Mold Medic leads volunteers to salvage condo

For a Sunrise family forced from their home by mold, local businesses come to the rescue.

BY JULIE LEVIN

Special to The Herald

Alice Burns has never been one to ask for any help.

A single mother who is hard of hearing and who is raising two teenagers, she has always gotten by.

But when mold was found behind almost every wall in her apartment, the Sunrise woman knew instantly she had a problem.

''They said I had to pull the carpets and the kitchen cabinets out, and I said I can't afford that,'' Burns said.

Thanks to the generosity of several South Florida businesses, Burns is not going to have to come up with any of the $8,000 to $12,000 needed to clear out the mold. Nor the additional $10,000 to $25,000 it will take to rebuild her home.

A team of local businesses is stepping up to help.

''Each year, we donate our services to one needy family. We decided this is the best place to do it, where the people really need help,'' said Meir Butbul of Mold Medic Services of Pompano Beach, the company leading the project.

Burns' problems began over the course of the past year, after she moved into the 1,200-square-foot Sunrise apartment with Lacey, 18 and also hard of hearing, and Kevin, 14.

Several times, their toilet overflowed, flooding nearly the entire two-bedroom apartment. Burns noticed she began feeling ill, and her daughter came down with repeated sinus infections. An inspection uncovered the problem.

''We found out she had toxic mold in nearly 80 percent of her house,'' Butbul said.

The closets, bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchen and living room were all contaminated.

To fix the problem, workers wearing protective suits, masks and gloves must demolish walls.

''Everything must be isolated. The contaminated areas have to be isolated from the other areas of the house. Unfortunately in our case, it will be 80 percent of the apartment,'' said Sam Benzaken, co-owner of Mold Medic.

Lacking homeowners insurance, Burns had no way to pay for the repairs. And with no family nearby that could help, she had few options.

Mold Medic decided to donate its services and to recruit other companies.

''I'd never in my life heard of anyone doing that,'' said Burns, who works for Growing Family Photographers at Plantation General Hospital.

Volunteer contractors will install new carpet, tile, and sheetrock and will paint. A caterer will feed the crew.

A local development company offered a furnished two-bedroom apartment for the family to stay in.

The entire project is expected to take a month to six weeks.

''I never knew I would be living like this,'' she said. ``I appreciate all the help.''

Participating companies include Don Bailey Carpet, Designer Floors Collection, Beach Hill Development, Hudson Capitol, WPLG-ABC 10 and Party Caterers.