By Amber Lynette | amberlynette@reaperclean.com
The Fresno Rainbow Pride Festival at Fresno City College was once again a community success! Not even the heat of the day could bring down the supportive and fun energy that filled the walkways across campus. While navigating the many vendors, food trucks, and fun activities—Fresno’s local Biohazard Remediation Specialists, Reaper Clean, could also be found amongst the resource tables. With one giant Rainbow Giraffe and two family zoo memberships to raffle off in exchange for donations towards the start of their Suicide Prevention Campaign, it was truly a joyous day for these Crime Scene Cleaners to be able to meet so many new people and share about the work that they are doing within the Central Valley.
Independent and locally owned, this small team of professional cleaners broke away from a corporate infrastructure that overcharged its customers and neglected the well-being of its hard-working field members. Reaper Clean goes beyond just the clean-up. The team participates in the community by talking about local resources such as grief support, suicide prevention, and the many other intersections that cross their line of work. They want to be direct about their services and have open and honest conversations about death care and Crime Scene Cleaning. They also advocate for the safety and well-being of other Crime Scene Cleaners.
From the very start of the business in 2020—Reaper Clean wanted to be something different within the biohazard industry—but being different, as anyone who celebrates Pride can understand, is oftentimes a hard road. The last four years of building this vision and participating in its reality have brought on many challenges—from being misunderstood, misquoted, overtly censored, and just fighting tooth and nail to be seen amongst a pool of much larger companies, there have been days where this small business wasn’t sure if they were reaching the right people or making an impact. Nevertheless, it is a day like June 1st that reminds these local Crime Scene Cleaners that they are making an impact, they are reaching the right people, and that they need to continue being a resource while also participating in the community that they are very much a part of.
From a teenager approaching the table to share her experience of loss and need for help, from friends wanting to know more about service capability on behalf of peers who are struggling, families inquiring about loved ones being able to pass away at home, and from people excited to ask questions, share stories and offer encouraging words—this was the first time that Reaper Clean felt like they didn’t need to justify their purpose, but rather, that they have always belonged here. Not only did they make new friends, but many people actually revealed themselves to be big supporters of Reaper Clean, and some were even readers of this column—which has now been going for one full year and helping to educate and explore the topic of biohazard remediation from a grassroots perspective.
It has always been the help of grassroots efforts and local customers/community members believing in the work that is being done that have made it possible for Reaper Clean and all of its uniqueness to exist in the heart of Fresno—and this author and biohazard remediation specialist has never been prouder to be surrounded by such amazing support. Also, with the help of everyone who participated in the raffle, the team was able to raise $215 on behalf of The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, as well as $109 for The Trevor Project, a LGBTQIA specific suicide prevention nonprofit and crisis line. And most importantly, a little girl named Tinsley, and the only person to fully complete all ten tasks in the Reaper Clean Pride Scavenger Hunt, won the final raffle drawing to take home the giant giraffe.
For more information about Reaper Clean, go to www.reaperclean.com, email onthescene@reaperclean.com or follow on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok @reaper_clean.
