Jacksonville, FL

The Jacksonville Division has selected Mr. Robin O. Sorenson to receive the Director’s Community Leadership Award.

Mr. Sorenson is the chief executive officer of Firehouse Subs, Inc. Mr. Sorenson has a long history of offering support to the public safety community in Northeast Florida. In addition to the support provided through Firehouse Subs' Public Service Foundation, Mr. Sorenson has given direct personal assistance to help agencies develop resources that otherwise would have been unattainable. His extended involvement and contributions to the Police Athletic League have furthered the goals of the program to deter juvenile delinquency and promote education and involvement as a means to a productive life for the youth of our communities. He annually funds and sponsors the Fraternal Order of Police's Guns and Hoses event and their annual tennis tournament, which raise funds for law enforcement needs and provide emergency items to fire and rescue departments that cannot afford them. Through his direction, the Public Service Foundation provides scholarships and resources such as fire engines, drug dogs, diving equipment, AEDs, and other equipment necessary for an efficient safety operation.

In addition to financial contributions, Mr. Sorenson is a servant leader, having participated in Habijax building programs, serving as an officer for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, personally delivering food to areas destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and arranging for food to be flown from Jacksonville to Ground Zero to support the workers involved in the cleanup process following the events of 9/11. When a project or need is brought to his attention, he goes to great lengths to assist and work for a successful conclusion. He does not consider any task beneath him and participates in a hands-on manner.

Through his integrity and selflessness, he has contributed to the safety and well-being of the residents of Northeast Florida. Many small agencies have been greatly aided by the equipment they have received through his Public Service Foundation. Larger organizations have been able to expand their capabilities thanks to these contributions.

Many times Mr. Sorenson underwrote the cost of unsolved murder reward flyers and donated Firehouse Subs meal certificates to crime victims. He has also helped to obtain greatly-needed computers for the Justice Coalition. The Justice Coalition has reached out to Mr. Sorenson, and he and his family have, without fail, generously responded with their time and resources. He has provided money and food to victims, and when an 8-year-old girl was murdered, he paid the family’s electric bill. When the Justice Coalition traveled to Putnam County for a nationally televised press conference to announce an $8,000 increase in the reward being offered for information about Haleigh Cummings, Mr. Sorenson and his team provided food for all the family, media, law enforcement personnel, and judicial representatives in attendance.