TruGreen Partners with American Red Cross - Supporting Effort to Reduce the Nationwide Drowning Rate among Children

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Aug 16, 2016, 10:00 ET

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- TruGreen announced a partnership with the American Red Cross today, seeking to help reduce the drowning rate among the nation's children, particularly those in more vulnerable communities, such as Brevard County, Sarasota County, and Indian River County, Florida–who too often do not have regular access to pools and swim lessons. TruGreen funding support covers swim lesson registration, water safety instructors, lifeguard training and educational kits for both children and their families in these communities.

To learn more about the Red Cross Aquatics Centennial Initiative, an effort aimed at making the water a safer place for everyone, visit redcross.org.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is responsible for more deaths among children ages one to four than any other cause except birth defects. Among children ages one to fourteen, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death, behind motor vehicle accidents. The statistics are even more concerning in minority communities. Seven out of ten African American children and six out of ten Latino children are unable to swim.

"Our immediate goal is to help fund local programs where the drowning rate among minority children is twice that of the national average," said Jeff Fedorchak, TruGreen Vice President of Corporate Affairs. "The drowning statistics are alarming, and as a company that encourages people to 'Live Life Outside' we want to help drive these numbers way down," added Fedorchak. "We're proud to partner with the American Red Cross on this challenge."

Connie Harvey, Director of the Aquatics Centennial Initiative for the American Red Cross, agreed. "We are grateful to TruGreen for getting involved with this campaign, and for a great company like this living out their commitment to community."

Among five core guiding principles adopted by TruGreen, "Community" is one. TruGreen has been a partner of the Red Cross for years and is also a founding member of the organization's Mosaic Circle, an initiative designed to increase awareness and grow partnerships between the Red Cross and minority communities.

For more information about the American Red Cross, visit redcross.org.

For more information about TruGreen, visit TruGreen.com or facebook.com/TruGreen.

About TruGreen

Memphis, Tenn.-based TruGreen is the nation's largest lawn care company, serving more than 2.3 million residential and commercial customers across the United States and Canada with lawn, tree and shrub care. TruGreen believes more life should be lived outside and is committed to providing a beautiful lawn to serve as the foundation for outside experiences and lifelong memories. As the leader in the professional lawn care industry, TruGreen helps define responsible lawn care practices, conducts industry-leading education and training for our professional applicators, pioneers new application technologies and educates our customers on proper mowing and wise-use watering techniques. Today, there are approximately 260 TruGreen lawn care branches and satellite offices in the United States and Canada.

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