First Lady Casey DeSantis has presented Lee BIA Builders Care with a $400,000 grant to support its Hurricane Ian disaster relief efforts.
The grant funds, presented during a disaster fund press conference on Oct. 21 in Sarasota, will support the nonprofit in its mission to provide emergency construction services at no cost to needy and deserving elderly and/or disabled homeowners in response to Hurricane Ian.
“We have a lot of rebuilding to do – and it will take us some time – but we are strong,” said Crystal Stouten, executive director of Lee BIA Builders Care. “This money will go a long way to helping a lot of people in our community, and we are so thankful for this generous funding through the Florida Disaster Fund.”
Following the storm, Builders Care has provided a range of emergency home repair services to homeowners in need, including roof tarping, water damage mitigation, window replacement, AC repair, roof repairs, property debris and tree cleanup, plumbing repairs, electrical repairs, wheelchair ramp rebuilds and delivery of food, water and other essentials.
“It’s not a matter of if people get back on their feet, it’s a matter of when,” Casey DeSantis said during the press conference. “One of the things that we have done was an immediate response to the storm, literally within hours, we launched the Florida Disaster Fund, and the generosity of people across the state and the country has been wonderful.”
To learn more about Builders Care and its mission, visit www.leebuilderscare.com/hurricanerelief.
About Lee BIA Builders Care
The mission of Lee BIA Builders Care is to provide emergency construction services at no cost to needy and deserving elderly and/or disabled homeowners, and their families, who cannot obtain repairs through traditional means. Lee BIA Builders Care offers a full range of no-cost emergency construction services to improve the safety and health for needy seniors and disabled individuals of all ages by enlisting the expertise and donated services and materials of contractors, sub-contractors and businesses. To date, Lee BIA Builders Care has put more than $4.9 million in construction services back into the community at no cost to homeowners in need. Builders Care is funded through financial donations, grants and donated services and materials to provide emergency construction services to qualified homeowners throughout the community. Lee BIA Builders Care is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization under the charitable arm of the Lee Building Industry Association. Lee BIA Builders Care is headquartered at 6835 International Center Blvd. #4 in Fort Myers. Donations can be made online at www.LeeBuildersCare.org. More information is available by calling 239-938-0056, and by following Builders Care at www.Facebook.com/LeeBuildersCare.