The SenDEC employee family has a long history of supporting organizations and individuals that help others as well as giving back to those who have helped us. Many of our community service initiatives have been employee driven. 

SenDEC has been a proud supporter of the following organizations:

Al Sigl Center

Al Sigl Center is a resource organization that provides shared and dedicated facilities, business services, and enhanced awareness and financial support for a partnership of independent human service agencies, to help them achieve their goals and foster the goals of people with disabilities whom they serve.  Today, its unique alliance of eight independent agencies serves more than 67,000 people with disabilities and their families.

SenDEC Involvement: SenDEC has a relationship with the Al Sigl Center dating all the way back to 1976 when the organization contracted SenDEC (then in the security system business) to design and install their initial security system.

SenDEC Support: We have supported the Al Sigl Center through the SenDEC 50/50 Fund Drive and by being a sponsor for the Al Sigl Center WalkAbout 2006.

American Cancer Society - Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is a noncompetitive walk to help fight breast cancer and provide hope to people facing the disease.  Participation supports the American Cancer Society’s lifesaving research, early detection, and support programs for thousands and their families.

SenDEC Involvement: Tammy Lozipone (Program Manager) rallied employees to participate in the walk and raised money for the cause.  SenDEC has participated for the past 5 years.  Several of SenDEC's employees are breast cancer survivors.

SenDEC Support:  SenDEC has raised several thousand dollars over the years to benefit breast cancer research through the Making Strides program.

SenDEC Employees Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

County of Monroe Industrial Developmental Agency (COMIDA)

The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA) has the express goal to promote, encourage, attract and develop job and recreational opportunities and economically sound commerce and industry throughout Monroe County, for the purpose of preventing unemployment and economic deterioration. COMIDA provides assistance to qualified applicants/projects through tax exemptions, real property tax abatements and access to lower interest rates through tax-exempt bond issues. In the absence of a waiver permitting otherwise, every project seeking COMIDA assistance must use all local labor for the construction of new, expanded or renovated facilities.

SenDEC Involvement:  With continued growth driving the need for SenDEC Corporation to expand to larger facilities in 2005, COMIDA provided the support required for us to remain and grow within Monroe County.  COMIDA's JobsPlus incentives, combined with the desire to retain our talented workforce, made Monroe County competitive with relocation offers we received from more favorable tax states.

SenDEC Support:  To date, SenDEC is ahead of its new local job growth obligation to COMIDA and we look forward to continued growth in both our business and employee family right here in Monroe County.

CP Rochester & Augustin Children’s Center

CP Rochester (formerly United Cerebral Palsy) is an affiliate of the Al Sigl Center which supports children and adults with cerebral palsy as well as other physical and developmental disabilities.  CP Rochester provides a wide range of services including education, therapy, recreation and support to people of all ages in the greater Rochester area. Their purpose is to ensure that those served safely determine their own pathways in life and live as full members of their communities.

The Augustin Children's Center provides educational and early intervention services at home or in the center to infants and children through age five, including children with and without disabilities and medically fragile school-age children. They also offer support and guidance to the entire family.  The Center seeks to build a foundation for success in a nurturing environment through quality education and therapeutic services to young children.

SenDEC Involvement:  Entering the holiday season near the end of 2006,  we thought it would be the perfect idea to do something to help local children.  With the help of our friends from the Al Sigl Center, we were able to get in touch with CP Rochester to get this project started.  With CP Rochester's guidance, SenDEC adopted five families with the goal of making their holiday a little bit brighter.

SenDEC Support:  SenDEC's employee family packed CP Rochester's sleigh (cargo van) full of gifts for the families.

Ken Fiske (CEO SenDEC) and Julie Babish Johnson (Social Worker, CP Rochester - Augustin Children's Center)

Department of the Army, 98th Division (Institutional Training)

The 98th Division (Institutional Training), headquartered in Rochester, New York, has a strength of 3,300 and spans New Jersey, New York and all of New England.  The division's eight brigades provide basic combat training, advanced individual training, Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) and officer professional development courses and Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) instruction.  Most recently, the 98th Division mobilized to Iraq to advise, coach and mentor the instructors of the New Iraqi Army.

SenDEC Involvement:  Shirley Menear (Production Manager), Fred Curran (HR Manager) and Tom Tette (CFO) were having a meeting on what cause SenDEC would be a part of in 2003. They knew the war was weighing heavy on everyone’s mind and decided the best cause would be to help the families who have sent members to the Middle East.

SenDEC Support:  Tom, Fred and Shirley donated their time to plan, coordinate and distribute Easter hams, Mothers Day food baskets, flowers and many other gifts that all the employees at SenDEC donated to the local military families. They brought smiles and touched the hearts of many at the Reserve Center on Goodman Street. SenDEC continues its support of local soldiers and their families to this day.

