17 minute read
WOMAN ON THE RISE
A TOUCH ABOVE, INC.
A Touch Above Inc. is a Residential and Commercial Cleaning Service proudly serving Albany County and the surrounding areas. Founded in 2015 by Owner Cortney Roy, the business was built on and continues to grow due to word of mouth, personal referrals, and networking. Cortney quickly realized how great a need there was for the judgment-free service she was offering, and the peace of mind and social interaction it was providing her as well as others in the community. It became very personal, as she was very much a part of the highs and lows in her clients’ lives, by their side through some of the most intimate and stressful moments (and vice versa). Word of mouth can truly make or break a business and it has been and continues to be such a powerful lead source for us. Amid a global pandemic, we’ve not only managed to stay afloat but scale the business by leaps and bounds. We have our amazing clients (turned friends) and teammates to thank for that.
We like to think our approach differs from local “competition,” because we’re very selective in our hiring process. We won’t hire just anyone. We’re a very closeknit bunch and we look out for each other. Our team is made up of the most genuine human beings, all of whom are down-to-earth, kind, and super helpful. We’re all animal lovers as well, so we’re extremely comfortable with pets and very pet-savvy. This means that clients don’t have to lock their animals up or make arrangements for their fur babies for their scheduled appointments. We’re also very flexible and allow team members to create their schedules around what they have going on in their personal lives. We employ mothers, college students, and individuals who have been out of the workforce for quite some time. We pride ourselves on being far different than
any employer they’ve had previously. We’re constantly changing things and offering new incentives. We want to ensure everyone feels heard, supported, and appreciated. We’re in constant communication with our team to make sure we’re all on the same page and brainstorm regularly to determine ways we can improve. Our team is rock solid and everyone has a stellar work ethic and for that, I am so grateful. We’re also very selective in the jobs we take on. We provide both residential and commercial cleaning services to the capital district. One-time or recurring, move-in/move-out, Airbnb, apartment and student housing turnovers. We offer free estimates and easy online booking, as well as automated appointment reminders and follow-up emails to gather feedback. We’re big on communication, very flexible when it comes to scheduling and do our best to accommodate everyone’s requests - no matter how last-minute. We have such a great circle of people. We like to build and nurture relationships with clients. We don’t have a cookiecutter approach. Since everyone’s idea of “clean” looks a little different, we listen to clients and find out what their pain points and priorities are, and what’s most important to them. We generate a custom work order for each appointment. We work far past business hours regularly and we also work weekends periodically to fit people in. We take pride in our work and genuinely enjoy helping people in our community.
We enjoy giving back. Whether it be participating in fundraising opportunities, donating gift certificates/services to local families in need, hosting drives for various organizations, sponsoring local youth sports teams or adoption fees for local non-profit dog rescues, hosting events in our office - you name it, we’ve
done it. Those feel-good moments are something everyone on our team enjoys being a part of, for obvious reasons!
While we may not be the cheapest option for cleaning in the capital region, one thing is for sure, we ARE the most dependable. Also, we ARE your pet’s favorite! We are the company people contact when they are stuck. When they’ve been burned or let down. When someone doesn’t show up. When they are left hanging with friends/family on the way or a party right around the corner. When they’ve had a bad experience. When they are scrambling to figure things out, they call us, and that’s a pretty remarkable feeling.
We want to be that consistent company that you know has your back. That keeps their word. That shows up. We have been just that for the Capital District since 2015 and look forward to many more years to come! We’re a dedicated team of individuals who are committed to helping the people in our community. We’re a professional, pet-friendly cleaning service you can trust & rely on. We’ll be there when you need us.
Owner | A Touch Above, Inc. 518 - 334 - 2234 www.atouchaboveny.com info@atouchaboveny.com Facebook: A Touch Above, Inc. Instagram: @A_Touch_Above_Ny
COLLEEN
YOU ARE ENOUGH. TRICIA PEDRO
BY NICOLE HEROUX WILLIAMS I PHOTOS BY NSP STUDIO BY TRACY SIMONE I PHOTOS BY THOM WILLIAMS
Tricia Pedro is a beautiful West Indian woman who is loved by many. She is originally from Trinidad and lucky for the 518, after her family moved to the states, she relocated from Brooklyn to the Capital District. She was one of four children.
She has children of her own but always still has enough love and energy for others as well. As if that were not enough, she is the life of the party. In fact, she is known as the one who brings the party! She has a party bus for children that is equipped with a ball pit and an obstacle course! Tricia is not only a wonderful nurturing mom, but she makes the time to embrace and provide for other children in her neighborhood. She is truly a blessing to her community, and she consistently gives back.
