By Jean Sealey
Northeast Florida Builders
Association
Flora Tindal’s husband John died last year. Not only did 81-year-old Flora lose her life mate, she was faced with immediate needs involving her home. The most pressing need was for heat. Flora’s Northside home, built in 1952, lacked heating and cooling.
“We don’t usually install central heat and air,” said Chris Simons, Builders Care director of operations. “However, in this situation, that was the most crucial need. We needed to upgrade the electrical service to accommodate the system, and while we were working, we noticed the house had some plumbing problems. We were able to upgrade the plumbing, as well.”
Upgrading homes for the elderly and disabled is the mission of Builders Care, a charitable arm of the Northeast Florida Builders Association.
Builders Care has been able to provide assistance to 350 houses in the greater Jacksonville area, allowing the owners to remain in their own homes. Without the renovations and improvements made by Builders Care, these homeowners would have been forced to leave their homes because of code violations or would have continued to live in unsafe conditions.
When the construction work was complete, Tindal’s home was warm and cozy. But Builders Care was not finished. A volunteer workforce from First Coast Service Options (a subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield) stepped forward to paint the exterior of Tindal’s house, giving her a renewed sense of pride in her home.
On a cold, blustery Friday morning in February, volunteers gathered to share in putting the final touches on Tindal’s home.
First Coast Service Options Director Laura Rountree, a 31-year veteran of the company, always had a passion for developing her leadership team and giving back to the community. To that end, she has attempted to hold at least two team-building functions per year wherein her group volunteers for different worthy causes.
“This year, because of our size, usually 20 to 25 members, finding a place we could all work together became more difficult,” said Mark Dougherty, project consultant and volunteer. “With the assistance of the Community Relations department of Blue Cross, Builders Care was brought to our attention as an organization that could benefit from our assistance. After initial contact was made, it was very short order until Builders Care targeted us to work on Mrs. Tindal’s house.”
The volunteers had the opportunity to meet Tindal and were touched by her situation and gratitude.
“We are very grateful for the opportunity to help Mrs.Tindal,” Dougherty said. “Our team members commented on how appreciative she was, and how it made them feel to be doing something apparently so small that could make such a big impact.”
The focus of Builders Care is to upgrade substandard housing so that residents can remain in their homes. With the help of association members, Builders Care is able to provide materials and services at significantly reduced cost, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of allocated funds.
Simons said for every dollar of funding, Builders Care delivers $1.50 of fair-market value construction.
“We provide the construction services, whether it is a new roof, new plumbing and other structural concerns,” he said. “When we are finished with that part of the project, volunteers come in to clean up the yard, paint the home and put on the visible touches that help homeowners reclaim their pride in their homes and help improve the overall look of the neighborhood. We believe that one home at a time, we are helping restore some of Jacksonville’s forgotten areas.”
Dougherty also believes Builders Care is changing the face of Jacksonville.
“I believe Builders Care is on a very good track to significantly affect many lives in Jacksonville,” he said. “It was an honor to help. We hope to set another date in the future — maybe in warmer weather, too — when we can bring our entire team out to help someone else. I speak for the group when I say it was a great experience.”
The third Saturday of each month is Builders Care Volunteer Day. Volunteers assemble at Alltel Stadium at 7:30 a.m. for assignments.
If your group is interested in volunteering, call Builders Care at 727-3443 prior to Volunteer Day.