ABCO Fire Protection, founder of the Live Safe Foundation, took top honors recently as recipient of the Shatten Civic Distinction Award from The Entrepreneurs EDGE.
Each year, as part of the Leading EDGE Awards Program, The Entrepreneurs EDGE highlights one of 101 companies with the award. The award recognizes a Leading EDGE honoree that exemplifies the spirit of Richard Shatten, who had a strong love for the Northeast Ohio community and gave his time tirelessly in an effort to make it better for everyone. His life was cut short in 2002 when he died of a brain tumor. By shedding light on companies that give back like he did, EDGE honors his memory and continues to build on the ideas that he so passionately supported.
The Live Save Foundation was founded in 2009 by Jill Marcinick of ABCO to provide safety education, awareness and lifesaving tools to the community. It is an Ohio based non-profit devoted to causes that will reduce national fire fatalities and losses.
ABCO employees and volunteers at Live Safe have worked to enhance the missions of such organizations at The Ohio State University Medical Burn Center, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Center for Campus Fire Safety, Christine Wilson Foundation, Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, Christine’s Christmas, International Association of Fallen Firefighters, Leadership Dublin and others.
As part of the activities at the awards ceremony, EDGE asked attendees to participate in an exercise to demonstrate the power of a dollar. Attendees were asked to place $1 in an envelope. As a result EDGE matched funds and $500 was raised that ABCO could use for the charitable cause of its choice.
Inspired by the exercise and the Shatten Civic Distinction Award, the Live Safe Foundation through a strategic programmatic partnership with ABCO Fire Protection is partnering to provide the “Live Safe with the ABCO-Shatten Education Fund.” The fund has been established to support the communities where ABCO associates live and work. The $500, as a starting point, will offer financial assistance for college students.
The education fund application requires students to submit an essay on creating unique education solutions related to fire safety and living in a fire-safe environment. According to the U.S. Department of Education, there were more than 19 million students enrolled in two- and four-year institutions in fall 2009, and for many, this was their first time living away from home and facing new experiences.
The National Fire Protection Association reports in a fall 2010 survey that U.S. fire departments responded to more than 1.3 million fires and 2 million false alarms in 2009. The data represents a serious problem in the country as home fires caused 85 percent of the civilian fire deaths. ABCO and the Live Safe Foundation believe through leadership and awareness, students can make an impact on their peers.
The vision for the fund is to enable recipients to support their education in areas where ABCO associates live and work. The funds may be used to help purchase supplies and textbooks. In the future, it may provide a “lifeline” to students overcoming the impact of an emergency and helping them stay on track. In addition to the funds provided, students will be given a special Custom Student Fire Safety Kit when going off to college, including a fire extinguisher, photoelectric smoke detector, and access to the Flashpoint online fire safety curriculum from the National Institute of Fire and Safety Training.
The Shatten Civic Distinction Award is presented by The Entrepreneurs EDGE with sponsorship support from Fairmount Minerals and Davey Tree. In addition to recognition at the annual Leading EDGE Awards Dinner and Program, recipients are recognized with a tree-planting ceremony at their company location in the fall. The program has honored eight exemplary companies since its inception, including ABCO Fire Protection, BrandMuscle, Fairmount Minerals, HumanArc, Main Street Gourmet, Marous Brothers, PartsSource and Shearer’s Foods.
The Entrepreneurs EDGE drives growth for companies by bringing together their leadership teams to share best practices and inspire each other to pursue high-value opportunities. EDGE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and is the only NEO economic development group that is focused on helping midsized companies strengthen their leadership teams in order to take their companies to the next level. ●
EDGE operates with a mission of enhancing the Northeast Ohio community where quality of life and opportunity abound for all. Civic engagement is intertwined in everything EDGE does, from the Leading EDGE Awards Program to their midsized company membership and student programs. For more information on The Entrepreneurs Edge, go to www.edgef.org.
