Mission 500 Charitable Efforts Carried On in 2020 Despite Pandemic
By shifting its emphasis from physical to virtual fund-raising activities, Mission 500 actively engaged the professional security community with numerous events.
MIAMI — Mission 500, a nonprofit charitable organization that serves communities in need across the United States, assisted thousands of underprivileged children in 2020 despite facing extraordinary challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
By shifting its emphasis from physical to virtual fund-raising activities, Mission 500 actively engaged the professional security community with numerous events to continue its charitable efforts and impact, according to an announcement.
“2020 was a year unlike any in our collective history, and we quickly realized that we needed to promptly change our fund-raising strategies to accommodate the pandemic,” says Ken Gould, chairman for Mission 500. “Fortunately, we have built an incredible family of supporters across the professional security industry who realized that those already in need were suffering even more as a result of the pandemic — and they responded.”
Mission 500 says the following fund-raising activities held over the course of 2020 included:
- ADI Sales Kick Offs: With a goal to raise $15,000, Mission 500 co-hosted a silent auction with ADI Global at their Annual Sales Kick Off and raised an incredible $45,000 thanks to the generosity of the silent auction participants, corporate donations from ADI, and ADI’s supplier partners.
- NJELSA Symposium: Despite the national emergency of COVID-19, Mission 500 completed 400 backpacks filled with school supplies for children attending Pennsylvania Avenue School located in Atlantic City.
- Golf Outing Benefitting New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation Children’s Camp: With strong safeguards in place during the pandemic, the Mission 500 golf outing in New Jersey gave participants a chance to get on the course and stretch their legs. A strong showing of support raised an astonishing $75,000 at this event.
- Feeding America: Industry supporters joined forces with Mission 500 to raise $30,000 for Feeding America through a series of online challenges.
- 500 Club: More than 25 security professionals raised over $10,000 by showing off their unique talents during an on-line talent show and fundraiser.
- Backpack Event at Crosspointe Elementary School: Rather than meeting in-person to assemble student backpacks and distributing them directly to the students at Crosspointe Elementary School, the school supplies, bags, and positive mental health items were shipped to the school where the school’s faculty distributed them to children in need.
- Virtual Security 5K/2K Run/Walk at ISC West: We teamed up with ISC West during their on-line show in the Fall to stage a virtual 5K/2K Run/Walk. The response proved to be an overwhelming success generating more than $75K in donations which will be used to provide needed relief to children and families across the country.
- Motorcycle Ride: A dedicated group of bikers in the NJ area got together for a charity ride and raised $3,500.
- Cooking on a Mission: Our online recipe contest raised $2,500! Budding chefs can still submit a recipe by Jan. 31, and cookbooks with all submitted recipes will be available. For details, go here.
- Corporate Sponsored Team Building Events: Various team events sponsored by various companies and organizations across the country produced over 2,200 Mission 500 Care Packs over the course of 2020.
- Amazon Smile: 83 people now actively using Amazon Smile for Mission 500 and have received over $1,500 in donations to date. Please register Mission 500 at smile.amazon.com as your charity of choice and a donation will be made with every purchase you make. It’s a free and easy way to help support children and families in need.
“Koffee for Kids” is the first virtual fundraiser scheduled to kick-off 2021. Details will be released in the coming weeks, according to the organization. The Mission 500 Corporate Sponsorship Program continues to accept support from security industry stakeholders. For details, go here.
Mission 500 also announces the appointment of a new executive director, Laurie Gift Harris. She has more than 30 years of experience in nonprofits and is dedicated to helping vulnerable children, the announcement states.
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