International. Mission 500, a non-profit initiative focused on the security industry and dedicated to addressing the needs of children and communities in crisis, reached a new milestone by securing additional sponsorships for 127 children during Expo Seguridad Mexico 2015, held in Mexico City. There are already almost 700 children sponsored in Mexico alone.
On Wednesday, April 29, two children sponsored by World Vision took the stage during the gala dinner and thanked the attendees for the support they received. In addition, Eduardo Zapiain, partner and Project Director of LOGEN, spoke about the support that his company gives to Mission 500. He told the audience that employees, from managers to office cleaners, had committed to supporting a minor individually or in company. Then he continued with the presentation of a "Trojan horse" in wood, inspired by the works of Wassily Kadinsky to TVC en Línea, a local distributor that has sponsored the majority of children in Mexico during the last year.
Afterwards, TVC founder Baltazar Zúñiga came to the fore and urged attendees to join the fight against poverty in Mexico. Alan Forman, president and CEO of Altronix, responded by pledging to donate $10,000 as long as other attendees matched this with a commitment to sponsor at least 40 children. One by one, people went on stage and laid a flower on a "tree of hope" created for the occasion, as a sign of their commitment to sponsoring a little one. Another local distributor, Tecnosinergia, announced that it would sponsor 20 children to respond to Alan Forman's challenge.
World Vision also maintained a dedicated promotional team at the venue, whose members secured an additional 47 sponsorships.
"It's wonderful to see what the industry in Mexico is able to accomplish when they come together to serve the needs of children, especially when you see leading companies competing strongly in the marketplace come together for a cause like this that impacts everyone involved," said George Fletcher, a volunteer and advisory board member of Mission 500. who was present.
During the same event, the organizers of the fair, led by Andrea Ferrando, Director of Expo Seguridad and member of the executive committee of Mission 500, presented a check for US $ 10,000 to World Vision Mexico, with part of the funds raised from the sale of tickets to the gala dinner. In presenting the check to World Vision, Ferrando stated, "We are proud to continue collaborating with Mission 500 and the entire security industry in Mexico to impact the lives of children here, providing safety and support for basic nutrition, health and education."
On Friday, May 1, after the closing of the 13th version of Expo Seguridad México, several security professionals visited Ecatapec, a community sponsored by World Vision, on the outskirts of Mexico City. Those present delivered toys that had been previously purchased for more than 30 children.
This new success for Mission 500 comes on the heels of the fruitful fundraiser at ISC West in Las Vegas, where more than $120,000 was raised.
About Mission 500
Mission 500 is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs of children and communities in crisis. Using his deep knowledge of the safety industry, he has helped lead the industry's efforts in sponsoring at least 500 children in the World Vision program — with 100% of the funds raised going directly to World Vision. Through corporate sponsorships and donors, the volunteer-run initiative has increased the number of sponsored children to more than 1000. For more information on contributions or sponsorships, visit www.mission500.org or contact George Fletcher at [email protected]
