LONG BEACH, Calif. — As Atlanta temperatures hit 90°F and above, the central air conditioning at Metro Atlanta Respite & Developmental Services Inc. (MARDS) broke down, and there was no money to replace it. The nonprofit charitable organization, which was founded in 1986, offers daycare, respite care, and enrichment programs for infants through high school students with mental and physical developmental challenges.

The organization tried using residential-grade portable air conditioners, but they didn’t have enough cooling capacity for the former public-school building MARDS currently occupies.

“Everyone was really hot and there was no relief in sight,” said Lisa Conley, MARDS program director. “In desperation I finally contacted several air conditioner manufacturers for possible donations and the nice people at MovinCool came to our rescue. They provided us with seven portable air conditioners and we hooked up three of them right away. It’s made a huge difference. At last we are keeping cool.”

“This has been a brutally hot summer, and many have been suffering,” said David Keller, manager, Heat Management Department. “When we heard about the terrible situation MARDS was in, we felt compelled to help. We are very happy to contribute to such a worthy organization, as part of our company’s policy of corporate social responsibility. It’s our way of giving back to the community.”

Also contributing to the effort was Atlas Sales & Rentals Inc., the local MovinCool distributor in Doraville, Ga., who donated their labor in preparing, delivering, and installing the units, as well as donating warm-air exhaust ducts and other accessories. “We were glad to help out one of our neighbors in need,” said John Rennie, manager.

For more information, visit www.movincool.com.

Publication date: 8/20/2012