At 17, Jerry Williams was a top motocross professional, ranked No. 1 in the Southeast.
At 18, Williams injured his left leg making it difficult to compete in motocross, so he decided to race cars.
Within no time he was finishing at the top of professional races in Florida.
In 1989, Jerry was involved in a car racing accident at a racetrack off Pecan Park Road, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down.
In March 2014, Williams was living alone in a small house owned by his mother on Jacksonville’s Westside.
When a fire broke out, Williams was asleep. Fortunately, his service dog Sweetie was there to wake him up and help guide him out the back door. He managed to crawl to safety as the home was engulfed in flames.
He moved into a two-story house with family members, where he lives in a master bedroom on the first floor.
Unfortunately the walk-in shower was not a wheel-in shower. There was a significant step that made it impossible for Williams to use.
Therefore he has been bathing for the past two years in the bathroom sink. It’s what the old timers call a sponge bath.
A social worker from MCCI Group contacted Builders Care and made a request on Williams’ behalf, hoping there was something we could do.
The social worker sent pictures of the work that needed to be done.
“This was such a small, simple request,” said Justin Brown, Builders Care executive director. “A shower is something most of us take for granted. The shower was installed already, but a single step prevented access for anyone in a wheelchair.
“We gave this project a high priority. The solution was simple and inexpensive and the impact on Jerry’s life would be great,” Brown said.
NEFBA contractor Southern Dynasty removed the step and built a small ramp into the shower using donated tile.
It was a minor project in time and expense. But it changed Williams’ life.
“Jerry was overjoyed,” Brown said. “He said it was almost two years to the day since he had last been able to shower. Something so small for one of our NEFBA contractors can be absolutely life changing.”
Builders Care is a not-for-profit, charitable arm of the Northeast Florida Builders Association.
Its mission is to help eradicate substandard housing in Northeast Florida and restore housing units to safe, healthy environments for their inhabitants.
Volunteers and contributions are welcome and needed. Call (904) 727-3443 to help or request help.