NJELSA and Mission 500 Join Forces Again to Deliver Backpacks to Children in Need

NJELSA and Mission 500 Join Forces Again to Deliver Backpacks to Children in Need

Mission 500 and The New Jersey Electronic Life Safety Association (NJELSA), teamed up for the second year in a row during the NJELSA Annual Symposium, held March 11-13 at Harrah’s Atlantic City for a School Backpack Building Event.

This year, however, was a bit different. The backpack build came on the wake of President Trump declaring a national emergency due to COVID-19.

Although the Mission 500 team was able to complete 400 backpacks filled with school supplies for the Atlantic City children, they were not able to personally deliver them. Instead, several people from the school district including Assistant Superintendent, Sherry Yahn and Principal A. Davis picked up the backpacks and delivered them to the children at the Pennsylvania Avenue School in Atlantic City, right before they closed the school because of COVID-19.

The Mission 500 team included Ken Gould, NJELSA president and chair of Mission 500, Christine Higgins executive director of NJELSA, Christine Marzano, past president of the NJELSA and newly appointed North East Mission 500 chair, Pete Raymond, Lisa Chartrand, Linda Nolan, and Bernadette Gould.

Participants gathered and worked in unity to assemble the backpacks and write personal notes of encouragement and hope. Each backpack also included a binder, crayons, eraser, paper folders, a glue stick, markers, a notebook, pens, pencils, a ruler and a sharpener.

“Little did we know that it was the last physical event for both NJELSA and Mission that we will do for months,” Gould said.

“The School Backpack Building Event was a meaningful experience that inspired all of us,” Marzano said. “As well, I know we put a smile on each of the children´s faces that received the backpack.”

For further information about NJELSA visit www.njelsa.org or contact Christine Higgins at (609) 695.4444 or by email at [email protected]. For more information on Mission 500, contact Tom Nolan at [email protected] or call (516) 903-7291.

Featured

  • AI in Security: Advancing Campus Safety and Considerations for Implementing

    Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to capture attention across every sector, and the physical security industry is no exception. Once seen as experimental, AI-enabled analytics now underpin how organizations monitor environments, detect threats, and make decisions. What was once futuristic is now a practical necessity for safety professionals managing growing volumes of data, tighter resources, and increasing expectations for faster, more accurate responses. Read Now

  • How Cloud Security Solutions Are Transforming Campus Safety

    Campus administrators today face a challenging mandate: deliver stronger security across their facilities while working within tighter budget constraints. From school districts focused on student safety to hospitals protecting patients and staff, the question remains the same: how do you build security infrastructure that evolves with your needs without requiring massive capital investments? Read Now

  • 77% of Americans Support Gun Detection Technology in Schools, Workplaces, and Houses of Worship

    More than three-quarters of Americans (77.4%) believe gun detection technology should be deployed in schools, workplaces, and other public spaces, according to new survey data released recently. The national survey shows strong support for incorporating camera-based gun detection into existing video surveillance systems. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now