Fort Myers homeowners received the holiday gift of a lifetime when Lee BIA Builders Care and Lennar partnered to complete a special home improvement project in time for the holidays.
Valentina Pereira, 77, has lived a life marked by resilience, courage, and unwavering selflessness. Originally from Portugal, she immigrated to the United States at the age of 18 and has proudly raised five children on her own, despite many hardships. While working tirelessly as a seamstress, she obtained U.S. citizenship and volunteered in her community helping unwed mothers and providing companionship to the elderly. Despite great personal losses in recent years, including the loss of his youngest son and sister, Pereira continues to show strength and faith.
Despite her resilience, maintaining her home became increasingly difficult for Pereira, leaving her living in overwhelmed and dangerous conditions. The home, which had been severely damaged by past hurricanes and tornadoes, required window and door replacement, a new roof and air conditioning, as well as significant interior repairs to return it to a safe and livable condition.
Builders Keir and Renner worked hard to provide these important home improvements and many more special considerations at no cost to the homeowner, providing the grandmother of eight with a home that reflects the peace and dignity she has selflessly brought to others throughout her life.
Pereira thought he had just installed a new roof and garage door, but was surprised when he returned to find his home completely transformed. In just two and a half weeks, Renner completely gutted the interior of the home and restored the appliances, furniture, decorations, and more to like-new condition. The home also received exterior touches, including new paint, landscaping, and a repaint of the popular eagle statue. Finishing touches included festive holiday decorations, presents under the Christmas tree, and a fully stocked pantry.
“I'm just fascinated…I couldn't ask for anything more,” Pereira said. “I kept praying, and I kept praying, and He heard me.”
For the past 20 years, Renner has partnered with Builders Care to give away vacation home renovations to local homeowners each year.
“This is very special to me as we do this project every year, and it's something our team looks forward to as well. It's part of our culture to go out into the community and help out and contribute,” said Ray Kershaw, construction director at Lennar. “Valentina has a really special place in my heart and seeing the looks on their faces was so inspiring and so rewarding.”
The improvements were made possible thanks to the generous contributions of Lennar and many local partner suppliers and contractors. Project partners include 84 Lumber, Accurate Grading, All-American Shutters & Glass, ALLTRAXX, Banko Overhead Doors, Blind Ambitions of SW Florida, Blue Water Construction of SW Florida, Caloosa Cooling, Carrigan Brothers, CCA Roofing, Cemex, Clive Daniel Home, Coastal Waste & Recycling, Elite Electrical Contractors, Franceschi Marble and Granite, Ferguson Plumbing Supply, Fort Myers Contains. Sod, GMS, GMZ Masonry, HomeTeam Pest Defense, Jacqueline Virtue Art, Juniper Landscaping, L&W Supply, Mabri Painting, Midwest Food Bank, Nilles Design Group, Professional Electric of Southwest Florida, QXO, Raymond Building Supply, Rice Insulation & Glass, Royal Manufacturing, Sherwin Williams, Signs In One Day Cape Coral, Timberlake Cabinetry, Twin Metals, USA SiteWorx, Wayne Wiles Flooring, West Coast Pressure Washing and Cleaning. Lee County Community Development also supported the project's permitting process, allowing the work to be completed quickly for this homeowner.
“Lennar and our project partners step up each year to bring the magic of the holidays to homeowners in need, and we are so grateful for their efforts to provide Valentina with this transformative gift,” said Lee Cloud, executive director of Builders Care. “This is life-changing for Valentina and we are thrilled that she will be able to enjoy a safe and comfortable home during the holidays and for years to come.”
To learn more about Builders Care and its mission, visit LeeBuildersCare.org.
About Lee BIA Builders Care
Lee BIA Builders Care's mission is to provide free emergency construction services to indigent elderly and disabled homeowners and their families whose work cannot be repaired using conventional methods. Lee BIA Builders Care collaborates the expertise of contractors, subcontractors, and businesses with donated services and materials to provide a full range of free emergency construction services to improve the safety and health of indigent seniors and people with disabilities of all ages. Lee BIA Builders Care has given back more than $5 million in construction services to the community at no cost to homeowners in need. Funded by financial donations, grants, and donated services and materials, Builders Care provides emergency construction services to eligible homeowners throughout our community. Lee BIA Builders Care is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization under the philanthropic umbrella of the Lee Building Industry Association. Lee BIA Builders Care's headquarters are located at 6835 International Center Blvd. 4th in Fort Myers; Donations can be made online at www.LeeBuildersCare.org. For more information, call 239-938-0056 or follow Builders Care at www.Facebook.com/LeeBuildersCare.
About Lennar Corporation
Founded in 1954, Lennar Corporation is one of the nation's leading construction companies producing quality homes for all generations. Lennar builds affordable active adult housing primarily under the Lennar brand name. Lennar's Financial Services segment primarily provides mortgage financing, title and closing services to purchasers of Lennar homes and, through LMF Commercial, originates mortgage loans secured primarily by commercial real estate throughout the United States. Lennar's Multifamily Housing Division is a development company that develops high-quality multifamily rental properties nationwide. LENX powers Lennar's technology, innovation and strategic investments. For more information about Lennar, please visit www.lennar.com.
