Recent Community Posts

Our Class is a Family

10/5/2023 (Permalink)

Mrs. Evatt's class of kindergarteners showing off their new books. Mrs. Evatt's class showing off their new books, purchased by SERVPRO® of East Greenville County.

Exciting news, everyone! SERVPRO® of East Greenville County is thrilled to team up with our amazing local schools to support education. We recently had the wonderful opportunity to donate a bunch of awesome books to Mrs. Evatt's class at Fairforest Elementary School. And guess what? The chosen book, "Our Class is a Family," is perfect for kicking off the kindergarten year with a bang! Let's embrace the joy of learning together! 

Investing in the next generation is key to any communities growth. Nothing is more important than getting involved with our youth and their education and future. We are thankful for teachers like Mrs. Evatt for pouring into her students.

#SERVPRO #SERVPROofeastgreenvillecounty #stormdamage #WaterDamage #disasterrelief #moldremediation #fastertoanysizedisaster #carpetcleaning #EmergencyReadyProgram #ERP #winddamage #haildamage #pipeburst #fairforestelementaryschool #inthecommunity #supportlocalschools

Greenville Community Ministries

10/5/2023 (Permalink)

Multiple images of the floor cleaning process. SERVPRO® of East Greenville County shinning up the kitchen floor for Greer Community Ministries and Meals on Wheels.

SERVPRO® of East Greenville County had the privilege of assisting the Greater Greer community. We were grateful for the opportunity to clean the kitchen tile, which is used for Meals on Wheels and Senior Dining at Greer Community Ministries. Greer Community Ministries assists in providing food, clothing, and meaningful social interaction to those in need. They offer four programs: Meals on Wheels, Senior Dining, Food Pantry, and Sharon’s Closet. Take a look at the pictures of both the SERVPRO van and the Greer Community Ministries van, both of which play a vital role in supporting our community.

Our Community Liaison, Johnathan Evatt, recently spent sometime with James Abbott with Greer Community Ministries. James and his team are dedicated to the less fortunate in our Greer community and go the extra mile to see that they are well loved and cared for.

#SERVPRO #SERVPROofeastgreenvillecounty #stormdamage #WaterDamage #disasterrelief #moldremediation #fastertoanysizedisaster #GreerCommunityMinistries #GreerCommunity #MealsonWheels #SharonsCloset #foodpantry

SERVPRO of East Greenville County Volunteers with the Cancer Society of Greenville County

1/5/2021 (Permalink)

Delivering poinsettias, garland, and wreaths to residents in and around Greenville to help the Cancer Society of Greenville County!

Cancer does not discriminate.  It attacks people's lives from all angles.  Every day, thousands of people who live in Greenville fight for their lives.  In order to help the thousands of those affected by this terrible disease, The Cancer Society of Greenville hosts an annual greenery sale to raise funds for the services they offer throughout the year.  In effort for SERVPRO of East Greenville County to give back to the cause, we loaded our car with wreaths, poinsettias, and garland and delivered them across Greenville County.  What a blessing it is to volunteer for such a special cause.  If you're interested in donating or volunteering with the Cancer Society of Greenville County, visit their website at the link below.

Cancer Society of Greenville County

SERVPRO of East Greenville County | Giving Back to the Community through Leadership Greer Class 41

1/5/2021 (Permalink)

Leadership Greer Class 41 collecting items to be donated to the Piedmont Women's Center.

Kelly Ryals, our Sales and Marketing Representative, is a member of Leadership Greer Class 41.  Leadership Greer was established in 1978 by the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of providing the area’s unequaled leadership and professional development program enriching the lives of participants and cultivating future leaders for the community.

During Class 41’s recent session on Human Services, groups were given $240 to go and buy things needed on the wish list of a local non-profit business.  Kelly was fortunate enough to be in the group that shopped for The Piedmont Women’s Center.  Items that were able to be provided included diapers, wipes, newborn clothes, socks, bibs, blankets, towels, winter clothes in all sizes in addition to so much more. 

Not only is Leadership Greer a valuable program for cultivating new leaders in the community, it’s always a wonderful way for us to give back to our community.  What a blessing it was to help the local non-profit of the Piedmont Women’s Center.  If you’d like to help donate or volunteer at the Piedmont Women’s Center, please follow the link to their website!

Piedmont Women's Center

Greer Community Ministries teams with SERVPRO of East Greenville County for a School Supply Drive.

