PRESS RELEASE Mag Instrument, Leading Manufacturer of Premium Flashlights, Contributes $25,000 to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) Nov. 5, 2002 - ONTARIO, California. Mag Instrument, Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of premium flashlights, continues its tradition of philanthropy by donating $25,000 to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). The donated funds allow the survivors of fallen heroes to participate in such meaningful events as the Foundation's 2002 National Memorial Weekend in Washington, D.C., which was held in early October. Activities for the weekend included sessions with trained grief counselors and tributes to all American firefighters who died in the line of duty this year, including six Californians and 344 heroes of September 11th. "Mag Instrument, along with our other corporate partners, is helping ensure that our nation's firefighters are never forgotten, and that their families are assisted through a nationwide network to help rebuild their lives," said NFFF Executive Director Chief Ron Siarnicki. With their superior quality and durability, Maglite(R) flashlights have long been a favorite of law enforcement, rescue workers and the military. Tony Maglica, the founder and sole owner of Mag Instrument, has been a generous contributor to numerous local, national and international charities, but his ties to the public safety community remain particularly strong. Over the last 20 years, Mr. Maglica and his company have supported the National Memorial Fund for Fallen Police Officers, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and the National Association of Police Organizations. Mag Instrument has also donated thousands of flashlights to aid in the search and rescue efforts at the World Trade Center and Pentagon crash sites, to the Oklahoma City Red Cross to help rescue workers in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, and to troops fighting in the Gulf War. Congress created the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to lead a nationwide effort to honor America's fallen firefighters. Since 1992, the non-profit Foundation has developed and expanded programs that fulfill that mandate. Its mission is to honor and remember America's fallen fire heroes and to provide resources to assist their survivors in rebuilding their lives. "I really wanted to do something to help support those families who have suffered such a tragic loss," says Mr. Maglica. "This gathering of survivors at the National Memorial Weekend is an important step in helping them rebuild their lives, and Mag Instrument was honored to be a part of that." Born in New York City during the Great Depression, Mr. Maglica was raised in his parents' native Croatia. He returned to the U.S. in 1951, where he soon earned an excellent reputation as a manufacturer of sophisticated machine parts. In 1979, he patented the first of a line of superior aluminum flashlights that would win numerous awards around the world. Ontario, California-based Mag Instrument's American-made products include Mag-Lite(R), Mag Charger(R), Mini Maglite(R) and Solitaire(R) flashlights, renowned as the best engineered and most reliable line of flashlights in the world since 1979. Source Mag Instrument, Inc. << back