Clay Day to benefit several charities

Davidson Realty’s annual fundraiser adds Builders Care as beneficiary

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Davidson Cares, the corporate giving program of Davidson Realty, has added Builders Care as beneficiary of its fourthth annual Clay Day event Thursday, Oct. 24. Other sponsored charities include St. Augustine Youth Services and Investing in Kids.

The charitable arm of Northeast Florida Builders Association, Builders Care was created in 2001 in conjunction with HabiJax to fill a very specific gap in services. While HabiJax builds homes for those in need, Builders Care focuses on home repairs for low income and elderly residents in Duval, St. Johns, Nassau, Clay and Baker counties.

“So many people have homes that desperately need repairs,” said Justin Brown, executive officer of Builders Care. “Many of them are older widows, many disabled, who need roof repairs or access ramps. We are the boots on the ground helping to keep them in their homes.”

Typical projects include roof and interior repair from hurricanes and flooding, as well as accessibility modifications like wheelchair ramps, grab bars and retrofitted showers.

While some funding for projects comes from organizations like Catholic Charities USA, most Builders Care contributions originate from individual private donors. Many of those donors are NEFBA members.

“Because we’re associated with NEFBA, we have over 1,200 members who are willing to come help us out,” said Brown, who came aboard in 2015 with a background in commercial real estate. “NEFBA members have huge hearts and do good with what they have.”

Despite donor generosity, Builders Care operations are lean. Brown and Project Manager Eddie McKinnon are the only full-time employees. A volunteer manages the Facebook page and projects are completed by church groups, corporate teams and others who donate their time.

In 2018 alone, Builders Care volunteers logged more than 8,500 hours of service.

Builders Care and its volunteers are making a real impact for Northeast Floridians. In 2018, the organization completed 14 rebuilds from Hurricane Irma and 112 roof repairs 11 of those were complete reroof projects. So far in 2019, volunteers have completed five wheelchair ramps, 15 reroof jobs, 35 roof repairs and 41 projects for other repairs from electrical to flooring repair.

“I see no shortage of people who are genuinely in need,” said Brown, who gets about 40 requests per week and solely manages a lengthy wait list. “We can’t help everyone so I triage the issue, determine where the serious needs are, and refer it where I can.”

 

Davidson Cares Clay Day

Davidson Cares Clay Day includes two sport shooting events, beginner skeet and sporting clay. Individuals and teams from beginner to expert levels are invited to participate.

In association with the event, Davidson also hosts three raffle contests. Prizes include a 65-quart YETI cooler with 13 full-size liquors, four chalet tickets to THE PLAYERS Championship and a Beretta 12-gauge competition shotgun.

Money raised from the event and raffles will go directly to Builders Care, SAYS and INK! in equal sums. For more information, visit DavidsonCares.com or call Davidson Realty at (904) 940-5000.