Saluting Builders Care

It didn't take a lot of effort to tear down Willie Harvey's ramshackle house in Hastings, a tiny agricultural community located in a part of St. Johns County that time—and prosperity—seem to have forgotten.

But it took an incredible effort on the part of hundreds of volunteers to build Harvey and his family a new home—in just four days, start to finish. It was all a part of a joint effort between Builders Care, a not-for-profit agency started by the Northeast Florida Builders Association, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, a popular ABC-TV reality series in which deserving families get spectacular new digs.

By now you may have seen the program, which aired in April. But what you may not have seen on television was what Builders Care and its volunteers quietly did for Harvey's neighbors.

Through a program Builders Care dubbed "Extreme Outreach," another several hundred thousand dollars of cash and in-kind services were donated to improve the homes—and the lives—of at least a dozen additional Hastings residents who had been stricken by infirmity or illness and were living in sometimes dangerously decrepit structures.

During Extreme Outreach, Builders Care staff and volunteers rolled up their sleeves and did the less glamorous but equally important work of repairing leaky plumbing, fortifying crumbling wheelchair ramps, fixing damaged roofs and replacing rotting floors.

It was inspiring and uplifting to see an entire industry come together to help people who, for a variety of reasons, are unable to help themselves. But this was no one-shot outpouring of faux generosity. Builders Care, under the direction of Executive Director Bill Wilson, does this sort of thing all the time—not just when television crews come calling.

It certainly feels good to be affiliated with an industry that places such value on community service. But, as you can imagine, it feels even better to get involved personally.

Now, I'm probably not a person you'd want operating a power saw in close proximity to other living beings—but I can wield a paintbrush without doing too much damage. So, along with other Jacksonville Homebuyer staffers, I've participated in Builders Care Volunteer Days, held the third Saturday of each month. And I can tell you, I've always come away feeling grateful for the blessings I've enjoyed in my life and fulfilled that I've had an opportunity to give something back.

Wouldn't you like to get involved in a hands-on, grass-roots program that lifts people up in such a tangible way? You can start by reading the various stories we've assembled in this issue saluting Builders Care and the important work it does. Then you can call (904) 727-3456 and find out how you and your company can help.

Northeast Florida will be all the better for it. And you will be, too.