SILVER SPRING, Md. – The Security Industry Association (SIA) has announced the first-ever Security Industry Community Service Day, an initiative created by the SIA Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Advisory Board to rally the entire security industry to give back and make the world a better place. The 2024 Security Industry Community Service Day, supported by event sponsors ASSA ABLOY and HID, will take place on Friday, June 7, and the event will be held on the first Friday of June each year.
The inaugural Security Industry Community Service Day stems from a day of service that volunteers from Zenitel and Convergint pioneered and spreads this commitment of service to the entire security industry. Zenitel President Dan Rothrock had started an effort at his company and expanded it, partnering with Convergint for a service day each June.
“As our Zenitel give back day evolved, it was natural to partner with someone,” explained Rothrock. “We partnered with Convergint, and the result was phenomenal, so we thought, why not make it even bigger and better and create an entire industry giveback day?”
“Since its inception in 2001, Convergint pauses business activity for one day a year for our 10,000 colleagues around the globe to volunteer at local communities as part of Convergint Social Responsibility Day,” said Mike Mathes, president of global growth at Convergint and treasurer of the SIA Board of Directors.
“The best approach to anything involves engaging two or more people rather than one,” Rothrock said. “Having more people involved means you can complement each other’s strengths, provide different perspectives, share the workload, offer support and have more fun. Doing this as an industry means we can do so much more. We will leverage our resources, increase our impact, share costs, pool skills and resources and build a sustainable program. It means we can do more to help those who need our support.”
“The security industry’s record of community service is exceptional. There is more that can be collectively accomplished and the industry to make an impact in our communities. We appreciate thew efforts of the ESG Advisory Board to drive this initiative forward and, and we encourage our members and the broader industry to participate,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson. “We are grateful to sponsors ASSA ABLOY and HID for supporting this day of service in its inaugural year and thank Dan Rothrock for bringing this cause to SIA, championing it, and helping us to organize this effort. SIA looks forward to seeing the impact this industrywide day will have in 2024 and in the years to come.”
SIA’s Security Industry Community Service Day encourages each company to give back in a way that best matches its own company values and the interests of its team. While some companies may choose to participate as a team, other organizations may wish to empower their employees to identify ways to contribute individually.
Ideas for service and volunteering include:
- Support of local meal providers and food kitchens
- Volunteering at schools
- Food collections and clothing drives
- Donation of professional services
- Senior support programs
- Support and services for disabled persons
- Volunteer home construction and improvement projects
- Cleanups and community beautification
- Financial contributions to relevant service organizations
- Direct support of local community members in need
SIA encourages all participants of Security Industry Community Service Day to share about their efforts on social media using the hashtag #SecurityGivesBack. Please share your photos, experiences and successes using this hashtag and tag the Security Industry Association on social platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook and X. Learn more about the day and how you can get involved here.
