Damage Control is proud to organize and help sponsor an upcoming fundraising event to benefit the A Miracle for Ava Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

A Miracle for Ava was started as a fundraiser by the parents of Ava Gioe to help find a cure for her. Ava was diagnosed with a rare form of pediatric brain cancer which took her life in July of 2012 at the age of five. They have since turned the organization into a foundation to help find a cure for other children diagnosed with the same and similar tumors. To learn more about A Miracle for Ava or to donate directly to the Foundation, please visit www.amiracleforava.org or their Facebook page.

While preparing for this event Cindy Jackson, Office Manager at Damage Control, has had the pleasure of getting to know Ava’s mother, Gianni Gioe. “Some of us at Damage Control had been following Ava’s journey on Facebook, and were just heartbroken for her family when she lost her battle,” says Cindy. “Gianni was always very open about her feelings going through all of it and I kind of felt like I knew her already. I am thrilled to able to help plan this event and to get to know her personally. I can’t even imagine what she is going through, but I admire that she is continuing the organization for other families that are experiencing a similar situation.”

The benefit is scheduled for Friday, February 22 at the Olyphant Ambulance building at 530 East Park Street in Olyphant, beginning at 6pm. There will be live entertainment by Nowhere Slow from 6 to 7:30 and Johnny D w/ special guests starting at 7:30. $10 entry includes 2 drinks (beer & soda) and a ticket for the door prize. Additional raffle tickets will be available to buy for the many wonderful baskets and gift cards donated by area businesses and individuals. We will be selling pizza by the slice and additional drinks for $1.

ALL proceeds from this event will be given directly to the AMFA Foundation. AMFA has advised us that 100% of the proceeds will be forwarded to the Cancer Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, specifically the Neuro-oncology Department.

Please contact Cindy at 341-1500 or cjackson@dcidki.com if you are interested in participating in the fundraiser in any way.

Stephanie Jallen

“It’s not can or can’t. It’s do or don’t.” This is one of Stephanie Jallen’s mottos. And she lives by it. She really feels that nothing is impossible. Considering what she has accomplished, she may be right!

Stephanie Jallen was born with a rare birth defect called CHILD (Congenital Hemidysplasia with Ichthyosis and Limb Displacement) Syndrome, which caused her to be born with underdeveloped limbs on her left side. Her left leg was amputated at birth and her left arm is very short without a developed hand. She has been living a “normal” life; school, friends, activities. At age 9 her family received a notice in the mail about a ski camp for disabled kids. She attended and the rest, as they say, is history. She loved it. She met Mau Thompson, who became her development coach. Mau taught Stephanie to ski, and quickly realized she had the potential to become a racer.

Since then, Stephanie has made skiing her main focus. Most recently, her goal is to represent the United States at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. When asked if she had any other hobbies or interests, she said, “It’s hard to do anything else,” noting the amount of time it takes to train, remain in shape and work towards her goal.

She knows, however, that she can’t do it alone. She has much support, originally from her family and Mau, and more recently her strength trainer, Ernie Baul at All American Fitness in Plains. He works with her between three and five days a week to improve her strength and modifies the training for Stephanie’s special circumstances. “It’s a battle all the time,” Stephanie said, referring to the task of strengthening both side of her body equally while not being able to exercise them in the same ways. She also spends time spinning to get her cardio workouts.

Stephanie credits Ernie, and Mau as well, for her success. “I have definitely achieved a higher level then I ever would have without them.”

Stephanie’s school has also been very supportive. She is a junior at Wyoming Area and as long as she can uphold a 3.5 GPA, they allow her to take her work with her and take the time off that she needs in order to train. When I asked her if there was anything she wanted to say, she made sure to thank them and everyone who was and is instrumental in her achieving her success.

She has spent two years on the US Paralympic Ski Team, and her next goal is in sight. “It’s thirteen months away,” she said, referring to the 2014 Olympics. When asked if she thinks that she will be going, she was very matter-of-fact. “I am close and I am on the right path,” citing she has already qualified in 3 out of 5 events, but said, “Nobody knows at this point whether it will be a yes or no.” The determination is based on the qualifying events as well as a points system, and the team is not announced until shortly before the Games actually begin. Stephanie stated that she still has the rest of this year to prepare and qualify.

