Gwen Yates, Jacksonville City Council member for District 8, was joined by Builders Care Executive Director Bill Wilson to announce an electric fan donation program for senior citizens in Duval County.

'The heat index has risen as summer approached and I was concerned about how our seniors were coping,' said Councilwoman Yates. 'We all know how unbearable the heat can be, and it is especially trying to our most important asset, our seniors.'

The electric fan donation program will benefit 100 qualified seniors in our community.

' We know that a fan is not that big of a deal to many people, but to many of our seniors the movement of air is critical. Builders Care is glad to participate in this small effort because it is a means to bring attention to senior citizen problems' in our communities. Some of seniors are living in third world conditions. Each of us is blessed in our own way and we need to give back and help these people, ' said Bill Wilson.

A large portion of our funding comes from the Northeast Florida Builders Association and the Duval County Housing authority. The support of the builders allows us to stretch funding to allow us to handle projects like the electric fan donation program.

Yates added, 'Our seniors can be intimidated with the sounds and cost of air conditioning units. This is a means of helping our citizens. We are glad that Builders Care was able to help. The 100 fans will be distributed by the City's Adult Services Department.'

Ms Zorrie Wrice of the Ribault Scenic area is the first senior to receive an electric fan. Ms. Wrice is in a wheel chair. She has a small air conditioning unit that cools the front of her home. She is glad to be receiving the fan, because it will help cool her bedroom since the cool air from the air conditioner does not reach the bedroom.

To get more information about a free fan, interested parties can call Adult Services at 630-0646.