WESTPORT, CONN. — Nearly $11,000 in entry fees from the 2010 AHR Expo Innovation Awards competition will be given to the Jacksonville Police Athletic League (JAXPAL), Jacksonville, Fla., to help install a new HVAC control system valued at $84,000.  The commissioning will be in January 2010 at the Jacksonville Monument Road facility, the largest in the city.

This donation is part of charitable support contributed annually by the AHR Expo to local communities in areas where the world’s largest HVAC/R trade show is held. Total contributions made during the eight years the program has been in existence amount to over $60,000. In the past, the Innovation Awards entry fees were given to technical schools for use in their HVAC/R scholarship funds. 

Spearheading the JAXPAL project was Dan Griffin, president of Weather Engineers in Jacksonville.

“This project was born out of wanting to provide local kids a facility where they could enjoy activities after school in a safe and healthy environment,” said Griffin.  “As a board member of the Florida Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association we were looking for an organization that would benefit from the funds distributed by the AHR Expo.”

The JAXPAL is a non-profit 501(c)(3) youth serving organization with the cooperative effort of the Jacksonville Sheriff's office. For more than 35 years they have been successfully implementing prevention and early intervention strategies to reduce juvenile crime and empower Jacksonville youth to become good citizens. 

“This past year we served over 2,800 kids through our sports programs, summer camp, and nationally accredited afterschool educational program,” said Renee Naughton, deputy executive director of the Police Athletic League. “The children we serve have been impacted by our HVAC problems, such as the 580 kids playing basketball in a gymnasium without air conditioning. If we are to reduce juvenile crime and instill positive values, character and leadership skills, by providing homework assistance, mentoring by law enforcement officers and recreational activities to our youth participants, it’s critical that the facilities where we provide our programs are comfortable and safe for the children we serve. It’s nice to know we have a pal in AHR Expo and FRACCA.”

The AHR Expo Innovation Awards Competition represents the best submissions from the thousands of products on display at the 2010 AHR Expo.  It is jointly sponsored by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI); and International Exposition Company (IEC), producers and organizers of the AHR Expo. Honorees span the industrial marketplace in a total of nine product categories, ranging from the latest developments in green technology to the newest building automation tools.

The 2010 AHR Expo will be held Jan. 25-27, 2010, at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center. The 2010 AHR Expo will offer attendees and exhibitor personnel the opportunity to see new products and technologies. Attendees will also be able to choose from more than 70 educational sessions and workshops presented by the industry’s leading trade associations on a variety of topics, ranging from achieving sustainability and energy efficiency to best practices and the latest trends and techniques in the HVAC/R industry.

Winners of the AHR Expo Innovation awards will be recognized at the awards ceremony Tuesday, Jan. 26. Winners will receive placards to display at their booths during the show as well as an etched crystal award to be displayed at their company’s headquarters.