Makeover to aid teen with cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia
On Thursday, Aug. 4, Lee BIA Builders Care and Carney Quality Construction came together to reveal a completed bathroom remodel for the Jennings family. The project will aid Frances and Ed Jennings in taking care of their daughter Selena, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia at birth.
Selena, 17, attends Cypress Lake High School and despite her challenges, remains cheerful. Her parents, Frances and Ed Jennings have provided her full time care since two months of age and have since adopted her. The Jennings have fostered children for more than 30 years, taking care of more than 100 children as well as raising two of their own. Frances has rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and issues with her Sciatica nerve, and Ed works two jobs to make ends meet. Neither of them can lift Selena into the bathtub anymore and were in need of a bathroom remodel, which was granted by donors and partners of Builders Care.
Builders Care and volunteers gathered at the Jennings residence on Thursday to reveal the remodel. The project included an expansion of their small guest bedroom to make room for a walk in shower, a comfort height toilet, a pedestal sink to accommodate Selena’s wheelchair and widened doorways into the bedroom and bathroom. The entire remodel only took two weeks to complete at no cost to the homeowners, thanks to partners at Carney Quality Construction, Nilles Design Group and Lowes, who donated their products, services and permitting fees. Wheelchairs 4 Kids, a nonprofit out of Tarpon Springs, also donated a Rifton roll-in shower chair to make transferring Selena in and out of the shower easier on her parents.
“We are so thankful to Carney Quality Construction and Wheelchairs 4 Kids for this incredible blessing,” said Christi Pritchett Sarlo, executive director of Lee BIA Builders Care. “These gifts will provide major relief to a very deserving family and will be appreciated for many years to come.”
About Builders Care
Builders Care is the nonprofit charitable arm of the Lee Building Industry Association (BIA). Its mission is to provide emergency home 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 $3.9 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. Builders Care is headquartered at the Lee BIA offices at 10501 Six Mile Cypress Parkway, Suite 118 in Fort Myers. The Building Industry Association (www.BIA.net ) is a 62-year-old association affiliated with National Home Builders Association and Florida Home Builders Association that serves 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.
