Charity Ride Across America
ServiceMaster Clean To Host Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America
Riders Will Be Guests for Lunch at ServiceMaster Headquarters in Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (May 11, 2009) – A visit to the Victory Junction Camp can be an overwhelming experience… a moving experience—an emotional experience—a life changing experience. On many occasions, it’s an experience that moves individuals to action.
Founded by Kyle and Patti Petty in honor of their late son Adam, Victory Junction camp’s mission is to enrich the lives of children, age 7 to 15, with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses. Based in North Carolina, the camp provides life-changing experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering in a safe and medically sound environment.
Jim Wassell, chief marketing officer for ServiceMaster Clean in Memphis, visited the 84-acre complex last fall. The experience had such an impact on Wassell, that he began exploring ways ServiceMaster Clean could play a role in enriching the lives of the children.
“Victory Junction touches you on almost every level. You see critically ill children who are not just distracted from their illness, but are incredibly full of life,” said Wassell. “You see caregivers and support personnel whose eyes light up because they are able to play a part in bringing this experience to the kids. Victory Junction is a magical place. Your immediate reaction is, “What can I do to help?”
One of the primary fund-raising programs for the camp is the Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, a 10-day motorcycle ride through various cities nationwide. This year, the ride begins in Stephenson, Wash., near Portland, Ore., and ends in Greensboro. More than 200 riders will join the Pettys on the trip May 8-17.
This year’s route brings the 200 riders through Memphis and across Tennessee into North Carolina. ServiceMaster has arranged to host the riders for lunch at its headquarters on May 15. Notable riders in this year’s event include football great, Herchel Walker, professional golfer, Davis Love, III and Franklin Graham, son of prominent evangelist, Billy Graham.
“We see hosting the riders as a great opportunity to express to Kyle and Patti our appreciation for their energy and heart in the creation of this special place for children facing medical challenges,” added Wassell. “We are honored that they will be joining us and excited we can help make the Charity Ride a success.”
Since the Ride began in 1995, more than 6,100 riders have logged 7.9 million cumulative motorcycle miles and have donated more than $12 million to children’s charities.
In February 2008, Kyle and Patti Petty announced their intention to build a second Victory Junction in Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kansas. The 2009 riders will participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking at the new Victory Junction location during their stop in Kansas City on May 13.
ServiceMaster Clean also has secured the services of Kyle Petty to promote its partnership with the International Speedway Corporation (ISC) and Speedway Motorsports Incorporated (SMI) race tracks as the first-ever sponsor of the caution period during races at those facilities. Each time the ServiceMaster Clean yellow flag appears, the company’s familiar yellow trucks are dispatched to clean and restore the track to racing conditions.
“There is simply no better company to have associated with race track clean-up than the premier cleaning and restoration company – ServiceMaster Clean,” said Petty. “ServiceMaster Clean is well known for providing peace of mind to customers, and for going above and beyond customer expectations. These key service components dovetail very nicely with this racing sponsorship.”
The Victory Junction Camp is a member of the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps and is free to children and their families. The camp operates solely on the generous donations of individuals, corporations and foundations.
“ServiceMaster is a Service Company. Our product is our people. We work in millions of homes and businesses across this country providing services that our customers value,” Wassell said. “The ability to contribute and make a difference to children at a place like Victory Junction is a tangible way we can demonstrate the heart and caring of our ServiceMaster associates.”
With more than 4,500 franchise locations around the world, ServiceMaster Clean serves customers through a global network of franchises that provide janitorial services, commercial carpet cleaning, hard surface floor care, residential carpet and upholstery cleaning and disaster restoration services. The company has been a market leader more than 60 years.
About ServiceMaster Clean
ServiceMaster Clean is part of the ServiceMaster family of brands, one of the world’s largest and most versatile service networks. The company’s brands include TruGreen,
TruGreen LandCare, Terminix, American Home Shield, ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, Furniture Medic and AmeriSpec. ServiceMaster Clean is committed to its franchise owners. Our ability to offer qualified prospects up to 80 percent financing to start their cleaning business is only one of the benefits of our program. Visit our franchise website to learn more about the opportunities available with ServiceMaster Clean.
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