Domestic Violence Awareness should not just be limited to the month of October, and one particular corporation has taken responsibility to go the extra mile. It started in 1994 when Molly Maid’s founder and CEO, David McKinnon, found himself watching the OJ Simpson trial in mounting horror. The problem came into sharp focus. Domestic violence was, and is, ubiquitous; it crosses the social strata -- every race, every creed, and every nationality. After all, Molly Maid is affected by the same statistics as everyone else -- one in four women will be victimized by DV in their lifetime. Even Molly Maid has experienced DV-related deaths within their own ranks. Suddenly, McKinnon realized an important opportunity for corporate involvement -- one that would impact his employees and help raise awareness on a broad scale. So, in 1996, the Ms. Molly Foundation launched their effort to make a difference.
Corporate HQ began to provide assistance to local shelters and invited their franchisees to do the same. As a result, local drives are now held in over 100 locations all over the country, not just in October for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but throughout the entire year.
- Molly Maid HQ in Ann Arbor, MI, held a silent auction.
- Denver, CO, participated in a golf outing.
- Little Rock, AR, created a Thanksgiving 5K race.
- Midland, TX, staged a charity concert.
- Nashville, TN, produced a charity event for the Bridges of Williamson and Davidson Counties.
- Port St. Lucie, FL, held a Walk-A-Mile-in-her-Shoes event.
On a daily basis, Molly Maid home service professionals leave flyers and announcements in their clients’ homes, educating them about domestic violence and providing collection points for personal care items such as shampoo, soap, clothing, monetary donations -- and even volunteering to clean the shelters themselves.
Danessa Itaya, the Director of Right Start and responsible for the training of Molly Maid and Mr. Handyman employees, believes it is a privilege and social responsibility for the organization to give back to their communities. She states:“Ms. Molly Foundation is part of the fabric of who we are.”
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