Weeks after the horror of destruction and fear that gripped our nation on Sept. 11, 2001, Builders Care began its mission of hope and restoration in Northeast Florida.
NEFBA Executive Director Arnold Tritt and executive committee member Ken Kuester were instrumental in bringing together elements of the community to create Builders Care as a charitable arm of the Northeast Florida Builders Association.
Bill Wilson was the organization’s founding executive director and contributed significantly to developing programs and procedures to fulfill the primary mission of its founders.
Motivated by a study conducted by the Jacksonville Community Council concerning local housing conditions, an aging housing stock, substandard housing and vulnerable homeowners, Builders Care began an ambitious campaign to restore hope and safe homes to low-income, elderly and disabled residents.
The JCC report estimated 45,000 homes in need of repair. To date, Builders Care has contributed assistance to more than 2,000 projects to homeowners and to other nonprofit organizations that serve the same population.
Builders Care looks to volunteers and donated materials to augment the professional labor provided by NEFBA members in order to provide services. Builders Care’s primary focus continues to be aging and disabled homeowners living in unsafe conditions and who have limited or no resources to make repairs or necessary modifications to their homes.
The organization also serves nonprofits such as Angelwood, the USO, Second Harvest Food Bank, daniel, the Boselli Foundation, Gateway Community Services, the ARC and others serving the most vulnerable in our area.
Builders Care received national exposure when in 2005 it served as general contractor led by NEFBA President Bryan Lendry for an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Builders Care also partners with HabiJax, the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, on projects to renovate existing homes and build new ones in underserved, often deteriorating neighborhoods.
For the past few years, the HabiJax-Builders Care team has focused on New Town, just west of Jacksonville’s downtown area (bordered by Beaver Street, Myrtle Avenue and Kings Road).
In a call for volunteers, Executive Director Matt Wilford extends an invitation to individuals, businesses, faith-based and social groups to join the fight against substandard housing.
“This is the logical place for an individual who is talented in the construction industry to give back to the community,” Wilford said. “And, there’s no better way to network with like-minded people than to work side by side on a meaningful charitable project. Even more important than talent or skill is the desire to help someone enjoy the comforts and security of a safe home that many of us take for granted.”