Donations Help Children

This holiday season, there is a bittersweet feeling in the air and I think many people’s hearts are heavy with the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary school and there are many initiatives going around to “pay it forward” in some way.  One way that we can all pay it forward is to help those that are in need during the holiday season and try to make a difference in someone’s life, especially the youth.  Yale Enforcement and the Tampa Branch tried to do just that with a very large donation to Metropolitan Ministries, which is the Tampa Bay areas largest charitable organization for the poor, hungry and homeless population in the area.     

Metropolitan Ministries is truly an amazing organization.  Their donation tent operates as a well oiled machine and is about the size of a football field.  You pull up into the donation lane and volunteers come up to the car with a grocery cart to unload, count and weigh the items.  It really makes you feel great when you have so many items, that it takes 3 carts and a handful of volunteers to unload and process your donation.  They see the items being donated and it’s the items they are in severe shortage of, and they thank you with tears in their eyes and tell you what a blessing it is and that we just made a huge difference.  The old adage “giving is better than receiving” has never been more true.   

Yale Enforcement gave a generous donation of $250 that allowed for the purchase of 10 turkeys, 48 cans of sweet potatoes and 36 cans of fruit cocktail, which are all the food items listed on Metropolitan’s website as having a shortage of donations for.  I think we made a good dent in that.  

As well, the Tampa office came together and in lieu of exchanging any gifts amongst ourselves, we pooled $270 to purchase gifts to be donated along with the food items.  Everyone always buys gifts to donate for little kids so as I mentioned with the food, I always make it a point to get on Metropolitan’s website to see what they have a shortage of and every year it’s ages 12-17 that they are in dire need of gifts for, and they list suggestions of what to get. I always relate to my own son and think of how much he loves Christmas and what it would be like for him if we were in that position, and my heart goes out to all the less fortunate teens who are overlooked when it comes to donations. We donated 31 items for teenagers and hope that we are able to bring a smile to that many kids on Christmas that otherwise wouldn’t have gotten anything. These items consisted of:

6 basketballs

4 footballs

6 watches (3 boys & 3 girls)

3 make up kits

3 body lotion kits

3 Uno card games

4 Dominos games

1 Jenga game

As I mentioned, Metropolitan Ministries weighs all items and between the food and the kids items, we donated almost 300 lbs of goods! As my own family opens our gifts on Christmas, I will think of all the kids and families we were able to help and that feeling will be better than any gift I receive. Thank you to Yale and the Florida staff’s generosity and I wish everyone a very Happy Holiday! 

Lori Morrow

Director of Operations - Region 3

ATM Withdraw

Not once, but twice in the same day, Yale Enforcement Services officers proved themselves to be honest and above reproach.  Two days before Thanksgiving, the official kick off of the Christmas Season, officers found themselves looking at a pot, or at least a box, of gold.  Capt James Williams and Lt. Terrance Bishop, while on routine patrols in one of our facilities in South Carolina, found an ATM open.  The ATM was open, the safe was open and thousands of dollars in cash, and someone’s Christmas wish, was just a quick grab away.  Alert and dedicated, the officers stood by the cash boxes until  ATM staff responded and secured the machine.  

In a twist of fate that no Hollywood writer could come up with, Teresa Price and Luz Kynock-Collins found a second ATM in the same condition.  Different bank, different ATM company, but the same facility and same situation.  Thousands of dollars exposed to the public, but the officers stood by to insure the security of the machine until a second different ATM company responded to the site to secure the second machine.

Though at first glance it seems like a comedy gone wrong, the seriousness of the matter cannot be overstated.  If someone had found one of the ATM's open and decided to help themselves, and an officer tried to intervene, the situation could have had a much less happy ending.

Thanks again to the honesty, dedication and attention to duty shown by these officers;

James Williams

Terrance Bishop

Teresa Price

Luz Kynoch – Collins

 

Tommy Vickers,

Director of Operations - Region 4

Doing the Right Thing

An early morning 15-minute break at the Yale Corporate Offices in Belleville, IL turned into an opportunity to save a life. Monique Crew, from the Communications Center, was sitting in her car, taking her break, when she heard loud noises. Two men were coming down the street, arguing loudly. One of the men collapsed in the middle of the street while the other person ccontinued walking away. After a moment or two, the first man got up and proceeded to move on down the street. As Monique watched, he collapsed again and did not move. Marlo Tucker, Region One Scheduling Coordinator, and Monique went to see if they could help him.  The man was unconscious, bloody and still breathing; pulse steady but weak. The ambulance arrived and the person was treated and released. The reason for the collapse is unknown. Monique said she was “glad to have had training for just this type of situation. He could have been hit by a passing car or done further harm to himself if we had not been concerned and called 911.” 

Thank you to Marlo and Monique for being concerned about another person and doing the right thing.

Terry Harris,

Communications Center Manager

Region 4 Employee of the Month

Region 4 employee of the month for September 2012 is Jamey Wiley.  Officer Wiley has been employed with Yale Enforcement Services since November 2011 and maintains a stellar work history.  Officer Wiley works one of our largest job sites and is always stepping up when needed, especially to work extra hours when shorthanded.  Congratulations to Officer Jamey Wiley, Region 4’s Employee of the Month!  Great job!

Alex Ledsinger

Regional Manager - Houston