I had asked Stephanie about when she was younger. I had heard that she had some issues with her prosthetics. She said that she did use the leg a lot for about 7 years, but then the skin rashes, which are a part of her condition, began to reappear forcing her to resort to a crutch. Her prosthetic arm was a different story. “I hated it,” she said. “It was never worth it. I could always do more without it then I could ever do with it on.”

Suffice it to say, this young lady has done more in her sixteen years than many of us have in twice that much time. That reminds me of another motto of hers which Ernie sometimes has her recite during training. We (people with two arms and legs) are “cheaters.”

Damage Control is proud to be a continued sponsor of Miss Jallen and the Stephanie Jallen Paralympic Fund. See Stephanie’s journey and follow her progress on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.jallen.731 and her website www.stephaniejallen.org.

First Responders Appreciation Night

Damage Control is happy to announce our Third Annual First Responders Appreciation Night! The event will be on Thursday, March 14th from 6:30-9:00 pm at the Damage Control facility at 342 Main Street, Eynon. All area first responders and their families are invited to attend. As a “thank you” for all they do, we want to give all of our area emergency personnel a chance to sit back, relax, and enjoy an evening of catered food, drinks and prizes, all free of charge. Please pass the word along to any police, fire and EMS workers you know.

Employee of the Year

We would like to congratulate restoration technician Jon Feldman on receiving Damage Control’s Employee of the Year award for 2012. Jon began working with us at the very beginning of the year and has consistently shown a positive attitude. He does everything he is asked to do without complaint. Jeff Skrilow, our company President, said, “Jon is a pleasure to work with. He definitely fits into our motto of ‘No Whining,’” which hangs in all the offices here at DCI. He is also an asset to the company because not only is he able to do the mitigation jobs, but also possesses the skills to help with the rebuild portion of the jobs, if needed. Congratulations, Jon!

Welcome Michael Bracey

We would like to officially welcome our new Business Development Coordinator, Michael Bracey. Chances are you may have already met him. He has been making the rounds to area insurance agencies and businesses since he began work here in November. If you haven’t met him yet, you probably will soon!

Michael has worked in business development for the past 11 years, first with an environmental services company, and most recently marketing a pipeline database to life science companies in North America.

When asked what made him decide he wanted to work for Damage Control, he said it was “… because of the company’s commitment to quality and customer service. I was impressed by the respectful work environment, and DCI’s community involvement through its various sponsorships to local causes. I was quite impressed with the fact that everyone at DCI makes a concerted effort to live up to its mission statement in responding quickly and efficiently to control the damage to the structure AND the client.”

Michael is a native of Scranton, and attended Scranton Central High School and the University of Scranton. He currently lives in the Minooka section of the city with his wife, Jaimie, and their two daughters.

A Sensitive Situation

Imagine the stress as one hears that flooding in your area is imminent and the suggestion to evacuate is no longer a suggestion but rather an order. What do you take besides your loved ones? Logistically, there is little time to decide and precious little time to gather up those important possessions, not to mention the limited room. The thought of the potential clean up and what lies after the flood is over shadowed by the fear of the unknown as those in the destructive path follow advice from those with disaster experience. Some travel on auto pilot, some choose to ignore the warning; others follow the lead while some give in to panic. Whatever the choice, this is no longer a typical day.

As a professional Restoration Contractor, we employ teams of front line technicians who stand ready 24/7/365 to help in a myriad of situations. We are trained to know what to look for following a peril and we have numerous tools at our ready to help diagnose the problem and reverse the effects of the disaster. All too often, however, we as professionals pay far too much attention to the structure while forgetting that the structure is not the only battered remnants of the disaster. The human psyche is resilient, but even the strongest soul needs help healing during a loss and it only makes sense that the Restoration Contractor, as one of the first responders, helps to heal that loss. We need not think as a psychologist would, nor do we need the training and degrees that accompany the teachings of a counselor. We need only empathise with the victim and provide a bit of compassion, always remembering that this is likely the first time this client is experiencing this type of loss. Grasping this is the key to helping our clients with compassion, understand and sensitivity.

