Mr. Handyman Helps Rebuild New Orleans Park

By: Mr. Handyman Int'l. LLC | 1 Shares 129 Reads

Handyman Business Repairs and Improves Greenery to Katrina-Devastated New Orleans during tree planting ceremony in honor of celebrities

October 29, 2007 // Franchising.com // Ann Arbor, MI – Mr. Handyman, a fullservice home repair and maintenance company and the largest employer of handymen nationwide, may be known for its helpful home improvement work, but on October 27 at 11:00 a.m., the company will be helping to improve the greenery of the foliagedevastated New Orleans through a tree-planting ceremony.

The event is the final phase in the Mr. Handyman Academy Awards tree-planting project. At the 78th Annual Academy Awards Hollywood celebrities received a gift bag filled with a multitude of gifts and mementos. One of those gifts was a certificate from Mr. Handyman stating that a tree would be planted in the recipient celebrity's name, in the city of New Orleans. All 99 of those honorary celebrity trees will be planted in soon to be named "Mr. Handyman" Park, located at the intersection of Earhardt Blvd, Washington Ave., Erato St. and S. Jefferson Davis Pkwy, in downtown New Orleans. "We are extremely excited and proud to be given the opportunity to make this contribution to the people of New Orleans in helping to repair, rebuild, and recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," said Todd Recknagel, president of Mr. Handyman. "Serving the community has always been an integral part of our company's history. This community commitment is a vital part of the Mr. Handyman culture. It's the thread that joins every employee together in trying to make a difference."

Included in the celebrity invites was a card, inviting celebrities that could not attend the tree-planting ceremony to send their thoughts and wishes to those in the New Orleans community. Chris Seman, national director of operations for Mr. Handyman, will be on-site to present those notes, as well as, to donate the trees and a plaque to the city. This project was completed in conjunction with the New Orleans-based organization Hike for KaTREEna, as well as the New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways in effort to restore the greenery and bring new life to the city of New Orleans by establishing this Park.

In order to complete the project, Mr. Handyman partnered with Monique Pilié, a New Orleanian, who after Hurricane Katrina sold her home and quit her job to complete a 2,175 mile fund raising trek to help replant the thousands of trees lost in New Orleans. Monique formed the Hike for KaTREEna foundation and has been working hand-in-hand with Mr. Handyman, "One of the things that has given New Orleans its charm are its majestic live oaks, spectacular magnolias and other magnificent trees," said Pilié. "Katrina damaged and destroyed 100,000 trees. Hike for KaTREEna is my way of giving back to a city that has given me so much."

Hike for KaTREEna has a significant presence in New Orleans and is responsible for raising money and planting almost 800 trees throughout the area, in addition to assisting with this latest Mr. Handyman Park project.

For high-resolution images of the tree planting ceremony, please contact Julie Brosien or Branden Blackmur at Robert Falls & Co. Public Relations at 216.696.0229. For more information on Mr. Handyman, please contact Anne Nemer at (248) 739-9113.

About Mr. Handyman
Mr. Handyman (www.mrhandyman.com) is a network of independently owned and operated franchises with more than 280 locations nationwide that provide commercial and residential property maintenance and repair services. Founded in March 2000, Mr. Handyman is a member of Service Brands International, a group of service companies that provide a variety of timesaving services ideally suited for today's active consumer.