Feel The Love Announcement

Thankful to Be Giving Back: Feel the Love Recap

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This year, Thanksgiving weekend took on a whole new meaning for us at AtlasCare. As part of Lennox International’s 2020 ‘Feel The Love’ community program, our team members volunteered their time to install a brand-new mini-split ductless HVAC system (and more!) to thank Sharon Ahamad, a deserving frontline worker, for her unending devotion to others.

As an overnight Personal Support Worker for seniors at a Burlington facility, Sharon is often the only constant in her patient’s lives. Some of them suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s, so seeing a familiar face can make a big difference in their days—or in this case, nights. When the pandemic hit, Sharon had to choose between this position and a second job she had because of the risk of infection to patients if you worked two facilities. Sharon chose to stay with her overnight position instead of the higher paying, more secure position at a regional hospital, because it was important to her to keep being a constant in the lives of her patients at the seniors’ facility in Burlington.

When someone like Sharon, who refuses to let others down need help, it’s our duty to help them—and that’s exactly what our team did, and we felt so thankful to be doing so that Thanksgiving weekend.

On Saturday morning, AtlasCare (organizers, team members and volunteers) gathered on Ottawa street in Hamilton, Ontario, where Sharon lives. Before we got to work, our president Michael Grochmal, whose energy and smile was contagious even behind his mask, explained that ‘Feel the Love’ was so much bigger than what we were doing here today. More than 250 other contractors throughout North America were doing exactly what we were about to do. He explained that Lennox International, the company that started ‘Feel The Love’ back in 2009, wanted to find a very deserving frontline worker who helped their community this year during COVID. And because AtlasCare is always there when you need us, from helping you with your home comfort or giving back to the community, it was a no-brainer for us to partner with Lennox.

Dylan Parry, a representative from Lennox International, shared his thoughts about how “AtlasCare is the absolute definition of what we want in a partner, and by extension you guys and the amount of effort you put in, and we can’t thank you enough… This is going to be a great day.”

Because of the current COVID restrictions, only a small number of people could work on site at once. Michael made sure to mention the many more team members at AtlasCare who would have loved to volunteer but had to stay home so we were following the province’s guidelines. “We couldn’t do this without the people who actually know how to do the work. This group over here, who are the professionals, who donated their time,” he finished, before introducing the person we were all there for: Sharon Ahamad.

“Thank you,” she said, emotionally. “I really appreciate it. Thank you for being here, to help.” Her nominator and long-time friend, Sharon Mathew, came to support her, as did her neighbours and some of her colleagues from the Seniors’ facility. It was clear that being able to help Sharon, someone who even while struggling herself made it her personal mission to be there for others, was a truly heartwarming occasion not only for our team, but also for everyone else in her life.

Over the course of the day, AtlasCare workers were busy installing new ductless equipment for heating and air conditioning, after which they completely cleaned and serviced the boiler, replacing aged parts, which was the first time her boiler had been serviced in 6 years. Then AtlasCare went over and above by calling in their plumbers to fix all the plumbing issues in her home. This last step wouldn’t have been possible without the generous help of Independent Mechanical Supply in Oakville who donated the plumbing materials.

While giving back to the community definitely filled us with Thanksgiving spirit, the event was made even more festive with the food we were surprised with. Lennox brought in breakfast from Pickle Barrel for the 35 of us, and the Tim Horton’s on 65 Ottawa Street N., Hamilton––which you might know better as the original Tim Horton’s location—generously donated coffee for everyone.

Looking back at all the work everyone did to make this Saturday happen, we realized how big of an undertaking this was. It took over 5 months of preparation for us, as we searched the communities we serve in the GTA for deserving people who made it their mission to help others even in their own times of need. Our customers, the community at large, local politicians, and charities stepped up to the plate and brought forth 13 incredibly worthy nominations, but it was when we met with Sharon Ahamad, visited her home and listened to her story that we knew she was the one we needed to help the most.

Sharon—thank you for all you do for others. We hope that on Thanksgiving weekend, you felt as supported by us as your patients do by, well, you!

