Program provides free security upgrades to districts across the U.S.; achieves donation milestone just five years after establishment
On the heels of another successful Convergint Social Responsibility Day, Convergint—a global leader in service-based systems integration—today announced that its STEP Up for Schools initiative has achieved a major milestone. Since its establishment in 2018, more than 100 security and life safety projects have been completed by Convergint and its partners at schools across the U.S.
Convergint launched its STEP (Secure, Train, Educate, and Protect) Up program in 2018 to provide the critical tools and expertise required to help strengthen physical and digital security in schools. As part of this program, Convergint and its partners work to provide districts in underserved communities with interior and exterior security system installations, upgrades, and assessments—including cybersecurity, fire alarm services, physical security, and emergency communications—at no cost to the schools.
“The safety of our country’s children when heading off to school each morning is of deep concern to our colleagues at Convergint, and enhancing school security with the latest technology can provide a vital level of protection for students, faculty, and visitors.,” said Tony Varco, Vice President of Security and Marketing, Convergint. “The impacts of the STEP Up program are meaningful to all of us at Convergint, and we will continue building our program while providing security updates, assistance, and other resources for schools in need–free of charge.”
STEP Up is part of Convergint’s annual Social Responsibility Day, when Convergint closes its 200+ global offices for a full workday to enable colleagues to give back to their communities. This year, more than 500 Convergint colleagues volunteered and upgraded the security systems at 32 schools in cities including Denver, Colo., Atlanta, Ga., and Baltimore, Md., completing this work in a single day. As these projects typically take weeks to complete, Convergint’s efforts resulted in a nearly $200,000 donation in the form of labor, equipment, and partner participation.
“This past school year was our biggest yet and keeping our students and staff safe is always a priority for us,” said John Messina, Headmaster at The Lamb of God School. “We’re grateful to receive this security system upgrade as a donation from Convergint, and we appreciate the extra work they did around the school. From painting and landscaping to moving furniture, Convergint really went above and beyond. I encourage any school that’s interested to apply to Convergint’s STEP Up program.”
For more information about STEP Up, eligibility requirements for schools, and free safety checklists and resources from Convergint, visit www.convergint.com/STEPUp.
About Convergint
Convergint is a $2.3 billion global, industry-leading systems integrator that designs, installs, and services electronic security, cybersecurity, fire and life safety, building automation, and audio-visual systems. Listed as the #1 systems integrator in SDM Magazine’s Top Systems Integrators Report for the past 6 years, Convergint leads with over 9,000 colleagues and more than 200 locations worldwide. To learn more about Convergint, visit www.convergint.com.