Magpul Industries Joins as a Safety Grant Sponsorship Partner in the 2011 Spirit of Blue Campaign
OutdoorHub 11.15.11
The Spirit of Blue Foundation announced today that Magpul Industries (www.magpul.com) is officially joining the Spirit of Blue Campaign as a Safety Grant Sponsor. Magpul is the market leader in AR-15 style rifle components and accessories, including their venerable PMAG. It is through their tireless innovative spirit, in depth product knowledge and strong brand building amongst shooters and professionals that Magpul has raised to its level of success.
“As a former full time Sheriff´s Deputy and Patrol Officer, I´m excited to be involved with The Spirit of Blue Campaign,” said Drake Clark, Magpul’s Director of Business Development. “The support of our country’s men and women in blue has been a continued priority of Magpul´s over the years. Magpul is dedicated to designing and manufacturing premier products exceeding the expectations of today´s law enforcement professionals. Our involvement in this campaign is yet another opportunity to help improve officer safety.”
“Patrol rifles are the type of tools that can be enhanced at any time throughout their lifecycle. Magpul’s product line allows an agency or an individual officer to get the most out of these tools in training and when it really, really counts on the road,” stated Ryan T. Smith, Vice Chairman of the Spirit of Blue Foundation. “Magpul has created an innovative range of accessories and components for the AR-15 platform, primarily, as well as other weapon systems. But, as a brand, Magpul connects with their consumers more closely than most in the industry. They generate a level of excitement and relevance that most brands dream about. Their consumers are people who are hyper-passionate about their sport and are either involved in law enforcement or stand proudly behind those who fulfill that role. Having Magpul as a partner in the Spirit of Blue Campaign is a tremendous boost to the public awareness efforts we are undertaking and the support we are raising to honor and benefit the law enforcement community.”
Five non-profit organizations actively supporting the law enforcement community have already teamed up with the Spirit of Blue Foundation for the 2011 holiday campaign that launched in October. Those organizations – The National Troopers Coalition, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, National Sheriff’s Association, Chicago Police Memorial Foundation and the Jeffrey S. Parola Foundation – represent roughly 125,000 officers, deputies and agents nationwide.
As partners they are promoting the sale of the Spirit of Blue’s blue ribbon holiday wreath honoring and benefitting the law enforcement community. Consumers who purchase the product during the Campaign will be allowed to select which non-profit they would like to see benefitted from the sale and the Foundation will donate a portion of the proceeds accordingly. At the same time, consumers will be asked to nominate a law enforcement agency that they would like to be considered to receive a safety grant award. At the end of the Campaign, the Spirit of Blue Safety Grant Program randomly selects nominated law enforcement agencies to receive a safety grant award. The safety grants will be redeemable exclusively through the consortium of Safety Grant Partners made up of law enforcement equipment brands such as Magpul.
Preliminary statistics through November 2011 released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, in conjunction with Concerns of Police Survivors, revealed the number of U.S. law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty rose 14% percent over the same period in 2010. Firearm-related deaths reached 55, an increase of 25% from the same period in 2010. The reality of these statistics and the increasing number of underfunded law enforcement agencies across the country fueled the safety grant initiative.
The Spirit of Blue Foundation, along with Magpul, is asking consumers to ‘get in the Spirit of Blue’ this holiday season by purchasing the Spirit of Blue Wreath and giving back to the law enforcement community. The wreaths are available for purchase through December 19th and winners of safety grants will be announced in early February 2012. To learn more about the Spirit of Blue campaign, or to order a Spirit of Blue Wreath, visit www.spiritofblue.com.
The Spirit of Blue Foundation Inc.
Based out of Chicago, IL, Spirit of Blue is a non-profit organization dedicated to the enhancement of officer safety and vitality throughout the law enforcement community by promoting public awareness for their protection and fulfilling safety equipment and training needs. The Spirit of Blue Foundation develops and executes fundraising campaigns on a national level with the support of partner non-profits and equipment brands. The Foundation’s portion of fundraising proceeds are distributed in the form of Safety Equipment Grants to law enforcement agencies from local to federal levels.
