Heroes of September 11 Honored
The National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) and the Alarm Industry Research Educational Foundation (AIREF) honored the fallen police, fire and Port Authority officials from September 11, 2001 with the presentation of a $174,000 check to the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund at a recent industry event.
“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. 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,” said NBFAA president George P. Gunning, chief executive officer, USA Alarm Systems.
Immediately after 9/11, NBFAA and AIREF created a fund, called the Heroes Scholarship, in honor of the police, fire, and Port Authority officials who gave their lives in an effort to save others. The fund was designed to help children of these heroes attend college. For some time, NBFAA and AIREF had been looking for a way to combine these funds with another similar scholarship program, so that the money collected from members and the public could impact the most number of students. After much research, NBFAA and AIREF selected the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, managed by Scholarship America.
On Sept. 10, 2007, a formal check presentation took place in New York City at a special dinner honoring those lost on 9/11. At the presentation, the president of Scholarship America, Dr. Clifford L. Stanley, Major General (retired), deputy assistant chief James Manahan from the New York City Fire Department and chief Michael O’Neill, New York City Police Department, accepted a symbolic check from Gunning, AIREF treasurer James Orvis, chief operating officer, Security Solutions Inc. and NBFAA past president Bart Didden, president, USA Central Alarm Corp.