Being an amazing mother, she would do anything in order to help her children thrive. She began to see that her son Marley was showing signs of challenges in pre-school. There was a gap between what he needed and what he was receiving. She investigated and learned as much as she could in order to be able to provide him with some help. Along the way, she met other parents with some of the same concerns for their children. This led her to become an advocate for parents as well as the youth. She was on a mission to find tools and materials that would fill the education void that the kids were experiencing and also provide a method of helping parents better understand the needs of children.
It was through this journey that she created the character Farley the Penguin. She began a series of children’s books that not only aid the children but
also assist the parents. The first one called “If Farley Only Knew” addresses the adjustment that some children experience when they first attend school. Farley learns to balance fun while learning to listen and follow rules at school. Each installment in the book series will address other child-based obstacles that children may face as they grow up and how adults can provide support along the way. Children adore Farley, and the parents appreciate the hard work and dedication that Tricia has invested. As a children’s author, she explores Farley’s World.
She teaches her own children to help others and to give back. She is an excellent role model and has provided opportunities and events which benefit others. Tricia has been known to have raffled off bicycles for kids. One year, 50 bikes were provided as well as a pony for hire. Each of the events she hosts is free for kids. Tricia lives her life in a way that helps others, and the community is better for it.
She gives the neighborhood children things to look forward to and holidays are no exception. At one point for Halloween, she built a haunted house on her lot. This has now become a tradition that is highly anticipated and well attended each year. She is a special person who takes the time to reach out and make a difference in the lives of the youth. For Easter, she hosts the neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. She has held free back to school events where needed services are provided, such as haircuts.
Tricia consistently provides a safe play space and support for kids and families. She is lovely inside and out, has a beautiful spirit, and it is easy to see why Tricia Pedro’s part of
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the 518 might just be the most fun neighborhood in the Capital District. This lady certainly makes a difference. Where a little bit is needed, much is given.
Learn more about Farley, his adventures and more about this fabulous, beautiful woman at itsfarleysworld.com Books, plush toys, and children’s apparel are available for sale. From the website, you can also book a children’s party complete with a visit from Farley himself and items from Farley’s world including balloons, cards, books, toys and a cake! You can decide which ‘Farleygram’ package you would like so you and your child(ren) can party like a penguin! Bookings for the party bus can be made via the website as well. This lady thought of everything and from the web, you can access a Farley placemat that can keep a child entertained at the table with things to color as well as a word search game. The website also has a list of the local restaurants have these mats for kids who come to eat. Farley serves the Capital District region of upstate New York.
More pictures and information can be found on Instagram at @iffarleyonlyknew
There is a Facebook page available called Farley’s World where you can provide feedback on the books, learn about upcoming events or even just reach out to Tricia. She is doing a fantastic job and provides a much-needed service to parents and young people in the region. We need more people in the world like Tricia Pedro and we cannot wait to see where Farley will go next.
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{ SHIFT+CONTROL }{ FROM A FUTURE BEST SELLER } CHRISTINA FARINACCIROBERTS
BY CHRISTINA FARINACCI ROCHESTER
“An Ode to a Korean Tiger Mom” An excerpt from a future best seller…
There is nothing my mother loves- or needs more- than Jesus and food. So I suppose her penchant for grocery store evangelizing was bred from these two extreme delights. On more than one occasion I would accompany my mother to the market, expecting a quick five minute in and out purchase, only to leave an hour later with cucumbers and another Korean lady tailgating me back to our house.
My mother’s “Koreandar” was generally spot on. Her eagle eye would often target women in the produce section, and after confirming her suspicions, she would begin to speak with these “sisters” from the Land of Morning Calm and eventually befriend themsometimes within minutes, even before leaving the apples and oranges aisle, other times after a simple meal at our house.
Because I couldn’t understand the words my mom was speaking, I never knew exactly what she said that was so persuasive. But I hypothesize that it wasn’t so much her words that convinced people to trust her as much as it was her nature. Perhaps they could sense and were moved by her genuine faith. Or maybe her unabashed audacity, alone, was enough to make these Korean women both listen to my mother’s pitch and concede to her requests.
All I do know is that unlike my mother’s potential “converts,” I did not have a choice to engage with her religious pleas. My mother could not fathom having a heathen child, and she was hell bent on getting me into heaven.
Her ultimate mission began before I was even born. My mother loved to remind me of the “miracle” behind my birth (since she had previously endured six miscarriages). And although she always credited God as the source of my safe delivery, she definitely considered herself the “conduit” of His grace through her own attitude and actions.
My mother would strategically reiterate my “good fortune” in being born to her, usually when she wanted to underscore the importance of children’s obedience to their parents and the irrefutability of an offspring’s eternal indebtedness to their creators. (And since the honoring of parents was explicitly articulated in the 10 Commandments, my mother felt more than righteous in any of her rants.)
