Stellar Energy teams up with non-profit to help families in need

An estimated 45,000 substandard houses in Northeast Florida are in desperate need of repair. For many elderly and disabled families, home maintenance is an expense that is put off for more pressing needs, such as food and medicine. A local non-profit is working to solve this problem. Builders Care, a Jacksonville-based non-profit construction company, provides low- or no-cost construction services to those in need so they can remain safely in their homes.

“I am struck by how much need there is in our community,” explained Justin Brown, Executive Director for Builders Care. Brown receives an average of 40 calls per week for assistance with home repairs. Builders Care, which is privately funded by the Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA) and its members, prioritizes critical needs for water intrusion and handicap accessibility and either subcontracts the repairs or performs the work through volunteer labor. “I am also struck by how amazingly generous the NEFBA community is and how many people are willing to help, and what big hearts people have and how much they care.”

Stellar Energy has teamed up with Builders Care to provide critical home repairs for three local families. In addition to the design of custom energy solutions, Stellar Energy fabricates modular chiller plants in the company’s 40,000 square-foot fabrication facility, then packages and ships the modules to customers all over the world. Stellar Energy is supporting Builders Care by providing highly-skilled labor to build wheelchair ramps and handrails for elderly and disabled residents in need. The ramps are constructed in the company’s fabrication facility and then transported and installed to provide residents safe access to and from their homes.

James Wood, Stellar Energy’s Fabrication Manager, came up with the idea as a way to utilize highly-skilled workers in between fabrication jobs. Applying the workforce’s professional skills to a wide-spread community need was a natural fit. “We have seen how tragic accidents and illnesses have kept people from getting in and out of their homes. There is no quality of life for them,” stated Wood, who volunteers for similar service projects on his own time. “This is a bonus, to work for a company that gives back to help improve the lives of others.”

As of now, Stellar Energy has built three ramps in one week. “The work that Stellar Energy is doing is a tremendous gift,” explained Brown. With a limited budget, Builders Care has a goal to accomplish two ramps in one month, along with four roof repairs. According to Brown, the City of Jacksonville has a back-log for wheelchair ramps equaling a one-year wait list.

For Terry McFeeters, who requires a walker to get around, the addition of a ramp provides independence. “I’ll be able to get out shopping and get to bible study now on my own without my husband’s help,” explained McFeeters.

Stellar Energy has additional projects in queue for review and approval as the company’s fabrication schedule allows. “We see this as a long-term partnership with Builders Care,” explained Wood. “The impact these projects have had on the individuals we help and the morale it has built among our workers is incalculable.”

For more information on Builders Care or to volunteer, donate or recommend a family in need, visit www.builderscare.org.

Watch news coverage on CBS 47 Action News.

 

About Stellar Energy

Stellar Energy provides custom-designed power augmentation and energy plant solutions for power generation and utilities, liquefied natural gas (LNG), data center, biopharma and other markets. Stellar Energy’s innovative solutions include Turbine Inlet Air Chilling (TIAC), Inlet Air Conditioning (heating and cooling), Evaporative Cooling, Direct Contact Air Chilling, Thermal Energy Storage, District Cooling and Central Utility Plants. The company’s experience spans more than 20 years and stretches across the globe, with offices in the United States and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. For more information, visit www.stellar-energy.net, find the company on LinkedIn or follow Stellar Energy on Twitter @Stellar_Energy.