As you may have read on my post of this afternoon, the doctor called me today with the news that I have a severely (almost totally) ruptured disk in my lower back, which is pinching the sciatic nerve in my left hip and leg. Surgery is looming. In the meantime, he said no lifting, bending, twisting, turning, vacuuming, or pushing or pulling anything of any type. Let me see, what does that leave for a carpet cleaner? Oh! Pre-spraying!

Anyway, I just wanted to write to both of you and say a hearty and heartfelt thank you for the ICS bulletin board (www.icsmag.com). Without it, I would be in far worse shape as I would have no encouragement, thoughts and prayers from my colleagues. Actually, I guess I probably wouldn’t even know them at all. Oh, I know there is another bulletin board somewhere, but it isn’t the real deal. You guys are!

The service you provide for us is invaluable for so many reasons. And many of them are in times just such as these. Things that I believe often times people do not fully realize. Without your bulletin board service, I would still be using a portable instead of the machine that Lee Stockwell built for me. I would not even know about John Geurkink, let alone own one of his OP machines. Without these two additions to our truck, Claudine would not be able to do jobs by herself. A-Jax would be out of business for now, maybe forevermore? So in a way...a very real way... ICS is directly responsible for A-Jax being able to continue doing business, (albeit on a somewhat limited basis right now and for awhile to go yet).

The list goes on and on and on. There wouldn’t be an INF Fund. There would be cleaners stuck in their own mindset without the knowledge your forum provides.

Moreover, it gives me hope and confidence just knowing that I have friends who will E-Mail, post, keep me in their thoughts, and telephone me, and for that I say to both of you… thanks!
Jackson Lloyd, A-JAX Carpet Cleaners

Dear Friends:

On Jan. 7, 2001 in Orlando, Fla., a little team from our industry made a big statement. Barry Costa, Rick Love, Neil Atkinson, Emily Hill and Tom Hill ran the Walt Disney World 26.2 mile marathon as part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program. The small group raised more than $30,000 for cancer research through supporters and sponsors…and it’s still coming in! The effort was dedicated to the memory of Barry’s daughter Kim, who passed away last July after an extended battle with blood-related cancer, and to little 5-year-old Kyla Anderson, who is still fighting leukemia.

Overall, there were 13,000 runners and walkers in the Walt Disney World Marathon. About 5,000 runners/walkers were part of the Team in Training program raising more than $7 million to help find a cure for blood-related cancer.

Worldwide, the Team in Training program raised more than $70 million last year for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Special thanks go out to Piranha Marketing, the Carpet & FabriCare Institute, A&I Distributors, Mark the Carpetbagger, DuPont StainMaster, Atiyeh Brothers and the hundreds of individuals that worked to make a difference through this event.

The support from the carpet and cleaning industry has been incredible. If you missed the fun but would still like to contribute, send your check to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 6501 SW Macadam, Portland, Oregon 97051.

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and contributions. Your support will help make it so no more children need to suffer from this terrible disease.

Sincerely,

Barry Costa, Rick Love, Barry Costa, Emily Hill, and Tom Hill