The Dream Factory of Rochester, Inc.

The Dream Factory grants dreams to children with critical or chronic illness who are 3 to 18 years of age.  It operates using a network of volunteers who raise funds in their communities to grant dreams to local children.  No government funding is received, as they rely on the generosity of members of our communities.  Donors are assured that their funds remain in their communities and volunteers can see the direct results of their efforts by serving local children.

SenDEC Involvement: SenDEC has been supporting the Dream Factory since 2004.  We became involved after our previous charity of several years, Make-A-Wish Foundation’s local chapter left the Rochester area.  In light of the positive experience with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, SenDEC's own Andy Amsden (Materials Manager, Products Group) and Diane Amsden (Materials Manager, CEM Group), who organize the tournament each year, decided to work with the Dream Factory in supporting local children.

SenDEC Support: Several thousand dollars have been raised from a hole-in-one competition hosted at the annual SenDEC Open golf tournament to benefit local children experiencing incredible challenges.

Hometown Hugs of Western New York

Hometown Hugs of Western New York is an effort started by a trio of friends in September 2004 to send care packages to our troops over in the Middle East.  The efforts goal is to bring the community together and reach out to our soldiers in the Middle East.  Hometown Hugs seeks the donation of non-perishable items, shipping supplies or monetary donations to cover shipping charges.

SenDEC Involvement:  Since it was near Christmas, Kesone Keovongxay (Accounts Receivable, CEM Group) and Jeremy Hoffman (Program Manager, CEM Group) thought that it would be a good idea to do something for our troops over in Iraq.  Kesone heard about Hometown Hugs on the radio and did a little research on the organization and talked to the founder and realized it was something that we wanted to be involved in.  Jeremy and Kesone targeted SenDEC's weekly 50/50 raffle fund drive from mid October through the end of December 2005 towards Hometown Hugs.

SenDEC Support:  The SenDEC 50/50 Fund Drive proceeds supplied care packages to our troups to give them a small taste of home.

Make a Difference Day

Make A Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others -- a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Everyone can participate. Created by USA WEEKEND Magazine, Make A Difference Day is an annual event that takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October.

SenDEC Involvement:  Shirley Palmer read an article in the USA Today about the Make a Difference Day.  She encouraged SenDEC to participate in this annual event.  Shirley says,” You’re gaining a lot by doing this and you’re actually helping people that need help and that’s the most important thing.”  Since 1996, the SenDEC employee family has been able to help with various programs (Operation: Share the Warmth, Alternatives for Battered Women, and the Vietnam Veterans clothing drive). 

SenDEC Support:  For Alternatives for Battered Women the company purchased 50 blankets, 200 boxes of crayons, 200 coloring books, 200 children’s storybooks, 75 baby teething rings and a children’s table and chair set.  For the Vietnam Veteran’s Clothing Drive, we purchased 51 blankets, 60 hats, 48 pairs of gloves and 20 sweatshirts and we were asked to attend the giveaway and help distribute the items. Operation: Share the Warmth was also part of the giveaway and we helped hand out coats, sweatshirts, blankets, socks, gloves, hats and boots. SenDEC continues its Make a Difference Day involvement to this day.

SenDEC Make a Difference Day Lawn Crew

SenDEC Make a Difference Day Food Drive

Mercy Flight Central

Mercy Flight Central offers emergency air medical transport to people who need to be rushed to a care facility. Provision of Critical Care Air Medical Transport is provided to those patients who are ill or injured regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap, or ability to pay.

SenDEC Involvement:  In 1999, Shirley Palmer (SenDEC CEM Group Plant Manager) became aware that Mercy Flight Central was in financial hardship and might discontinue their valuable service to the citizens in the community.  They became our main community service support cause for the year.  SenDEC convinced Mercy Flight Central to do a fly-by and land in our front lawn and we also rallied support from our neighbors in the industrial complex.

SenDEC Support:  Over the years, SenDEC has raised and donated thousands of dollars to this vital community service - the most recent example being a dunking booth campaign at SenDEC’s open house in 2005 where employees paid for the chance to dunk executives with proceeds benefiting Mercy Flight Central.

