Giving Back to the Community!

1/25/2023 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford held three food drives throughout the past year for many of our local food banks in need!  Most recently, we partnered with Clarel Janitorial and the Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce to donate food and supplies to the Honey Brook Food Pantry, Octorara Area Food Cupboard, and Brandywine Valley Active Aging facility (BVAA) in Coatesville.

We also held a food drive last spring as well as over the Thanksgiving season.  The Kennett Area Community Service (KACS) food cupboard and the Oxford Area Neighborhood Services Center were grateful to receive donations from these efforts!

These food drives combined brought in over 2,000 pounds of donations for these organizations!  We are proud to support these local non-profits with their contributions to the families in our community!

SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford is proud to support our local communities in more ways than one.  When we aren’t assisting property owners with their water and fire damage restoration needs, we are active in community events and programs throughout the year.

Shredding Event with Longwood Fire Company!

12/1/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford recently held a Shredding Event in Kennett Square with the Longwood Fire Company and WSFS Bank.  Many members of our community participated in the event, which was a huge success!

We also accepted monetary donations for the fire company during the event and raised over $1200 for the department!  We are grateful for the generous contributions of our local community and to have a part in assisting the Longwood Fire Company with their needs!

SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford is always happy to sponsor and hold these events for our local first responders.  We have held shredding events for many fire departments in our area, and we are proud to partner with WSFS Bank and Wiggins Shredding in order to continue to support our local heroes.

Cleaning Up Route 1!

4/16/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford has been proud to volunteer with the Great American Cleanup of PA-Chester County to help clean up our local roads this spring!  Our SERVPRO Marketing Team assisted in collecting trash and other debris along the roadside of Route 1 in Southern Chester County.  We are happy to offer our time for three days of cleanup along this heavily trafficked road.

The Great American Cleanup of PA-Chester County provides cleanup services during the months of March through May.  Many of our community members are happy to assist with this organization’s goal of making our roads a little cleaner for all of us. 

SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford is happy to be a part of this great cause! To learn more or get involved, visit their Facebook page!

Attending Our Local Chamber Day!

7/1/2019 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford is actively involved in our local Chambers of Commerce. We participate and sponsor many events in order to help further the success of our local businesses and community.

Last month, our Marketing Manager, Cliff Masscotte and our Sales and Marketing Rep, Brian Arencibia attended the 2019 Chamber Day at the State Capitol in Harrisburg, PA. Representing the Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce, they were among more than 90 state and chamber representatives in our local Pennsylvania area to take part.

Those who attended had participated in panel discussions on topics including workforce development, the state budget and community improvement. We were happy to be a part of this event and to learn what lies ahead for the growth of our community.

SERVPRO is Proud to Partner With Our First Responders

4/12/2019 (Permalink)

We are proud to support our local first responders in our community and are always prepared to lend a helping hand when they need us.  We work with many of our local fire and police departments to not only help save homes and businesses from any size disaster, but also to help them with their own cleaning and restoration needs.

During the week of May 19-25, we will recognize our first responders for National EMS Week.  This week is in honor of our national emergency medical personnel including paramedics, emergency dispatchers, fire and police departments and other first responders in our local and nationwide communities.  During this week, SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford will visit many of our local fire and police departments to personally thank some of these brave men and women for their service to our community.  We enjoy bringing lunch to each station and getting to know these local heroes who we work side by side with on many occasions.  Our team is proud to work and serve in our community with all of our first responders, and we will continue to make this a tradition every year.

Free Shredding Events

9/5/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford hosts several FREE shredding events a year.  Follow us on Facebook to see a list of our upcoming events!

Why is shredding important? 

Shredding is fundamental to protecting your identity.

Discarding bank and credit card statements, medical and utility bills and pay stubbs in the garbage and leaving them on the curb can put you in a vulnerable position. Believe it or not, there are people who will dig through dirty, disgusting, smelly trash to find credit card statements or your social security number. 

In fact, in the decision California vs. Greenwood, the United States Supreme Court stated that the "expectation of privacy in trash left for collection in an area accessible to the public is unreasonable."

In other words, when you throw something away, it is available to anyone who is willing to dig through your trash.

The best way to protect your self is by shredding.

What to shred? The short list is anything with a signature, account number, social security or driver's license number, and medical or legal documents

Not sure if items need to be shredded? This is a list of the top 20 items that should be put in the shredder to protect your identity:  

Obsolete financial records, including loans

Pre-approved credit card applications.

