In what has become an annual event spearheaded by Mission 500, students at Crosspointe Elementary School in Boynton Beach, Florida will once again have essential school supplies, provided by COPS Monitoring thanks to the generous efforts of the “Back to School Backpack Event.”

Different from the past six years, the COVID-19 pandemic dictated a format change from the norm.  Rather than meeting in-person to assemble the backpacks and distributing them directly to the students at Crosspointe Elementary School, the school supplies, bags, and positive mental health items were shipped to the school so that teachers can sort the items and distribute them safely. 

Select team members from COPS Monitoring, the primary sponsor of the annual event donned their masks and visited the school to join the staff to distribute handwritten Notes of Hope and information on employment opportunities for parents and guardians of students seeking stable employment. 

“It has been our honor to continue our efforts with Mission 500 in this extremely worthwhile event. This year has even more meaning and a greater sense of urgency due to the increased economic hardships inflicted on many members of our community as the result of the pandemic,” said Jim McMullen, COPS Monitoring’s President.

“While our business of safeguarding millions of homes and businesses nationwide is built on a foundation that places an extraordinary emphasis on the importance of ‘people helping people’, in addition to providing children necessary school supplies and the essential tools to begin the school year; we continue to make it a priority to also help parents with the goal of improving the wellbeing of each family.”

The Axis Southeast team also participated by purchasing supplies on Crosspointe’s Amazon Wishlist using Amazon Smile (Mission 500 also benefitted from this initiative).

Tina Sprigg, the local Regional Sales Manager at Axis Communications stated: “We are so glad we were still able to participate this year and help the children overcome the obstacles of virtual learning.”

Courtney Roper, Parent Liaison of Crosspointe Elementary School agreed that no child should have to go to school without the tools they need to help them be successful.

“Our children are our future leaders, so it is important that we give them the tools that they need to succeed in school and in life. Thank you to Mission 500 and their partners for their continued support.”

Ken Gould, Chairman of Mission 500 expressed his team’s appreciation for being able to support once again the annual “Back to School Backpack Event” even in its new format.

“The security industry is a dedicated and generous group of individuals, and we thank them for their time and financial donations that make this annual event a success,” said Gould.

“While circumstances may have made this a bit more challenging for 2020, the spirit of our partners and sponsors helped make this an extra special project.”

Mission 500 is a nonprofit organization that works closely with the security industry to serve the needs of children and communities in crisis here in the U.S. Mission 500 exists to advocate for children living in severe poverty, inspire and act as a catalyst in the security industry for excellence in corporate social responsibility, and mobilize volunteers and resource to make a tangible difference for children and families living in poverty in the U.S. Since inception of their 501c3 status in 2016, the industry has helped produce 340,000 meals, assemble care packs filled with essential hygiene items for 3,700 families, and distribute more than 11,500 book bags filled with school supplies to students attending Title One schools.