from staff
For the second time in four years the Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA) has won an award for their community service.
On Feb. 8, NEFBA was awarded the 2006 National Housing Endowment Home Builders Care Community Service Project of the Year Award at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando. They received the award for its support of Trinity Rescue Mission’s Women and Children’s Center.
In 2002, NEFBA won the award for their work with the elderly.
“This is the kind of project that really makes you step back from the day-to-day reality of the job and realize what an amazing and charitable group of people make up the home builder community,” said NEFBA Executive Director Daniel Davis. “We had an incredible group of volunteers, and there was a real spirit of neighbor helping neighbor.
“It’s an honor to be recognized publicly for something that was so gratifying personally.”
In January 2005, Davis presented a fundraising challenge to NEFBA’s board of directors saying if they raised $100,000 to benefit the construction of Trinity Rescue Mission’s Women and Children’s Center then he would personally raise the funds to match it.
More than 40 NEFBA member groups donated approximately 5,600 hours of labor, more than $600,000 worth of materials and $215,000 in cash.
Trinity Rescue Mission’s Women and Children’s Center opened Aug. 16, 2006 and now more than 1,200 women and children receive food, shelter and safety each year.
NEFBA received a $5,000 donation from the National Housing Endowment Board of Trustees which was then given to the charity of their choice. NEFBA presented the check to members of Trinity Rescue Mission at NEFBA’s monthly meeting Thursday.
In a press release, Gary Garczynski, chairman of the National Housing Endowment Board of Trustees, the philanthropic arm of the National Association of Home Builders said they were honored to give this year’s award to NEFBA.
“We are pleased to award this year’s honor to a project that had a huge impact on both the community and the dedicated volunteers that were the catalyst behind its construction,” he said. “While it was a difficult decision since we reviewed so many worthwhile and generous projects, the Northeast Florida Builders Association united its members with a project that really demonstrated a passion to address the problem of homelessness.”