7/30/2018 (Permalink)

A list of school supplies needed across all grade levels.

SERVPRO of East Greenville County has partnered with Greer Community Ministries, a local non-profit that provides services to those in need in Greer, SC. GCM follows the philosophy that “no elderly, homebound or disadvantaged person in the Greater Greer area will go hungry,” and has several programs to support their goals. These include a Meals on Wheels kitchen that served almost 90,000 hot and fresh meals, a food pantry and a clothing closet.

GCM also works to provide families in need with school supplies, and this year they have a goal of providing at least 500 children with supplies they need to start off the school year. Children within the Greenville and Spartanburg County school districts can come by GCM’s location at 738 S. Line St. Ext. in Greer with proof of residency and registration for grades 1-12 to pick up supplies every Monday – Friday until August 17. They are also accepting supplies and cash donations at the location or via their website. Saturday, August 4, GCM is hosting the Benson Classic Car Show in Greer from 10 am until 2 pm.

Where SERVPRO of East Greenville County comes in, is that our office is a drop off location for school supplies Monday – Friday 8.30 am until 4.30 pm until Thursday, August 16. Every person that drops off a new, unused bookbag at our location will be entered into a random drawing the week of August 24. The prizes include a Tasting Tour for Two from 6&20 Distillery.; event passes from Frankie’s Fun Park or a three-room carpet cleaning from us (a big thanks to our prize sponsors btw.)! So, donate and make yourself feel great and maybe win a prize to boot.

We take pride in giving back to our community and working with Greer Community Ministries.

3 Tips To Keep Your Family Safe During Greenville’s 2018 Festivals

4/30/2018 (Permalink)

Write your phone number on their wrist and cover it with liquid bandage in case you get separated

Warm weather is (finally) here. And with it comes some of the Upstate’s many outdoor festivals and events. These festivals are fantastic opportunities to spend some time with the family and enjoy what many local businesses have to offer. Live Music, games, and fried… everything, there can be so much to experience. But, all of the fun can quickly turn to panic if you realize that your little one(s) are not close by. And if that makes you freak out, imagine how a child may feel.

As with most things, it is best to be prepared if something like this ever happens. Having a game plan can help to reduce the time a family is separated and limit the stress and anxiety that adults and children may face. So, with that being said here are 3 methods (from Simplemost.com) that you can try when attending festivals or theme parks.

Teach Your Children to Call Out Your “Real’ Name

Yes, our real names may be mom, dad, grandpa, etc. to our kids, but this rings true for most families. And that is why it is important to teach your child to call out your first name if you ever get separated in public. The combination of their voices and your name can stand out and grab your attention quickly. It can assist anyone they may come across locate you faster if your child knows your first and last name. Just maybe tell them not to call you by your name at the dinner table.

Practice Getting Lost

Mister Rogers said “Always look for the helpers,” and who are we to disagree. Educating your kids about who is there to help can be a great, and less scary, portion of the stranger danger conversation. Stressing how to identify police officers, firefighters, or other public servants will empower children with the ability to look for help on their own and reduce their feelings of helplessness. If you feel that your child is too young to easily ID police officers, you can always train them to look for another “mommy” with her kids. As a parent, they can be super quick and more than ready to help out a young child in need. But its essential rehearse this scenario a few times to make sure that they understand the plan.

Write your contact information somewhere it cannot be washed off or lost.

By the time my niece was four she could recite all the lyrics from almost any Disney song (especially the one about letting go), but she was having the toughest time remembering her parents’ phone numbers. Examples like this are why the Clovis Police Department in California recommend writing contact info on a child’s wrist and covering it with a spray-on bandage so that the ink will stay put. This can be a lot more impactful than just having a paper that can be easily lost or thrown away and make it very easy for any helpers contact you.

We hope that you never need these tips, but if you do, we hope that they are a tremendous help. And you have to worry about is heartburn from all the festival food.

SERVPRO of East Greenville County Celebrates ICC National Building Safety Month

4/30/2018 (Permalink)

ICC National Building Safety Month is celebrated every May. This is the 38th year of the campaign.

May is Building Safety Month (BSM), and this year will mark its 38th year. BSM is an international public safety campaign initiated by the International Code Council that promotes a better understanding of creating and sustaining safe structures for businesses, individuals, and families. The theme for this year is Building Codes Save Lives and will place a focus on how building codes protect homes, offices, schools and many more structures.

