Contact: Whitney Wyatt-Kovar, (800) 583-8003 ext. 5894
Mr. Rooter® Plumbing Heads to Haiti to Help With Cleaner Water
Mr. Rooter Plumbing, with the help of 3M Clean Water Solutions, will make cleaner, fresher water a reality for Haitian earthquake victims on May 23.
During the week-long trip, they will teach women in Haiti how to test, bag and sell water. But it doesn’t stop there. These companies hope selling water can become a trade for Haitian women.
“We want to give Haitian women the opportunity to have a business that stretches past the rebuilding efforts,” said Mary Kennedy Thompson, president of Mr. Rooter Corporation. “While we want to give them something sustainable, we also want to make sure they have clean water to drink now.”
Thompson says Mr. Rooter Plumbing could not do this without 3M Clean Water Solutions and its engineer Satish Chamyvelumani, who will also make the trip. He will bring bags and test kits his company is donating to make this venture possible.
"We are excited to send a 3M Purification Inc. engineer Satish Chamyvelumani, who is part of a 3M technical team that is committed to developing and providing sustainable, affordable solutions to address water quality for regions like Haiti,” said Veena Lakkundi, business leader at 3M Clean Water Solutions.
Once they complete this project, Thompson and Derek Moreland, co-owner of the Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchise in Toronto, will head to a town north of Port-au-Prince. They will scope out the town’s plumbing challenges.
This “fact finding mission” - as Moreland calls it - is important. On a future trip, a group of Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchisees from across Canada and the United States will lay pipe for the town.
Moreland made the pledge to help Haitians during a leadership meeting in January, as he talked with fellow Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchisees. He had just heard that some Haitian kids were walking six kilometers for water, and they carried it back in old paint cans.
“We are so lucky to have clean, fresh water – both hot and cold – at our fingertips,” Moreland said. “We really do take it for granted, and we have an opportunity to help people who are really in need.”
About Mr. Rooter®
Established in 1970, Mr. Rooter is an all-franchised, full-service plumbing and drain cleaning company with approximately 300 franchises worldwide. Recognized by Entrepreneur magazine among its Franchise 500 and Franchise Times Top 200, Mr. Rooter franchisees provide services to both residential and commercial customers. Mr. Rooter began franchising in 1974 and is a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group, Inc. For more information or to find the location nearest you, please visit our Web site at www.mrrooter.com or www.mrrooter.ca.
About 3M
A recognized leader in research and development, 3M produces thousands of innovative products for dozens of diverse markets. 3M’s core strength is applying its more than 40 distinct technology platforms – often in combination – to a wide array of customer needs. With $23 billion in sales, 3M employs 75,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com.
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