Security Industry Runners Raise More Than $24,000 for Haiti Relief
Mission 500, a non-profit organization partnering with World Vision and dedicated to serving the needs of children and communities in crisis, raised $24,250 for ongoing relief efforts. This adds to the $26,000 raised in 2010, for a total of more than $50,000.
The fundraising effort centered on the ING half-marathon held in Miami Jan. 30, where runners and some friends and family from the security industry in southern Florida participated. “I was happy to run for the cause and enjoyed my first half-marathon. Relief efforts in Haiti are critical, and as we all know, this is a very long-term reconstruction effort. I was told it would take 1,000 trucks working 365 days a year almost five years to clear all the debris,” said Juan Cubides of IMS.
The 20 runners and fundraisers of the Mission 500 team were part of a larger World Vision Team of more than 300 who raised a combined sum of more than $85,000 through this effort. To mark the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, World Vision president Richard Stearns also honored key corporate and community leaders in Miami who have been critical to the ongoing relief efforts in Haiti, including Mission 500. “This is a marathon, not a sprint—and Mission 500 is a key partner in helping us run this marathon,” said World Vision President Richard Stearns. “Today, we applaud our corporate donors who show the unflagging commitment it will take to see this process through.”
World Vision has worked for more than 30 years in Haiti, and is committed to ongoing quake response efforts in the upcoming year including building additional transitional shelters, providing livelihood and job opportunities, and focusing on the unique needs of children.
Mission 500’s next industry initiative is a 5K charity run at ISC West in Las Vegas on April 7. It is designed to engage new corporate sponsors as well as individuals within the industry. Alarm.com, Altronix Corporation, Axis, Bolide, DMP, Deister Electronics, HID, Honeywell, LRG Marketing Communications, Panasonic, Pelco and Safety Technology International Inc. are sponsors. The security 5K / Mission 500 race is a joint collaboration between United Publications, publishers of Security Systems News and Security Director News; Reed Exhibitions, proprietors of ISC Expos; and Mission 500.