At yesterday’s Security 5K/2K awards ceremony, Mission 500 presented NorthStar Alarm Services with its annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Award and honored Jay Gotra, CEO of Alliance Security, with its Humanitarian Award.

From the beginning, NorthStar Alarm Services, based in Orem, Utah, has been committed to helping others enjoy living their lives. In August 2016, the company held the NorthStar Office Olympics to raise money for the Utah Special Olympics. Employees divided into “countries” and competed in six events to earn points. Teams could also earn points based on how much money they donated, with the total donation reaching $4,455. Community service is also important to NortStar, with the day leading up to its annual end-of-year sales banquet is dedicated to a service project. In 2016, more than 100 employees and their families helped with yardwork and other projects while spending the day with adult residents of a special-needs campus called ScenicView.

Under Gotra’s leadership, Cranston, R.I.-based Alliance Security has created a company culture focused on helping the community. For example, Alliance employees raise money internally each month for nonprofits that have special meaning to them. The company also adopts families each year – including 50 in 2016 alone – during the holiday season, with employees shopping as a group for clothing and toys to allow children from low-income families to experience the joy of Christmas. These are just two examples of why Gotra was chosen for the award.