Personal medical records or physician statements

Correspondence and tax preparation worksheets

Receips for purchases

Bank statements

ATM receipts

Credit card statements

Cancelled checks

Mail and old records

Utility bills

Credit card receipts

Insurance forms

Investment transactions

Expired credit cards

Mailing labels from magazines

Pay stubs

Old driver’s licenses or passports

Expired insurance cards

Any document that contains social security, birth dates, your mother’s maiden name, account numbers or online passwords.

Smoke Alarm Safety

9/5/2018 (Permalink)

Smoke alarms play a vital role in saving lives, and when properly installed, can reduce the risk of fire injury by half. *

The National Fire Protection Association recommends smoke alarms be installed in every bedroom, outside all sleeping quarters and on every level of the house. Business owners should consult the local Fire Marshall to ensure that specific building fire codes and smoke detector requirements are met.

Smoke alarms work best when paired with a fire escape plan. A plan allows your family, employees or clients to escape quickly and safely in an emergency situation.

Review the following tips regarding smoke detector installation and maintenance. For more on emergency preparedness, contact SERVPRO® of Kennett Square/Oxford Franchise Professionals.

• Install smoke alarms on every level of the home, including the basement.

• Smoke alarms should be installed away from the kitchen to prevent false alarms. Generally, they should be at least 10 feet from a cooking appliance.

• Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button.

• Replace batteries in all smoke alarms at least once a year. If an alarm “chirps,” the battery is low and should be replaces right away.

• Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.

 *Statistics and tips provided by National Fire Prevention Association

Community Emergency Response Teams

9/5/2018 (Permalink)

CERT gear

Here at SERVPRO of Kennett Square/ Oxford we believe in the power of sharing knowledge and information on preparedness for disasters that could affect our communities.  Our marketing manager, Cliff Masscotte, and marketing representative, Brian Arencibia, are both trained as members of Chester County CERT in order to have more knowledge on these topics.  CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team, and is a program that is organized by FEMA, and is run by Chester County.  The goal of the program is to teach people within the local communities to be prepared to help themselves, their loved ones, and their neighbors in the event of a disaster or unforeseen emergency.  The training includes everything from first aid and triage, to basic search and rescue and small fire fighting.  Through this training with CERT, Cliff and Brian are more prepared to respond to disasters that might occur , and they also have more knowledge and information to share with the communities that we serve. At SERVPRO of Kennett Square/ Oxford we are ready to serve our communities at a moments notice before, during, and after any disaster that may strike. 

In the company of those that care

11/10/2017 (Permalink)

Keystone Valley's Pomeroy Station

At SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford, we pride ourselves in giving back to the communities in which we work. I have covered more than a dozen township community events this year, and for each one, SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford has been a sponsor. We also actively seek out opportunities in which to support our first responders, the ones who make a difference in our daily lives, without us even realizing it. 

Recently, I approached Pete Mango, Public Information Officer of the Keystone Valley Fire Department about their upcoming Pig Roast on October 1st. I explained to Pete that I was interested in sponsoring the event since it was community related, and it would benefit their building fund as well, to help them renovate their Parkesburg station. After pitching the idea to my CFO/Marketing Manager, I had a check waiting for me the same day.

On October 1st, the day of the event, Brian Arencibia and I arrived at the Pomeroy station and were greeted by several members of the team: Mike Short, Doug Delestienne, Earl Taylor, and Mike Emerson were there to name a few. Chief showed up a few minutes later and instructed us to place our SERVPRO vehicles out in front of the station, which was a great idea. Shortly after that, we all went inside and ate one of the most delicious meals I've ever had. 

The day was a success in my eyes. The community was very responsive, and we even had a member from station 8 in Maryland come for dinner. It's a spectacular feeling when people are there to support each other, to grow the community, and to come together in times of need. That is exactly what Keystone Valley Fire Department offers: A chance to be in the company of those who care, and those that make the difference every day. Thank you for everything you do, and stay safe!

Cliff Masscotte

Marketing Manager
SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford

Lending a little elbow grease

11/10/2017 (Permalink)

Cliff and Brian planting for clean up day!

Being an active member of the communities that we serve is important to us at SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford. 

We recently participated in the replanting of the planters and gardens in Oxford, PA with Oxford Mainstreet, Inc.  There was a lot of great help that day, and although we can only post one picture, rest assured there were countless laughs in the background. 

SERVPRO's take on this was transportation.  Marketing Manager Cliff Masscotte utilized one of the work vans in order to transport the almost 100 mums and grasses from the Amish farmers market to OMI.  SERVPRO, OMI, McCormick Orthodontics and others helped to replant the 15+ planters and gardens that day in under 3 hours!  It certainly is a great feeling when the community comes together!

