On February 1, 2017, the 1-800-SWEEPER Foundation made a $2,500.00 donation to help the victims of the wildfires in Gatlinburg and surrounding areas in Tennessee. Days-long fires ravaged an estimated 17,000 acres and destroyed more than 100 structures in late November 2016. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency reported that approximately 700 structures were impacted and about 14,000 residents were displaced.
Local 1-800-SWEEPER Partner, Pete Phillips of Clean Sweep, Inc. in Chattanooga, TN, presented the check to a representative of the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville Emergency Response Fund to aid the victims of the Gatlinburg wildfires.
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee created the Fund to support the affected communities and nonprofits that are helping victims address their ongoing needs. Grants from the Fund will be made to nonprofits providing both immediate and long term assistance to people affected.
“Using this first distribution from the 1-800-SWEEPER Foundation is our opportunity to reach out locally and help families who lost their homes and businesses in the fires. We want to help people who have lost everything in the fires get their lives back to normal as quickly as possible,” said Phillips, who is also the current president of NAPSA.
The 1-800-SWEEPER Foundation was established to further serve the communities in which 1-800-SWEEPER power sweeping partner companies work and live. The Foundation’s goals focus on helping local areas across the United States clean up following natural disasters, contribute to qualified environmental and community beautification initiatives and support local Wounded Warriors programs. Launched during the Annual Sweeper Summit in 2016 with $25,000 in initial contributions, the 1-800-SWEEPER foundation currently has nearly $30,000.00 available to aid communities.
Pete Phillips, representing the 1-800-SWEEPER Foundation, presents a $2,500.00 check to Amy Fair of the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville Emergency Response Fund.
