VOL. 127 | NO. 197 | Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Giving Back
Jeremy Park
ServiceMaster Makes Memphis Rock
By Jeremy Park
Last week we wrapped up a reader-response series featuring three weeks of artful narratives describing “Why Memphis Rocks.” The series spun off our Memphis Rocks campaign, which is both a civic pride and giving back effort. Our goal is to draw more attention to the special moments that take place daily throughout the Mid-South. With that in mind, let us share a heartwarming story involving an elderly couple, SeniorBsafe and The ServiceMaster Co.
About a month ago, we received a call from Buddy Chapman with CrimeStoppers, who had received a SeniorBsafe tip regarding an elderly couple whose house was badly infested with cockroaches. The situation was direr because the husband suffers from dementia and is not able to clearly communicate while the wife is bedridden and unable to move due to a recent stroke. Buddy had inspected the home and was shocked to find the infestation was so severe that cockroaches were crawling all over the woman, who was not able to react. Buddy realized the couple needed immediate help and, unfortunately, faced financial challenges.
Thanks to Beth Flanagan with Memphis Medical Center and Jeff Fedorchak at ServiceMaster, we were able to quickly send the couple’s situation to Terminix, which is a ServiceMaster company. Terminix instantly sent out a crew to assess the situation and start treatment on the home. Their team even helped the elderly couple temporarily relocate to their son’s house, so Terminix could do a thorough job.
While treating the house, Terminix branch manager Kenny Diotte and his team uncovered significant plumbing problems and contacted one of their long-time contractors, Crosswind Construction, to do the repair work for free. Merry Maids, another ServiceMaster brand, heard about the couple’s situation and volunteered to thoroughly clean their home. Terminix has continued to service the home and will do so, until the problem is completely eradicated. All of this was done at no cost to the family, as a way of helping a family in need.
The act of kindness brought tears of appreciation to the elderly couple’s eyes, but it also brought tears of joy to those that helped. Christina Bowman, Merry Maids branch manager said, “When I shared this couple’s story with my team, I had 10 associates volunteer to help out. They related the situation to if it was their parents or grandparents in this unfortunate situation and how they would want someone to help their families. It was emotional for my team and me to be at the home and know the homeowner’s situation. It meant a lot to us to help Memphis neighbors in such need.”
This is a perfect example of the heartwarming moments and community collaborations where people are helping people each day in our community. We applaud these everyday heroes, like those at ServiceMaster and SeniorBsafe, who make Memphis Rock!
Jeremy Park, director of the Lipscomb Pitts Breakfast Club, can be reached at jeremyp@lpinsurance.com and followed on Twitter (@lpbreakfastclub) and Facebook (facebook.com/lpbreakfastclub).