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NEWS & PRESS
RELEASES |
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Thousands rest easy on firm's unused stuff
By
Susan Ruiz Patton |
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STRONGSVILLE, Ohio (June 08, 2002) - One company's useless
inventory will fortify dozens of agencies and touch the lives of
about 50,000 children and adults. |
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More
than 100 pieces of kitchen equipment and 1,000 beds were just
taking up space at the Strongsville warehouse of the International
Management Assistance Corporation. "We didn't need it," said IMAC
President Dan Auker. "And it wasn't readily sell-able."
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IMAC
provides shower trailers and mobile kitchens under government
contract at forest fires and has contracts with national charities
at biking and walking fund-raisers. After having acquired similar
companies across the country, IMAC had extra inventory. The extra
beds were on Auker's mind when he and the warehouse manager, John
Hughes, heard about a bed donation that helped 40 foster families.
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Both men got the same idea, Auker said:
"If we could find a way to get rid of the beds and get some kind
of tax value. . ." |
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June 08, 2002 |
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One phone call to Michael Cheselka, special-programs director at
Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services, and the plan to give
away the inventory was born. |
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Cheselka called a handful of small agencies and asked each one to
call another agency about the available donations. The faxed
requests from nearly three dozen agencies began rolling in. And
the results include:
Nearly 50 teens moving from foster care to independent living can
start furnishing their bedrooms with a bed. |
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Children attending Camp Forbes this summer will have new beds, and
little leaguers with the Cleveland Baseball Federation will have
cold water to drink at baseball diamonds.
Adults learning how to rebuild their lives after prison through
Circle for Recovery can drink plenty of coffee during counseling
sessions. |
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Today,
volunteers from Laborers International Union of North America
Locals 860 and 894 will help unload the beds, refrigerators and
kitchen supplies from four loaned Ryder trucks into vans from the
agencies. |
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"We
promised we'd look after each other after 9/11," Cheselka said.
"That can't peter out." |
Contact Susan Ruiz Patton, Plain Dealer Reporter at:
spatton@plaind.com
216-999-4937 |
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