Background

Give Kids The World Village is an 89-acre, nonprofit resort in Kissimmee, Florida, that provides children with critical illnesses and their families from around the world with life-changing week-long wish vacations at no cost. From life’s simple pleasures to the stuff that dreams are made of, every wish family is treated to an all-inclusive experience including transportation; accommodations; all meals and snacks; nightly entertainment; donated theme park tickets; daily gifts; and non-stop fun at the Village, a storybook destination all its own – featuring an array of accessible rides and attractions. Since 1986, nearly 200,000 wish children and their families from all 50 states and 77 countries have been welcomed to the Village to laugh together, play together, and create priceless memories away from hospital stays and medical treatments.

Give Kids The World Director of Safety, Security and Compliance Joseph Sapikowski is a 20-year United States Air Force veteran who leads all aspects of physical security, guest safety and operational compliance at the Village. This includes managing video security and access control systems, as well as ensuring compliance with state inspections and regulations.

The challenge

• Outdated architecture
• Limited alert capabilities
• Reactive response

Prior to engaging Lumana, Give Kids The World Village relied on a mixture of old analog CCTV cameras and donated video management software. With its varied and antiquated cameras, this outdated system only provided motion-based alerts and lacked sophisticated alert capabilities. Managing the video security system was cumbersome and inefficient, only enabling Sapikowski to respond to events after the fact. When events did occur, it would often take him hours of manual investigation to locate footage.

“Safety is our number one priority at Give Kids The World Village, and making sure our families, Storytellers and volunteers are safe and protected from potential threats is a tall order – and our previous video system was not up for the task,” says Sapikowski. “We needed a solution that could enhance our visibility while enabling us to work more efficiently.”

With limited team resources and outdated technology, Sapikowski needed a more intelligent video security solution to augment his abilities and obtain visibility at scale in order to protect the Village.

The solution

After evaluating other cloud video security systems, Sapikowski discovered Lumana and was immediately impressed by its modern video management software, advanced AI capabilities, and comprehensive alert system – which offer the capabilities and real-time performance he required in an easy-to-manage, end-to-end video security solution.

“We evaluated other cloud systems that were very expensive and provided a fraction of the capabilities Lumana offered. After testing Lumana out, experiencing the AI firsthand, and seeing what it was capable of, it was a no-brainer. This was exactly the type of system I was looking for.”

With Lumana, Give Kids The World Village improved situational awareness and responsiveness to unwanted events. At the same time, Sapikowski gained unmatched 24/7 visibility over his environment while improving his overall efficiency.

The results

Implementing Lumana’s AI video security system has enhanced security operations, optimized resources, and provided invaluable operational insights to Give Kids The World Village.

Augment resources for better security and faster response

With more than 89 acres of property to secure, the Lumana AI video security system enabled Sapikowski to fully automate monitoring. Lumana features continuous situational learning, allowing its AI models to adapt based on a specific environment to improve detection speed and accuracy. This unique feature enables Lumana to detect highly specific events with minimal false alerts and real-time notifications sent straight to Sapikowski’s device.

“With our previous system, we could only get motion-based alerts, which wasn’t useful. However, with Lumana, I can get specific with the type of activity I want to be alerted for,” says Sapikowski. “I can set up alerts for unusual behavior, suspicious people loitering, an unauthorized person gaining access to a restricted area, or a vehicle trying to sneak into an employee parking lot — and I can deploy these capabilities across my entire camera network. Having a system that can monitor my environment for me and trigger nearly instantaneous alerts for unwanted activity has been a total game-changer.”

This capability enabled Sapikowski, who was often working alone, to effectively protect critical areas and oversee the entire Village without being glued to his desk. When incidents occur, Sapikowski receives alerts and can respond as situations unfold rather than after the fact.

Transform security and operations from reactive to proactive

“Our previous system wasn’t designed to be proactive. It was just a recording device. I was looking for an AI solution that would enable me to resolve incidents faster, provide actionable data from video, and provide more proactive security and operational management. I found all of that with Lumana.”

With Lumana, Give Kids The World Village shifted from a reactive to a proactive approach to managing its security and operations. For example, specific real-time alert triggers were created for events that had the potential to be a much more significant threat, such as loitering, suspicious behavior, tailgating, unauthorized access in danger zones, and more.

“In addition to the alerts, the out-of-the-box AI analytics has been incredibly beneficial. We can collect data on things we never thought were possible, such as the number of vehicles coming in and out of the Village, heat maps to show high-density areas, and the number of people served in the cafeteria to optimize meal preparation and service. Having a system that does more than capture video and instead provides operational insight has allowed us to be more proactive and efficient in delivering a better experience to our guests,” says Sapikowski.

Access and manage video security from anywhere

Give Kids The World Village now has an AI video security system they can centrally manage and access from any web browser or mobile device. This feature gives Sapikowski visibility over critical areas of the Village and provides real-time alerts for unwanted activity, no matter where he is.

“Having a centralized AI video security platform that I can easily manage from my phone has made a massive difference in my day-to-day operations. I can accomplish more critical tasks around the Village, quickly check in to specific cameras if needed, and have the peace of mind knowing that if an urgent event occurs, I’ll receive an alert – enabling me to take immediate action,” says Sapikowski. “With Lumana, I just set it and forget it. The AI takes care of the rest and empowers me to perform at my highest potential."

For more information about Give Kids The World Village, visit www.gktw.org.