Jeff Skrilow, CR, WLS, President

Paying It Forward

The Year 2000, also known as Y2K, signified change on so many levels. Many extremists believed the world would end, companies feared extreme data loss and the artist formally known as Prince was excited to play his 1999 hit (17 years later). I remember seeing a movie entitles, Pay It Forward; an amazing story about a child who “believed in the goodness of human nature.” I still remember the feelings this movie invoked within me.

Throughout the many changes that occurred 12 years ago, the thought of paying it forward still remains. The overall premise of the movie continues to have a strong effect on my actions and many others in our community. On the receiving side, I have been at Starbucks and various other NEPA coffee shops only to find that someone had paid for my coffee. This reminds me of a recent story.

Damage Control Inc. continues to be a strong supporter of the Nicholson Fire Company. While visiting their monthly soup sale I usually visit the small business owners in the area. This March, while purchasing a few items in an antique shop i was recurrently pulled to a small table in the back of the store. There was clearly something that differentiated itself from the surplus of items in this establishment. Before leaving I went back to check the price and realized the tag said “on layaway.” So I went to pay for the 6 or 7 items, yet still kept thinking of the table. While being rung up I blurted out, I would like to pay for the table in the back that is on layaway.” The woman immediately started to cry as she took in the meaning of what was being said. The she quickly explained that there is no one that deserves such a generous act of kindness as the man who put the table on layaway. The tears of happiness were exchanged for charming stories that quickly turned to laughter and heartfelt smiles of a person I may never meet, yet will always remember with fondness.

Trevor McKenney: “What did you ever do to change the word?”

Christopher McDonald, Business Development Manager

Communities United

During the fall of 2011, the Damage Control team provided services to several communities severely impacted by flooding. While working alongside those living in these communities, it became evident that no one was going about it alone. The selfless acts from friends, neighbors, local businesses, and complete strangers allowed people who were overwhelmed to see they had the support needed to rebuild their lives. Residents who were not affected by the disaster gave aid to those who had lost everything, while those people returned the generosity by lending a hand to their neighbors. Volunteers reached out to those who could not help themselves by way of shelter, food, clothing, cleanup, and moral support. Busloads of college students arrived in one community to assist while businesses set up tents to provide food and beverages to local residents and all volunteers. Supplies poured in from all around to ease the burden placed on these flood victims. Barriers and walls were broken down as everyone pulled together and became what would be the definition of a true community. In the end, no one looked for recognition nor did they want to be reimbursed for their efforts. Payment came in the way of a handshake, a thank you, or an embrace between people whose paths may never have crossed had it not been for the disastrous events that took place.

Mark Bickelman, Operations Manager

Lending a Hand

Many people are aware of Damage Control’s efforts to help those in need. We are involved with causes such as Camp Cadet, American Red Cross, Children’s Miracle Network, St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen, and many other local schools, charities, and first-responders and non-profit organizations. In a disaster situation, Damage Control and its employees will set up and help in any way we can, as we did after Hurricane Katrina and the flooding in our area in September 2011.

What you may not know is that we also help each other. One of our Core Values is “Work Environment,” which states, “Maintain a family like atmosphere with compassion, understanding and humor, to foster individual growth.” We feel so strongly about this that we made it a Core Value. That means it is something so important that we are promising to keep it throughout the life of the company. You can see evidence of this by overhearing conversations among our employees. On any given day, you can hear someone giving advice to a co-worker, sharing in a celebration of a happy life event, lending an ear in hard times or offering to help with a home improvement project.

A very important part of our job is helping customers, and not just by drying or cleaning their homes. In an industry in which we often see or speak with people on one of the worst days of their lives, we need to show the utmost understanding. When people are in a situation where they have a loss, the smallest thing you say or do and the way in which it is said or done, can mean so much to them. This can work positively or negatively, so we make sure our employees are able to deal with these situations in a compassionate way. This isn’t something you can teach so we need to hire with this in mind.

Whether it is for others or for each other, Damage Control is always here to help.

Cindy Jackson, Office Manager

One of Damage Control’s core values is respect. I witness this almost every day, with a story fresh in mind from a few weeks ago. A friend of mine needed help moving and I was able to borrow the cube van for the weekend to help. This may seem like a small gesture but being able to use that van made the job a lot easier for all concerned. This is one type of action that sets the tone for everyone that works here. Helping others can be contagious if given the right atmosphere to spread, much like paying it forward.

Daniel Snipes, Project Manage