SERVPRO helps Longwood Gardens prepare to re-open one of their most popular attractions

5/26/2017 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford recently spent two weeks helping Longwood Gardens, a local botanical garden, prepare to re-open one of their most popular attractions after three years of renovations and revitalization.  Longwood Gardens has served the community through its educational programs and promotion of the arts.  We were proud to have the opportunity to assist in the post construction cleaning of their newest attractions to create a clean and safe environment for their visitors to enjoy the spectacle of the new fountain gardens.  SERVPRO of Kennett Square/ Oxford has worked exclusively with Longwood Gardens for a number of years to assist in maintaining a clean and appealing environment throughout their facilities for the enjoyment of the millions of guests that visit the gardens each year. We look forward to continuing to do our part to serve those that serve our community.

Paint & Wine Night

6/20/2016 (Permalink)

Tom Bartholetti of ISG, LLC and his wife Kris with their painting Sunset on the Chesapeake

SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford likes to thank the businesses that refer their clients to us when they’ve needed help cleaning up from a catastrophe. While thank you cards would suffice, we like to step things up a bit.

A couple of months ago we hosted a spa night for the ladies. (see http://www.SERVPROkennettsquareoxford.com/blog/post/12516/community/spa-night) We recently hosted a Paint & Wine Night for our agents and their spouses or significant others.

The event was held at Kennett Design and we painted the Sunset on the Chesapeake. This is a “couples painting” that allows for each person to paint half of the picture. This was chosen just in case half of the “couple” was a friend and not a spouse. Each half of the painting can stand-alone and doesn’t need the other half to make it whole.

Our guests began to arrive at approximately 6:30 pm and were greeted by Marketing Representatives Cliff Masscotte and Brian Arencibia. Marketing Manager Vanessa Ross played emcee for the evening often tossing out music and sports trivia questions. The evening was lots of fun and the winners of the trivia were awarded prizes that included a custom painted wine glass, insulated travel mugs and even grill tools for the guys.

Everyone had a great time, especially Tom Bartholetti of Inspection Services Group, LLC who said, “I wasn’t sure what to expect but this was really a lot of fun. Thank you for a great evening!”

Pedaling For A Cause

6/13/2016 (Permalink)

Christine (in pink) and two other riders that teamed up to keep each other company during the long ride.

There are people who exercise with the intent to compete against others and there are people who exercise to stay in shape and then there is a small fraction of society who exercises with others in mind. That would be SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford’s CFO Christine Trumbull.

In 2013 Christine was over weight, out of shape and could barely climb a flight of stairs without getting winded. She suffered from heart palpitations, was pre-diabetic, had horrible stomach issues, nightly edema and couldn't even tie her own shoes. 

Then her father died and her aunt began a fight against pancreatic cancer and Christine new that she had to do something or life was going to be very short.

She began with a 10 minute workout video that she was sure, “was going to cause a heart attack” but stuck with it and worked to change her diet.

It was working and the weight was coming off as her stamina increasing until one morning in January 2014, she saw an ad for the Inaugural Ride to Conquer Cancer and said to herself, “I have to do that. Doesn’t matter that I don’t have a bike, I can buy one.” And she did, in May of that year, and started training.

Her aunt continued to decline and passed in July.  According to Christine, she cried for the month of August then got back on the bike in September and continued to train. In October Christine completed that inaugural ride from Philadelphia to Allentown which is basically 75 miles up hill. The weather was terrible. It was cold and rainy but she finished and single handedly raised $6000 for the cause.

Over the years Christine has invested countless hours into riding to raise money for things near and dear to her heart not the least of which is Diabetes.

Christine’s son Matthew 18, was diagnosed at the age of 6 with type 1 diabetes. Since that day their lives have revolved around the various doctor’s appointments that go with diabetes not to mention the mental, emotional and financial toll on the family.

The latest of her rides was 100 miles to the Chesapeake Bay in May of 2016 for the American Diabetes Association.  She initially pledged to raise $1000 but as time went on she kept meeting her fundraising goals and increasing them with her final tally coming in at $3,303. Out of more than 450 individual riders and teams Christine was #8 overall for fundraising!

The day of the ride was miserable, it was raining and the wind was in her face nearly the entire ride but Christine never gave up.  She completed all 100 miles and has now signed up to do 150 in the fall.

SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford is grateful to have someone so capable and dedicated at the helm helping to drive us toward improving our skills and service the way she pushes herself.