Bay Alarm Holds Fundraiser for OPEN
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Oakland, California - April 1, 2009 - Bay Alarm Holds Fundraiser for Oakland Police Emergency Net
On March 21, 2009, four Oakland police officers were fatally shot in the line of duty. The City of Oakland and the surrounding communities where their families lived and worked have taken time to remember fallen Officer John Hege and Sgts. Mark Dunakin, Ervin Romans and Daniel Sakai.
The events of March 21 sent a tidal wave of emotion throughout the community. A public service for the officers was held and community members near and far gathered to mourn their loss. Since that day, many fundraising efforts have aided the families of those fallen officers. As a company with a longstanding relationship with local law enforcement throughout California, Bay Alarm employees were personally touched by the tragedy. To show their support Mary Smith, Rochelle Harris and Lindsay Greenwood spearheaded an employee fundraising effort for the fallen Oakland officers and raised $1,200.00.
The Westphal family of Bay Alarm promised to match any employee's donation. They did so and then gave another 20 to 1 donation for a total donation of $25,000.00. The money raised was given to Oakland Police Emergency Net (OPEN), an organization that uses money for the families of fallen officers to assist them with their financial needs during this very tragic and difficult time.
Many employees personally knew Officer John Hege, who was part of the Bay Alarm employee family at a very young age before starting his career in law enforcement. He worked at Bay Alarm during his college breaks and was also a life long friend of Matthew Westphal, the current co-president of the company.