Whenever she gave me a religious centered spiel, I would often patronizingly nod my head at her (with a “Yeah, yeah lady-that’s great” attitude), mock affirming that I understood the magnitude of her prayers over my life. I definitely didn’t come to a full appreciation of her efforts and faith until much later on in my life. Eventually, I realized that my mother had perceived me as a gift from her Maker and decided that if God honored her petition to have me, she would then offer me back as a gift to the original Giver of my life. my mother was committed to instilling in me a heart for the Lord…and she would do so by force and fury, as well as by example and exhortation.
“Church” wasn’t something my mother attended; it was what she lived and who she was (is). Lee Lee wasn’t a “consumer” Christian who showed up to service on Sundays in order to check something off of her weekly “To Do ” list. Everyday was God’s day; Sunday was just the one that was exclusively His…and actually the whole weekend had portions devoted solely to growing closer to Him.
The simplicity of my mother’s faith, which in many ways and instances could be venerated for its stark beauty and sincere spirit, also frequently caused her to reduce complex theology into a black and white set of principles and “policies” that inadvertently transformed and reduced a glorious Faith into a mere “code of conduct” or a “guidebook” for obliging God to keep you in His good graces.
It was when my mother fell into these religious, moralistic traps, that she and I would clash the most. Whether she was intentionally or ignorantly manipulating the tenants of our faith didn’t much matter to me. All I knew (or cared about) at these times was that her dogma was stifling me or preventing my own will. And when it came to obstinacy, I was my mother’s child.
My mother’s often passive aggressive remarks forced me to not only take full responsibility for whatever choices I made; it also turned these choices
into a battery of litmus tests that would then measure my personal integrity in relation to my faith.
Although there were certainly occasions when I would opt to prioritize my social functions over my religious obligations, in general, my mother’s words prompted me- and to be honest, many times guilted me- to “put Goduh pirstuh [to put God first]”…and I would ultimately fulfill my spiritual duties- go to church, sing in the choir, teach Sunday School, volunteer for something or whatever else I had committed to.
I’d like to be able to say that I engaged in all of these virtuous activities with a pure heart. But that would be a lie. There were countless times in which I bitterly and resentfully took on each of these endeavors, secretly cursing my mother’s existence- and God Himself for “sentencing” me to a life with her. But the other truth is that for every “forced” event I attended or task I undertook as a result of her prodding, spiritual seeds were being planted in the bed of my heart. Of course, I didn’t realize it as it was happening. I just thought I was “doing the right thing” or “making my mom happy” (or at the very least avoiding her undesirable consequences). Ironically though, it was actually these cumulative, tumultuous experiences that ultimately established the foundation of my faith and convinced me of God’s real sovereignty.
Observing my mother’s sometimes (or often) misguided beliefs and being subjected to her sometimes (or often) inappropriate tactics mimicked and reaffirmed so much of the human brokenness I found in the stories told in the bible. But just like those biblical accounts, characters and parables, God’s grace and accompanying human redemption could always be found. And over time, those sown seeds would form a bud here; a sprout would blossom there… and eventually a whole stunning garden of various wild flowers would bloom and grow inside of me. Although, like any wild patch, it was not without its intermittent weeds strewn about- and indeed, in some ways was not as “wild” as one might think. For the garden of
my heart had a Landscaper all along who was the real tender and cultivator of all that flourished.
My mother may have mistakenly taken certain creeds out of context, but the essence still always rang true. Her impression that God gives or withholds to us based on some metric of our selfexerted “goodness” was obviously flawed, but now I no longer deem it malicious. ways I have been “blessed,” I have NO doubts that God has had His hand in everything- from the family I was born into to the lifelong friendships I have developed; from the professional opportunities I was afforded to the life experiences I’ve been able to acquire… God has ordered my steps and brought me to exactly where I needed to be- even when I didn’t always want to be there.
I cannot express enough my gratitude for my mother’s instilling of this deep faith I possess. Nevertheless, I also have to admit (and a bit ashamedly) how I have repeatedly failed to demonstrate this to her in the past, particularly because her overbearing parenting style used to irritate me so easily and infuriate me to no end.
These days I tell and show my 80 year old mother how much I love her much more frequently because my mom was diagnosed with the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s five years ago, and I know our time is limited. As a result of this, I have to continuously remind myself of my mother’s prayers and petitions to God concerning her stewardship of me. I must acknowledge that almost all of the annoying “demands” she once placed upon me are rooted in the promise she has made to Him. It’s a truth I have to return to when she says or does something that drives me absolutely crazy even now. And pretty much daily, I must consciously recall to myself that despite the frequent irrational behavior and outlandish beliefs my mother once spewed at me (and sometimes still does), beneath all the lunacy I recognize...there is a woman whose love for me knows no limits.
