Tara Stone

Your Girl Friday! is hosting its first annual Cleaning for Cancer Week this week, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During this special week, the company will be donating house cleaning services to three cancer patients in the local area. Your Girl Friday! does this in partnership with Cleaning for a Reason, a nonprofit organization that they have worked with since 2018.

“A clean home is a safe, healthy home,” said owner Tara Stone. “During the coronavirus pandemic, we adopted strict policies and safety measures to properly sanitize all of our clients’ homes, especially the cancer patients so that they can continue fighting the fight, virus free. I can relate to how important this is as my mom was a cancer survivor before passing away in 2020 of another ailment, and my dad passed away in 2017, losing his battle to leukemia. Cancer patients need a clean, sanitized home so they can focus on their health and family, while we focus on the home.”

Cleaning for a Reason connects with over 1,200 maid services throughout the U.S. and Canada, providing free house cleaning services to families battling cancer. Cleaning for a Reason is successful every year because of the people and companies that support it. There are four ways to participate with this important cause:

1. Nominate: If any cancer patient you know in the U.S. or Canada is currently receiving treatment, recovering from surgery, or in hospice care, please nominate them, with their permission, to have their house cleaned by a Cleaning for a Reason partner. Any adult or child in active cancer treatment is eligible. You may fill out the application for yourself or on behalf of a friend or family member. Nominate someone for free house cleaning at cleaningforareason.org, Patients tab.

Cancer patients that live in our service territory — Spruce, Alpena, Hubbard Lake, Ossineke, or Presque Isle — can request Your Girl Friday! to come clean their home.

2. Partner: More cleaning partners are needed. Residential cleaning companies are instrumental in helping Cleaning for a Reason make a positive impact. They selflessly donate their time and services to support cancer patients and their families. Learn more and join the cause at cleaningforareason.org, Cleaning Companies tab.

3. Sponsor: Support the Cleaning for a Reason mission by becoming a sponsor. Email Lucy Lee, Operations Manager at Cleaning for a Reason, at lucy@cleaningforareason.org to learn about different sponsorship opportunities.

4. Donate: You can help Cleaning for a Reason serve more cancer patients in need of this service. Every cleaning makes lives better for families during this difficult time. Make a donation to support Cleaning for a Reason families at cleaningforareason.org, Donors tab.

“I believe in the difference that a clean, healthy home can make for a cancer patient,” Stone said. “I am supporting Cleaning for a Reason, as a cleaning company, as a donor, and by inviting our clients and our community to offer their support. When cancer makes life at home difficult, the gift of a clean home can ease the burden of patients and their families and provide much needed relief at a time when they need it the most.”

About Your Girl Friday!

Launched in 2017, Your Girl Friday! is a family-owned and operated residential and commercial cleaning business, along with vacation rental property management. The company uses eco-friendly products as well as top-grade cleaning products designed to sanitize and disinfect today’s viruses. Your Girl Friday! has a wide range of additional offerings, such as a personal assistant, concierge, event planner, shopper, house sitter, and pet sitter. Owner Tara Stone has been active in multiple volunteer programs within the Alpena community since 2013. For more information, go to yourgirlfridayconciergellc.com or their Facebook page.

About Cleaning for a Reason

Since 2006, the nonprofit and its partners have donated more than $14.7 million in services, helping more than 43,000 cancer patients. In 2017, Cleaning for a Reason was adopted by ISSA Charities, the charitable arm of ISSA, The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association. To learn more and to apply for free house cleaning, see cleaningforareason.org.