Gene Saunders | Founder
Project Lifesaver

Jarvis E. "Gene" Saunders􀀴 Jr. founded the Project Lifesaver program in October 1998, while serving with the Chesapeake, VA Police Dept., as a Captain commanding Special Operations and SWAT and Chief of SAR, Chesapeake Sheriff's Office, when it became apparent to him there was a major void that needed to be filled. Project Lifesaver International is a 501 (C) (3) community-based, public safety, non-profit organization that provides law enforcement, fire/rescue, and other first responders with a comprehensive education, training, and technology-based program for individuals with cognitive disorders who are prone to the life-threatening behavior of wandering, including those with Alzheimer's, Dementia, and Autism. Project Lifesaver program is now in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and seven provinces throughout 
Canada with over 1,600 member organizations. The success of the program can also be measured by the lives of the "at-risk" individuals and their families that the program has touched, with over 3500 rescues.