Our Community
At Pace®, we believe we are responsible to the communities in which we live and work. We must be good citizens, support good charities, promote civic improvements, and encourage better health and education.
We believe that all individuals should have the opportunity to reach their full potential, learn real-world skills and create their own futures. Our success over the years is proof of what can be accomplished when innovative ideas are empowered by an entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to give back to the community.
Global Water Center
With a spirit of openness and collaboration, the Global Water Center® is building consensus around best practices and standards for safe water. By sharing resources through Training, Equipping, and Supporting Services, Global Water Center® is increasing the effectiveness and scale of organizations in order to reach 2.2 billion people with safe water. Through universally accepted standards and its industry-wide monitoring platform, the Global Water Center® serves as the catalyst for a worldwide strategy, trust-building transparency, and outcome-based accountability needed to end the global water crisis and bring well-being to 2.2 billion people.
The Global Water Center is hitting the road with a traveling multi-sensory exhibit, the Mobile Discovery Center, designed to generate awareness and inspire a movement of millions of people working to end the global water crisis.
WMI (Water Missions International)
Today, more deaths are caused by unsafe water and improper sanitation than by wars, natural disasters, AIDS or hunger. It is estimated that the global water crisis impacts approximately 1.8 billion people. Water Missions International (WMI), a non-profit engineering organization, aims to reach out to these people and help them develop, implement and maintain sustainable technologies that the communities themselves can operate to meet their basic daily water and sanitation needs. Since its inception in 2000, WMI has installed over 1,000 safe drinking water systems and sanitation solutions in 49 countries and is serving the needs of roughly 2.6 million people.
Several organizations in water-related industries, including Pace®, have joined to help WMI provide lasting solutions. Last year, Steve and Julie Vanderboom participated in a strategic planning session at WMI headquarters and also joined 3,200 people in WMI’s annual “Walk for Water” event. Steve Vanderboom, Executive Chairman of Pace® commented: “As a lab industry leader and WMI Strategic Partner, it is our plan to participate in future Walk for Water events with other strategic partners aligned with WMI to create awareness and provide additional support for WMI’s efforts around the world.”
FIRST (Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)
FIRST is a mentor-based program which involves high school youth and combines the excitement of sports competition with the challenges of Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) oriented collaborations. FIRST helps youth foster respect, cooperation, leadership and self-confidence while working in a real-world STEM environment. Collaborating in large teams that include coaches, mentors and volunteers, they are challenged to construct and program robots of their own design to perform tasks against a fleet of competitors in tournaments. In the process, students are given the opportunity to work with STEM-oriented professionals, learn and use sophisticated software and hardware, earn a place in the world championship and qualify for nearly $7 million in scholarships. Pace® sees the value of supporting a program which promotes STEM professions, creativity, competition and innovation.