When Fox Pest Control volunteered to come speak with the youth placed in our residential group homes, we were thrilled! Check out what they said about their experience. 

“As a company, Fox Pest Control believes in growing the individual. No matter who you are — your age, background, or future career goals — we want you to grow stronger and better for becoming part of the Fox Family. You will work together with supervisors and coworkers who have those same goals both for themselves and for you.

That’s why our Virginia Beach branch was thrilled to work with Tidewater Youth Services this past January.

Tidewater helps “at-risk and court-involved youth become productive members of the community” through education, training, housing, coaching and beneficial activities. Throughout the month of January, small groups of Virginia Beach Pest Pros visited the youth at three different group homes and spoke about the occupational skills involved in being a pest control technician.

On January 2, Jason, Carlos, Zeke and Aaron from the branch visited the Lynnhaven Boys Home. The youth were exceptional and inviting, as were the staff. Our team and the boys chatted about life experiences, handled Fox equipment and ate lunch together. Different groups of Fox Pest Pros subsequently visited Tidewater’s Crisis Intervention Home on January 16 and the Westhaven Boys Home on January 23. 

Jenny Hodge, the Executive Director of the Tidewater Youth Services Foundation, explained that the Pest Pros shared their stories of success amid life’s trials with the youth.

“They continued their stories with a sense of hope and [getting] second chances as young adults — that if they could overcome hardships and be successful, then our youth could, too,” Hodge said.

Fox Pest Pro Aaron Stovall attended each one of the visits and believes he ultimately came away a better person.

“We went there to show kids that the traditional route is not for everyone and to tell them that this is not the end of their story— only a chapter,” he said. “These kids are very bright, and they made me look in the mirror and realize some things about myself.”