The National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) and the Alarm Industry Research Educational Foundation (AIREF) honored fallen police, fire and Port Authority officials from the 9/11 attacks by presenting a $174,000 check to the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund® at a recent industry event in New York.
“This is our industry’s way of showing heartfelt appreciation for the heroic acts of our public safety partners and of letting their families know we will never forget. We honor those families’ sacrifices by making a contribution on behalf of the AIREF Heroes Scholarship Fund,” says George Gunning, president of NBFAA and CEO of USA Alarm Systems of Monrovia, Calif. “Just as we see the rebuilding here at Ground Zero, so too we see lives being rebuilt, and we are honored to help in that process by funding scholarships for the children of the heroes of 9/11.”
The Heroes Scholarship Fund was created in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks to help children of the victims attend college. To aid more students, NBFAA and AIREF recently combined the scholarship with the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, which is managed by Scholarship America®.
Gunning was joined by AIREF Treasurer James Orvis, COO of Security Solutions Inc., and NBFAA Past President Bart Didden, president of USA Central Alarm Corp., in presenting the check on Sept. 10. The formal event included a reception and sit-down dinner in a room overlooking Ground Zero.
“Recognizing our fallen police, fire and Port Authority officials through a scholarship fund dedicated to their dependents speaks volumes about the strength of our nation — we take care of our own. This was something that I embraced and lived by while serving our nation in uniform, and I am honored that NBFAA and AIREF selected Scholarship America’s Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund to assist it in its mission,” says Dr. Clifford L. Stanley, retired Maj. Gen. of the U.S. Marine Corps, and president and CEO of Scholarship America.
