On Tuesday, May 3, Lee BIA Builders Care enlisted supporting partners, donors and volunteers to build a wheelchair ramp for Charlie and Barbara Sands of North Fort Myers. The ramp will grant greater mobility for Barbara Sands, who is diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), to enter and exit her home with ease to attend regular doctor appointments and enjoy other activities outside of the home.
Charlie and Barbara Sands have lived in their North Fort Myers home since 1991, raising their family of four daughters, who now have their own children. In early 2015, Barbara Sands was involved in a fall that resulted in a broken back and vertebrae in her neck. She underwent surgery, and complications caused spinal fluid to leak into h
er body. This resulted in illness and a several month stay in the hospital. She has since been diagnosed with ALS leaving her immobile and unable to speak or utilize a majority of her body. As a result, she is unable to leave her home without assistance from her husband, who has suffered multiple heart attacks and carries her to and from the car in order to attend routine checkups.
With the help of supporting partners, donors and volunteers, including West Coast Structural Concrete & Masonry, Nilles Design Group, Gulf Coast Engineering, Tibbetts Lumber Company, LLC, Raymond Building Supply, Grabber Construction Products, Inc., Garden Street Portables, Waste Pro and Toll Brothers, Lee BIA Builders Care was able to assist with the construction of a wheelchair ramp to aid Barbara and Charlie Sands in their daily routines.
“Thank all of you, you have made me so happy. God bless you all,” reads a sign Barbara Sands handwrote to thank donors and volunteers.
About Builders Care
Builders Care is the nonprofit charitable arm of the Lee Building Industry Association (BIA). Its mission is to provide emergency repairs and construction services to elderly, disabled and economically disadvantaged people who are unable to obtain home repairs through traditional means. To date, Lee BIA Builders Care has put more than $3.8 Million in construction services back into the community at no cost to homeowners in need. Builders Care enlists the volunteer services of Lee BIA members and leverages grants and donated materials to provide construction and remodeling services to qualified homeowners throughout Lee County. Certified Building Partners 
include Stock Development and Minto Communities. Major supporters include Cape Coral Plumbing, Ferguson Enterprises, Nilles Design Group, Priority Marketing of Southwest Florida, Sunset Air and The Aubuchon Team of Companies. Builders Care is headquartered at the Lee BIA offices at 10501 Six Mile Cypress Pkwy., Suite 118 in Fort Myers. The Building Industry Association (www.BIA.net ) is a 50-year-old association affiliated with National Home Builders Association and Florida Home Builders Association to serve the local building and related industries to strengthen our community by advancing a professional building industry through advocacy, education and services. Donations can be made online at www.LeeBuildersCare.org, or to the Builders Care general fund at BB&T Page Field branch at 4959 South Cleveland Ave. in Fort Myers. More information is available by calling 239-938-0056. Follow Builders Care at Facebook.com/LeeBuildersCare or on Twitter @LeeBuildersCare.
