VIRGINIA BEACH — Finding a way to give back to the community is something Home Clean Heroes wished to focus on as their first year of business was coming to a close.
Community philanthropy
The goal was to find something that matched their core values: To serve and to empower the Southside community.
When the director of marketing, Kathy Turley, came upon Cleaning For A Reason, a nonprofit giving free home cleanings to women undergoing cancer treatment, it all made perfect sense.
“We reached out to Cleaning For A Reason, and within a week or two we had our first patient match,” Turley said. “We honor two complimentary house cleanings for two patients per month.”
Personal impact
Lyndsey Boyce was first diagnosed with breast cancer 10 years ago. She had been cancer free when she read about Cleaning For A Reason after her mother and her aunt were diagnosed with breast cancer, and signed them up right away.
At that time she said it seemed like a “no-brainer.” Though, her breast cancer returned a year later, she hesitated at first when her sister recommended the service.
“At first I thought no way, I can clean my house myself. That was until I remembered just how much time and energy a cancer diagnosis takes out of you.” Boyce said.
Boyce recalled how much energy it took just for her to manage to take a shower, let alone hold down a full-time job and care for the kids.
“When the girls from Home Clean Heroes showed up like little cleaning angels, I met them in the driveway and literally wanted to hug them,” Boyce said. “Coming home from work to a clean house that afternoon…I just exhaled. It was one less thing to worry about.”
Making a difference
Cleaning For A Reason began when president and founder, Debbie Sardone, received a phone call from a cancer patient asking for a quote. The woman could not afford the service and hung up.
That was before the age of caller ID, and Sardone was so distressed that she vowed to donate cleanings for women battling cancer from then on.
Sign-ups to join the Cleaning For A Reason mission happen daily, but they need many more cleaning service companies to participate.
“Women in the United States alone have over 800,000 new diagnoses each year, and that’s just new patients, but many live with it or have a reoccurrence,” said Lucy Lee, office manager for Cleaning For A Reason. “Some of these women may have quality of life, but they need help with some with practical things.”
The program gives companies a way to give back to their community on a regular basis. Each company is linked together in a chain that Lee said is more than 1,200 cleaning companies strong.
To date, Cleaning For A Reason has provided more than 30,000 house cleanings, valued at more than $10 million.
“An organized, clean house can give women a little boost. The feel like that can do this, they can fight cancer today,” Lee said.
Comfort, compassion, and gratitude
Women facing cancer treatments may be wondering if this is something they should or need to do.
“It really is comforting to know that there are business owners in our area willing give so generously to families in their community and expect nothing in return,” Boyce said. “Let go of the guilt and let people love you.”
Learn about Home Clean Heroes here.
To apply for free house cleaning services through Cleaning For A Reason, click here.