Barb and Ken Fiske of SenDEC participate in Mercy Flight Central fundraiser on SenDEC's lawn

Operation Helmet

The majority of today’s helmets, particularly those worn by most Marines and Airmen, are designed to protect our troops from gunfire and flying debris—not blasts—which have accounted for 65 percent of U.S. military deaths in Iraq since May, according to figures compiled by the Associated Press.  Operation Helmet is a charitable grassroots effort that provides helmet upgrade kits free of charge to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Operation Helmet was founded by retired Navy physician Robert H. Meaders, M.D., after his Marine grandson requested helmet upgrade kits to keep his company safe in combat in Iraq.  Since its inception in 2004, the organization has provided 2,500 kits to the troops. Operation Helmet deducts no administrative costs so 100 percent of donations go toward providing kits to the troops. With all the publicity that Operation Helmet has been generating, Congress has begun looking into the availability of supplying all military personnel with these special upgrade kits.  We are pleased to report it is in the process of being approved.

SenDEC Involvement: This cause was particularly relevant for SenDEC as we are supporting customers who have been contracted by the US military to protect our soldiers from IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) in the theatre. After viewing a special on Operation Helmet that aired on CNN, it immediately became a charity of choice for the SenDEC 50/50 Fund Drive.

SenDEC Support: In October of 2006, SenDEC employees raised $2,200 for Operation Helmet from its 50/50 Fund Drive Program.

Town of Perinton / Village of Fairport Organizations

SenDEC Involvement:  SenDEC wanted to give something back to the town of Perinton for its generous support in assisting the company’s move to our new headquarters so we met with James Smith, Town supervisor. Working together, we selected the seven organizations listed below that would benefit the best from a donation.

SenDEC Support:  SenDEC has made generous donations starting in 2005 to its local community - from which an equal distribution has been provided to the seven organizations below. This allowed the programs to improve themselves by obtaining new emergency medical gear, recreation services, food and medication needs for the elderly and many other priceless services to help our local community.

Advent House

Advent House is an outreach ministry of Perinton Ecumenical Ministries, Inc., a corporation of thirteen churches in Perinton. They are a non-profit comfort care home that provides an alternative living arrangement to the terminally ill when they can no longer be cared for in their own homes. Loving care is not only provided to them, but to their families and friends as well. Bereavement services are made available to the families of Residents for at least thirteen months after their loved one has died. There are no fees to Residents and they receive no insurance reimbursement of any kind. While volunteers are indeed “the Heart of the Home”, they could not function without the support of the community through donations of materials, finances, time, prayers and participation in and support of fundraisers.

Fairport Fire Department

The dedicated volunteers of the Fairport Fire Department operate fire, rescue, and emergency medical units 24 hours a day, working out of two strategically located stations.  Its district is approximately 15 square miles and protects the village of Fairport and a large portion of the town of Perinton.

SenDEC CEO Ken Fiske (left) and CFO Tom Tette (right) present donation to the Fairport Fire Department represented by John Welker, Assistant Cheif (center)

Fairport Police Department

The Fairport Police Department provides around the clock police coverage to the citizens of Fairport and responds to approximately 12,500 requests for police services a year. The Department is an accredited agency with the New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation Council. A strong community policing program coupled with the latest in law enforcement technology and training, allows the Department to maintain one of the lowest crime rates and highest clearances rates in the County of Monroe.

SenDEC's Ken Fiske and Tom Tette present donation to Fairport Police Department represented by Sergeant John Vicaretti

Fairport Public Library

The Fairport Public Library, using both its resources and those available through the Monroe County Library System, provides equal access to educational, informational, and recreational resources for the nearly 40,000 residents of the Fairport Central School District with professional, courteous, and friendly service. The library is an integral and cooperative part of the community, promoting the concept of life-long learning while maintaining sound fiscal management.

Perinton Food Shelf

An emergency food relief organization that serves the 14450 area code (Town of Perinton and Village of Fairport).  The Perinton Food Shelf exists entirely on donated food and cash with support coming from area churches, schools, organizations, and community-minded individuals.  In addition, 25% of the annual Walk for Hunger (CROP Walk) contributions remain in the local community for use by the Food Shelf.  Since the Shelf is not funded by any grant dollars, the office is staffed completely by volunteers who gather, organize, and distribute the food.

Perinton Pride Fund

The Perinton Pride Fund is an endowment fund administered by Rochester Area Community Foundation. The fund’s purpose is to improve the quality of life in Perinton for present and future generations.

Perinton Volunteer Ambulance Corps

The Perinton Volunteer Ambulance Corps serves the Town of Perinton and the Village of Fairport, NY with three Road Rescue Type III ambulances. For twenty years, they have been the only all volunteer ambulance corps with 100% crew coverage in Western New York.

SenDEC CFO Tom Tette (far left) and CEO Ken Fiske (far right) present donation to Perinton Volunteer Ambulance (from left: Tina Bloom-Publicity, Michael Libby-VP Operations, Shawn Bierkortte-Director of Operations and Steve Watters-President)

A Message From The President and CEO

SenDEC Core Values