right? What if we chased down the people we know are hurting, so we can lift them up to the world for how beautiful and amazing they are? What if we gave a damn about each other... and pledged to show it? Will you attempt one video capturing kindness to someone in your world of influence for the next 30 days?”
Kelsey Carnell of Axis Communications and Kehkashan Dadwani of Facebook were two young security professionals who quickly jumped into The Kindness Games and took a prominent role in boosting and contributing to its growth; in fact, in 2021 they were recognized as co-founders of the movement. 2020 concluded with 17 people who made the 30 social media posts; and by the end of 2021, that number rose to 40. In all, 91 people have participated in some capacity.
Formalizing the Company
In March 2021, some school districts began to reach out to understand how The Kindness Games could be used as a vehicle for DEI initiatives, with the goal of building a cohesive multicultural student body which loves and respects one another without furthering divisions. This got the founders thinking: How could this become more than a game, and what would its purpose become? It was time to create a framework around solidifying and scaling this movement, and a formal company was established with business strategist and leadership coach Kathleen Fariss as COO.
In April, a few government agencies and global companies reached out for help turning The Kindness Games into a wellness program that would foster employee engagement, positive outlooks on life and work, and even serve as a foundation for victim advocacy programs. In June, The Kindness Games partnered with Axis Communications Canada to pilot an eight-week wellness and employee engagement program.
The Kindness Continues
As we are coming into the week of Thanksgiving, we are launching our second annual Jingle Bell Kindness Initiative, celebrating the 30 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas as an opportunity to speak gratitude to our communities and engage with those who struggle through the holiday season.
To learn more, visit www.thekindnessgames.com or visit #TKG on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/thekindnessgames.
About the Author
Paul Rothman
Editor-in-Chief/Security Business
Paul Rothman is Editor-in-Chief of Security Business magazine. Email him your comments and questions at [email protected]. Access the current issue, full archives and apply for a free subscription at www.securitybusinessmag.com.