Avigilon announced that they have rejected 4 out of the 5 charities in their month long online poll / contest. One charity did receive "one full surveillance system (workstation, software and 5 HD surveillance cameras)."
The charities rejected were:
- Rachel House Children’s Hospice, Scotland, who wants "parents of patients to monitor their children remotely when they are not able to be at the hospice."
- Dorothy House, UK, who lost an estimated £25,000 after a string of break-ins.
- Won Life, South Africa, "teaches children to cope and prevent relevant adolescent issues such as HIV/AIDS, gangs, teenage pregnancy, violence and drug abuse"
- Grace Mugabe Foundation, Zimbabwe, "provides shelter, education and health facilities for 2,000 vulnerable and homeless children"
A recorder and 5 HD cameras do not cost much money (a few thousand dollars or so, even at the high end). And these charities sound like they are serving noble causes.
I personally think running polls / contests to see which charity wins is distasteful, and worse because the prize is so low relative to the greater expense of running the contest and promoting it.
Indeed, this could be a good opportunity for other manufacturers to jump in and help those charities Avigilon rejected.
What do you think?