Each week will have a specific topic which will cover a variety of information including safety tips and FAQs.

May 1-5: Partnering with Code Officials to Build Stronger, Safer Communities

May 6-12: Advancing Resilient Communities Though Science and Technology

May 13-19: Protecting Communities from Disaster

May 20-26: Safeguarding Our Water

May 27-31: Improving Education & Training Standards for a Safer Tomorrow

SERVPRO of East Greenville County will share many of the tips provided by the ICC and some of our own throughout the month.  Check out the 2018 ICC Home Safety Checklist for some quick and simple ways to make your home a safe home.

Buy or Rent? Both are too expensive.

10/28/2016 (Permalink)

Buy or rent? Both are too expensive

By Polyana da Costa · Bankrate.com

You often hear that this is a great time to buy a home because rates are low and home prices are still attractive. But the majority of Americans think housing is still unaffordable, a recent survey shows.

 

About 6 in 10 Americans say it's challenging to find affordable, quality housing in their community, regardless of whether you want buy or rent. The findings come from an annual survey on housing attitudes commissioned by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and conducted by Hart Research Associates.

Struggling to make housing payments

More than half of the respondents in the survey say they have had to make at least one sacrifice in the last three years to pay for their mortgage or rent. The sacrifices included taking a second job, deferring retirement savings, accumulating credit card debt, cutting back on health care and healthy foods and moving to a neighborhood where they felt less or one with worse schools.

The public's perspective on the housing recovery also is pretty pessimistic, according to the survey.

"The American people do not see the housing crisis as something that is behind us," says Geoff Garin, president of Hart Research Associates.

About 7 in 10 respondents said that we are still in the midst of the housing crisis or that the worse has yet to come.

I want a home!

Still, the American dream of owning a home isn't dead.

Even though a growing number of people say that renting is becoming more appealing than buying, according to the survey, about 70 percent of respondents say the aspire to own a home.

But they don't always look at it as an investment.

About half say it's an "excellent long-term investment," and about 43 percent say that's no longer the case.

What do you think?

Follow me on Twitter @Polyanad.

Get real-time rate quotes with Bankrate's Mortgage app.



Read more: http://www.bankrate.com/financing/mortgages/buy-or-rent-both-are-too-expensive/#ixzz4OPDZsnIY
Follow us: @Bankrate on Twitter | Bankrate on Facebook

Upstate SC is the Place for Business!

7/15/2015 (Permalink)

Upstate businesses preparing for growth, survey shows

Staff Report 
gsanews@scbiznews.com 
Published June 4, 2015

A SunTrust Business Pulse survey shows 77% of business decision-makers are confident about the strength of their companies and four out of five are preparing for growth in the near term. David Torris, SunTrust Banks’ region president for the Upstate and Western North Carolina, said Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson counties are riding strong economic currents.

Torris said consumers since the Great Recession “have become buyers again. In the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson area, the local retail industry has benefitted significantly with gross sales hitting the highest mark in more than a decade, ending 2014 with a $13.8 million increase over the previous year. We’re seeing momentum in the real estate market, where the sale of housing units increased by more than 22% from February to March.”

Torris said economic development efforts continue to show big results.

“So how do we keep the economy moving forward? Mirroring the national findings of the SunTrust survey, area business leaders plan to stimulate growth primarily through new products and services, while others are considering mergers and acquisitions,” Torris said.

He said many are looking to the banking industry, “not just for access to capital, but for strategic advice.” He said banks help businesses by “providing them with the counsel, expertise and tools so they have confidence and control over their finances.”

Proud, active member of the Greenville Chamber!

5/4/2015 (Permalink)

Greenville Chamber Headquarters

We have a longstanding relationship with Greenville and the Chamber!  

http://www.greenvillechamber.org/

Use your Smartphone camera for so much more than taking selfies...

1/19/2015 (Permalink)

Getting older has its benefits and its...challenges...Add a Bionic eye to your toolbox!  Use your smartphone camera as a scoping video camera or as a way to take pictures of items that are hard to get to or hard to remember.  If you are having trouble seeing something in low light, use your smartphone camera.  It has autofocus and can see in low light.  I used it to help me open a combination lock outside of work when I absolutely could not see the numbers on the discolored wheels with the naked eye.

The smartphone camera can also be used to take pictures under your car, in your engine compartment, to get serial numbers located behind your washer...

We will continue to post ingenious "life hacks" as they come to us!