Service to Provide Free Cleanings to Cancer Patients
Celma Silveira of Cleaning by Celma. This holiday season, Silveira is partnering with a nonprofit organization to provide free cleanings to cancer patients in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Atkinson, NH – December 16, 2024 — Ten years ago, Celma Silveira found herself homeless on the streets of Lawrence with her 7-year-old after fleeing a violent home life, her medical license stripped from lack of use and a trunk full of cleaning supplies.
For the three years before she moved into a shelter for victims of domestic violence, she offered her cleaning services for what little income she could find while looking for a more stable job that would consider her child’s needs.
Unable to do so, and inspired by the high praise she’d receive from staff at the shelter for her cleaning, she undertook the challenge of starting and managing her own business, Cleaning by Celma.
“I was getting $112 a week from child support at the time and I made T-shirts and business cards and started spreading the word,” Silveira said. “I put my cards in coffee shops and I had a real estate agent reach out to me and give me a ton of jobs.”
Being an immigrant from Brazil, Silveira was met with more barriers than most when trying to market and certify her business — understanding government documents, applying for bank loans as a low-income resident, navigating the business world with English as a second language.
Slowly, and with the help of friends, family and clients like the Susan Sells Team of Keller Williams Realty, Silveira built up her business, bought a home in Atkinson for herself and her son and had enough income to hire five employees.
With the help of the additional hires, one of which is an office manager that fields phone calls and schedules clients for cleanings, Silveira has been able to donate her time to those in need who are incapable of cleaning their own homes and cannot afford regular cleanings.
“They were basically just rotting in their own homes. I knew I had to feed my children but seeing a human being in that situation, I couldn’t leave that house without doing something about it,” Silveira said.
She would help disabled veterans, single parents and individuals bedridden by illnesses or obesity. If she couldn’t be there herself, sometimes she’d hire someone to clean in her place.
Last week, Silveira announced her recent partnership with Cleaning for a Reason, a national non-profit that supports her mission to give back to those in need at no cost to them. Twice a month, Silveira offers free house cleanings to cancer patients in New Hampshire and Massachusetts who are vetted by Cleaning for a Reason and approved for the services.
“If I can do one single thing in my life, it’s helping others,” Silveira said. “I truly understand that for cancer patients, a clean home is more than just a matter of appearance. It’s a sanctuary that can significantly impact their well-being, reduce stress, promote healing and provide a sense of normalcy during a challenging time.”
During this holiday season, in lieu of monetary gifts, Silveira has asked her clients to provide her with home goods, like hand towels and shower liners, for the houses she volunteers to clean.
Silveira likes to hire employees with the same mindset as her, who are passionate about helping people and aren’t looking to work just for the income. In October, she hired Kaitlynn Colon to act as her office assistant. A stay-at-home mom with experience in office administration, Silveira saw a bit of herself in Colon and took her on.
Silveira is looking to hire like-minded people to help expand her business.
“She’s so much fun to be around. She loves to clean. She’s a little discombobulated sometimes but in a good way. She’s definitely the heart of the company; she puts her all into this,” Colon said of Silveira. “I’m forever grateful for her for taking a chance on me. Raising my kids and working is so difficult and she has given me the opportunity to do both.”
Donations to Silveira’s cause can be made via Venmo @celma-silveira; cleaning supplies or home goods can be mailed or dropped off at her office, 46 West Side Drive.
Original Source: https://www.cnhinews.com/massachusetts/article_83b521da-ee71-5ac2-887d-e146f2116b61.html
