Security Cares Lands in Chicago

As Global Security Exchange (GSX) kicks off in Chicago, so too does the event’s comprehensive community-based initiative: Security Cares.

The goal of this program is to provide valuable education, networking, funding opportunities, and resources for local leaders and communities hosting GSX.

“All organizations, regardless of size or complexity, need access to tools and re- sources to manage and mitigate risk across their enterprise,” says Christina Duffey, CPP, 2019 ASIS president. “Security Cares was developed to meet pressing safety and security needs of GSX host communities, providing small businesses and community institutions—such as places of worship, nonprofits, and schools—with unprecedented access to information via specialized programming and our global network of security thought leaders and solutions providers they can’t get anywhere else.”

The goal of Security Cares is to empower and impact local communities through four key program elements: school safety, education, networking, and public health.

The ASIS International and ASIS Foundation School Security Grant Competition helps fund the purchase and installation of security equipment improvements to a school building or campus. Additionally, in-kind donations are often sourced from the local chapter to supplement the grant. More than $320,000 has been given back to local communities since the launch of this important initiative.

Through a competitive application process, schools in the local community apply to receive the grant. Members of the local ASIS chapter host committee serve as the judging panel. This year, DeWitt Clinton Elementary School, home to more than 1,200 students, has been chosen as the recipient of the $20,000 grant.

“Our school serves a resilient population, more than 50 percent of whom are immigrants and refugees,” says Maureen Delgado, DeWitt’s principal. “Providing a safe school and learning environment is of paramount importance to us. This grant will allow us to upgrade the school’s security camera system to add another level of security for our school community.”

For 2019, ASIS developed an expanded Security Cares educational track, affording leaders from Chicago area community organizations and small- to medium-sized businesses the opportunity to access world-class knowledge from leading experts in the security profession for free.

With more than 30 informative sessions from the GSX conference lineup—including Thursday’s keynote from cybersecurity expert Tarah Wheeler—the Security Cares track focuses on challenges and needs associated with workplace and community safety and security.

Security Cares attendees have access to dynamic networking events, including Tuesday’s Happy Hour in the Exhibit Hall. They also have access to the exhibit hall itself, which serves as a learning lab environment featuring presentations and demonstrations on the latest products and services, such as machine learning, robotics, forensic analysis, surveillance, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence.

With these added opportunities to connect with the foremost experts in global security, Security Cares participants will be better equipped to keep the places they work, live, and play safer and more resilient.

On Tuesday, 10 September, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Security Cares will roll up its sleeves to help save lives as ASIS partners with the American Red Cross for a blood drive. The GSX 2019 blood drive will be located at booth #4407. All attendees are encouraged to stop by and support this great cause.

For more details about the GSX 2019 Security Cares program and a complete schedule of events, check the GSX app or visit securitycares.com.