Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Your home is your castle. It is the place, above all other locations, that you should feel the most comfortable, safe and secure. But it's important to have easy access to that castle, and when entryways are blocked, damaged or unusable, it can make your castle feel like a cave, leaving you to feel trapped, isolated and alone. Striving to prevent that is Eric Evans, the on-site project leader for FL Cares.
FL Cares is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization that serves Jefferson, Gadsden, Wakulla and Leon counties. Through their FL Cares Access Program, they seek solutions that will provide better, safer, more functional home access, specializing in building wheelchair ramps, stairs or even half-steps that will enable even those with accessibility challenges to enter and exit their home with ease. Each build is custom-designed to suit the needs of the home owner. FL Cares prides itself on accommodating the needs of anyone and everyone who feels they would benefit from the Access Project.
In an interview with Monticello News, Eric Evans reveals that the FL Cares program has partnered with over 40 groups and organizations! Those that reside in Jefferson County are:
• 1st United Methodist Church- Men's Group
• Ebenezer Baptist Church
• Monticello Rotary Club
• Monticello Kiwanis Club
• Jefferson County Community
Emergency Response Team (CERT)
• Aucilla Christian Academy Junior
and Senior class of 2021 (future classes pending)
• Wacissa Pentacostal Holiness Church
• Boland Lumber, Co.
• The Lions Club of Monticello
• Jefferson County Kingdom Builders
In addition to the many organizations who have come forward to donate time, labor or funding to this community resource, many individual community members, government officials and even local politicians have come together to support this program.
So far this year, FL Cares has completed 18 projects, 13 of which were half-step projects, three were ramp installations, and two were repair jobs on current structures. Evans says the year is not over yet, however, and the organization looks ahead to the end of November for their next build, which is scheduled to begin just after Thanksgiving.
In all four counties, FL Cares has completed 462 total projects since they began their operation in October of 2018. They are 100 percent volunteer based, including the eight individuals who currently serve as board members and project leaders. Of the eight board members, four are veterans, one is a professor at TCC, one is a local business owner, one is a State's Attorney, and one works at the Department of Economic Opportunity. Each member of the board have volunteered their time, services, talents and resources to the FL Cares program. In addition to this dedicated board, FL Cares also benefits from over 1,000 volunteers. These volunteers vary from one-time helpers to frequent assistants, and every body makes a difference!
“It's hard to say exactly how many volunteers there are,” says Evans. “It is easily into the thousands! FL Cares works with forty distinct groups, businesses, churches and civic organizations. A typical step build works best with five to eight volunteers. A typical ramp build, up to 30 to 32 feet works best with ten to fourteen volunteers. And a large ramp build, 35 to 60 feet works best with fifteen to eighteen volunteers.”
Evans says that the time that it takes to complete the build, if there are ample volunteers available, is relatively small.
“Ramps can be little monsters,” admits Evans, “All FL Cares projects are completed in a single day, weather permitting. Historically, the weather has been very kind to us, with a few rain drops, but no real rain-outs! Ramps typically take between four and seven hours for ramps under 32 feet. Seven to nine hours for larger ramps. This September, we built a 16 foot ramp in under 3 hours! Step projects, on the other hand, are sugar and spice and all things nice! Most steps can be done in four or five hours, although some groups can do them in about three.”
To enable FL Cares to provide this service to everyone, they currently operate on a “pay as you build” method, Evans explains. “Typically, the group building will sponsor the build. There are some exceptions, and we have grantors in most of our service areas that will underwrite the project for a group that does not have the financial means, but this is a limited resource, so most groups find their own funding. FL Cares 'pay as you build' business model streamlines the process and gives each group the satisfaction of seeing their contributed money in action from the efforts of each and every volunteer. ”
FL Cares seeks assistance from an experienced person or group to help find and secure grant money that can be used to expand their Access Program operations. As the organization has not yet been able to secure grants, they eagerly accept any kind of assistance in doing so. More funding equates to more community charity projects. With an infusion of grant money or City Development Block Grant (CDBG) money, the investment would be 100 percent invested into the projects, and not tied up with payroll or office expenses. As a completely volunteer-based organization, everything is donated to the projects by the board and volunteers. A true organization based on charity.
Everyone is eligible for the Access Program. “Just call us at (850) 347-1445; it's really that easy,”says Evans. Alternatively, if you are interested in serving your community, there are many different ways that you can help out.
“If you can hold a cell phone, come volunteer! We need you! Yes, you; the one holding the cell phone; let's go,” encourages Evans, “If you like what we do, please donate! Financial means is what makes the world work. Money talks, and FL Cares needs money for projects! If you are a grant writer, please consider donating your talents and help us find grant money!”
No matter what sort of home access fits your needs, FL Cares is here to help get you into and out of your home comfortably, and safely. In the words of Eric Evans, “FL Cares builds to improve the quality of life for residents. Our goal is to find solutions that lead to brighter futures with better home access that will instill, inspire and energize residents to remain active, independent and more engaged within the community. No resident in our service area should feel trapped in their home, or imagine that their home has become their prison. The FLC builds for everyone. We love building access to people's castles!”
For more information, call FL Cares at (850) 347-1445.