(1888PressRelease)
October 06, 2009 - At a ceremony in Washington, D.C. today, company employees donated the miles to Vivian White, mother of Army soldier Pfc. Brian Bales from Illinois, who earlier this year launched a running initiative to honor her son and other members of U.S. and allied forces.
After Pfc. Bales was deployed to Iraq in January of this year, Ms. White set a goal to run 6,436 miles — the distance from her home to her son's base near Kirkuk, Iraq — as a way to stay connected to him throughout his one-year deployment. Word spread quickly of this dedicated mother's effort, and today more than 94,000 miles have been donated to the "Miles for Brian" initiative (www.milesforbrian.com), from 45 states and several foreign countries.
"I was very touched by the outpouring of support from Harris and their employees. It's difficult to find an organization that not only stands behind their products, but stands behind those who use their products as well," Ms. White said in a statement. "I want to thank Harris and all the employees who have given of their time and efforts to walk/run and donate their miles to this mother's journey so that I can feel closer to my son. Their generosity, kindness, and selflessness define what makes our country so great and strong, and makes me proud to be an American."
Harris employees around the world joined the "Miles for Brian" initiative in August, setting a companywide goal of donating 15,000 toward the family's effort, or about one mile per employee. Employees more than doubled that goal, logging 32,659 miles between Aug. 10 and Oct. 1 — or almost 8,000 miles more than the earth's circumference. This total marks the largest single donation to the "Miles for Brian" community donation fund.
"Putting yourself in someone else's shoes often is the most powerful way to truly connect and provide meaningful support. We were moved by Vivian White's love and dedication to her son, and putting on our own running shoes was a physical way to show our support for her and all servicemen and women," said Howard L. Lance, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Harris Corporation. "We are proud to support this and other initiatives that recognize the men and women serving the U.S. and allied countries."
To keep the initiative going and inspire troops with stories of progress, the White family will continue to run and tally miles until Pfc. Bales returns from Iraq in January 2010. For more information about how to donate miles to the cause, read a letter from Pfc. Bales and learn more about Vivian and Brian's story, visit www.milesforbrian.com or go to the Facebook.com fan page, "Harris Runs For Those Who Serve."
About Harris Corporation
Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $5 billion of annual revenue and more than 15,000 employees — including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications® products, systems, and services. Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at www.harris.com.
Contact Information:
Kevin Aman
RF Communications
kevin.aman ( @ ) harris dot com
585-241-8186
Jim Burke
Harris Corporation
jim.burke ( @ ) harris dot com
321-727-9131
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