by Michael Bonts
Special to the Daily Record
Heeding the call from the Northeast Florida Builders Association to “Adopt a Grandma,” a volunteer army of builders, contractors, community groups and churches working under the Builders Care banner went to work last month on dozens of homes in desperate need of repairs.
The homes, located near Alltel Stadium, belong to Jacksonville’s elderly, disabled and disadvantaged.
Builders Care, a NEFBA program launched last October, has been renovating and performing emergency repairs on the homes of seniors, the disabled and disadvantaged. Builders Care is activating community wide volunteers, labor, corporate sponsors, and builders, sub-contractors and material suppliers.
“Adopt a Grandma” is the battle cry for the project’s official name, Operation Leverage, a marathon undertaking without traditional boundaries. The concerted effort will recruit resources of builders, suppliers and sub-contractors and match them with homes.
“We are going to put all the resources available and utilize volunteers and members of the Northeast Florida Builders Association to make a great impact during this project,” said Bill Wilson, Builders Care executive director and a veteran certified contractor.
“These people are my guardian angels,” said Evelyn English, one of the first clients. “They were an answer to my prayers.”