With grant support from Kleinhaus Consulting Group, Escambia Search and Rescue, Inc. (ESAR) was awarded a $5,000 grant from the International Paper Foundation on December 7, 2022. The International Paper Foundation’s (IPF) grants support projects or programs run by local non-profits that focus on IPF’s Signature Causes – education, hunger, health and wellness, and disaster relief. The grant award will be used to expand the Project Lifesaver International (PLI) program, one of ESAR’s disaster relief programs. 

PLI is a search and rescue program designed for vulnerable individuals with autism, dementia, Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain injury and other cognitive disabilities, who are prone to wandering. These vulnerable individuals are susceptible both to injury and complicated medical conditions making the urgency to find them important for their safety. Those who participate in the program are given a transmitter that tracks their location. In the event of an emergency call, ESAR activates all PLI search personnel to locate the transmitter frequency and rescue the client. On average, ESAR is able to rescue a PLI client within 20 minutes. Regrettably, many families who have members with cognitive disabilities are unaware of the program. 

“Grant funding received for Project Lifesaver will be utilized to increase program awareness, expand resources to directly impact 40 families, and exponentially reduce time and resources needed to find vulnerable missing persons and return them to safety,” says Jeremy Findley, PLI Program Coordinator. “Escambia Search and Rescue is deeply grateful for the support from the International Paper Foundation and Kleinhaus Consulting Group.”

If you or someone you know could benefit from Project Lifesaver, please visit https://projectlifesaver.org for more information, and contact Jeremy Finley at land@esar.com. 

Follow ESAR on Facebook! New volunteers are always welcome! https://www.facebook.com/ESARFL 

For more information about International Paper Foundation: https://www.internationalpaper.com/company/regions/north-america/ip-foundation-usa