To view more behind the scenes footage and CHCH news coverage of the event, visit our recent Instagram post by clicking here.

A Letter From Our President, Michael Grochmal

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Dear friends,

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favourite times of the year. The fall colours never fail to provide a spectacular show, and as we move into the colder weather, I am reminded how grateful we are that AtlasCare is a trusted partner of customers like you. We are privileged to be welcomed to your home – thank you.

Gratitude has been on my mind a great deal this year. Despite the ongoing challenges with this stubborn virus, which is preventing us from simple joys like shaking hands and attending traditional gatherings with family and friends (which I’ll deeply miss this weekend), I am grateful every day.

First and foremost, I am truly grateful that the people I care about have been healthy and supportive of one another through this. I am thankful for the frontline professionals in our community – they have shown courage and compassion when they are exhausted and afraid. I am grateful for the community charities, volunteers and donors that are working tirelessly to help families get the relief they need right now. I am also grateful that our staff have stepped up in every imaginable way to support our customers in this unusual time. Their actions have made me proud time and again.

This weekend, our team will experience the pleasure of joining Lennox International’s “Feel The Love” community giving initiative. On Saturday, an AtlasCare crew will help make life a little easier for a very deserving essential worker in our community who has selflessly put the needs of others ahead of herself for years. It is our honour to give her this gift, which includes a Lennox furnace and air conditioner, extensive plumbing repairs and an annual AtlasCare Membership to handle maintenance requirements down the road. We will share more about her story with you soon. Thank you to our customers for your nominations – there were many deserving candidates.

There is no joy greater than the joy of giving to others, especially at a time when we are feeling grateful for everything we have. From my family to yours, I extend my sincere best wishes for good health, safety and wellbeing.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Michael Grochmal,

President

 

The Second Wave of the Coronavirus is here – October 2nd Update

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The second wave of COVID-19 has arrived. Case counts are climbing every day. We expect that the Provincial Government will continue to constrain our ability to congregate socially not only in the community but also with our families and friends. It was relatively easy to maintain social distances from one another this summer when we could spend the majority of our time outdoors. It is a whole other ballgame now that fall and soon winter will be upon us. We will all definitely be spending a lot more time in our homes. Our home is our oasis and we need to ensure that it stays that way.

We receive a lot of questions every day about how we can help folks improve the quality of the air in their homes. Good practice would be to eliminate or isolate the source of the problem. Unfortunately, we can’t do anything about the coronavirus. However, we can improve ventilation and filtration. Good mechanical ventilation is now standard in the Ontario Building Code for new homes, but few older homes have been retrofitted to date. A ventilator becomes the lungs of your home. A steady supply of fresh, filtered, outdoor air is good not only for keeping ahead of the coronavirus but also for controlling the levels of humidity, chemicals in the air and carbon dioxide in your home. Installations are sometimes difficult due to physical constraints around common venting of combustion appliances and finished basements. The cost, however, is reasonable, usually in the range of $3,000 – $5,000 for a typical home. This is the single best thing you can do in your home.

The next thing we can do is improve the filtration system. Firstly, AtlasCare can upgrade furnace filters. We usually recommend a deep pleated filter to maximize the surface area and trap the most particles. The filter efficiency or MERV rating is important. Too low and not much gets filtered out. Too high and the air flow can become restricted. We can advise you on the best filter for your home. A HEPA filter can take it to the next level. This is a hospital grade filter that can remove very small particles. Lastly, we can install a germicidal ultraviolet light. While research on their efficacy with the coronavirus is yet to be established, these are known to kill many other viruses.

In my last letter, I mentioned that supply chain issues were starting to rear their ugly head with the supply for furnaces. That hasn’t changed and now we can definitely add UV lights and HEPA filters to the list. School boards and office buildings have been buying them up in quantity and we are now looking at 4-6 weeks to get these units. If you are thinking of getting one for your home this winter be proactive and get one on order with us now.

Stay healthy everyone.

Roger Grochmal, P.Eng.

CEO