An estimated 45,000 substandard houses in Northeast Florida are in desperate need of repair. For many elderly and disabled families, home maintenance is an expense that is put off for more pressing needs, such as food and medicine. A local non-profit is working to solve this problem. Builders Care, a Jacksonville-based non-profit construction company, provides low- or no-cost construction services to those in need so they can remain safely in their homes.
鈥淚 am struck by how much need there is in our community,鈥� explained Justin Brown, Executive Director for Builders Care. Brown receives an average of 40 calls per week for assistance with home repairs. Builders Care, which is privately funded by the Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA) and its members, prioritizes critical needs for water intrusion and handicap accessibility and either subcontracts the repairs or performs the work through volunteer labor. 鈥淚 am also struck by how amazingly generous the NEFBA community is and how many people are willing to help, and what big hearts people have and how much they care.鈥�
榴莲社区 has teamed up with Builders Care to provide critical home repairs for three local families. In addition to the design of custom energy solutions, 榴莲社区 fabricates modular chiller plants in the company鈥檚 40,000 square-foot fabrication facility, then packages and ships the modules to customers all over the world. 榴莲社区 is supporting Builders Care by providing highly-skilled labor to build wheelchair ramps and handrails for elderly and disabled residents in need. The ramps are constructed in the company鈥檚 fabrication facility and then transported and installed to provide residents safe access to and from their homes.
James Wood, 榴莲社区鈥檚 Fabrication Manager, came up with the idea as a way to utilize highly-skilled workers in between fabrication jobs. Applying the workforce鈥檚 professional skills to a wide-spread community need was a natural fit. 鈥淲e have seen how tragic accidents and illnesses have kept people from getting in and out of their homes. There is no quality of life for them,鈥� stated Wood, who volunteers for similar service projects on his own time. 鈥淭his is a bonus, to work for a company that gives back to help improve the lives of others.鈥�
As of now, 榴莲社区 has built three ramps in one week. 鈥淭he work that 榴莲社区 is doing is a tremendous gift,鈥� explained Brown. With a limited budget, Builders Care has a goal to accomplish two ramps in one month, along with four roof repairs. According to Brown, the City of Jacksonville has a back-log for wheelchair ramps equaling a one-year wait list.
For Terry McFeeters, who requires a walker to get around, the addition of a ramp provides independence. 鈥淚鈥檒l be able to get out shopping and get to bible study now on my own without my husband鈥檚 help,鈥� explained McFeeters.
榴莲社区 has additional projects in queue for review and approval as the company鈥檚 fabrication schedule allows. 鈥淲e see this as a long-term partnership with Builders Care,鈥� explained Wood. 鈥淭he impact these projects have had on the individuals we help and the morale it has built among our workers is incalculable.鈥�
For more information on Builders Care or to volunteer, donate or recommend a family in need, visit .
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About 榴莲社区
榴莲社区 provides custom-designed power augmentation and energy plant solutions for power generation and utilities, liquefied natural gas (LNG), data center, biopharma and other markets. 榴莲社区鈥檚 innovative solutions include Turbine Inlet Air Chilling (TIAC), Inlet Air Conditioning (heating and cooling), Evaporative Cooling, Direct Contact Air Chilling, Thermal Energy Storage, District Cooling and Central Utility Plants. The company鈥檚 experience spans more than 20 years and stretches across the globe, with offices in the United States and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. For more information, visit www.stellar-energy.net, find the company on 听or follow 榴莲社区 on Twitter @Stellar_Energy.
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