For the past 15 years, Jeremy Ray had worked as an industrial and commercial journeyman electrician in and around the Austin, Texas, area. Some of the projects he was involved with over the years included changing and revamping clean rooms for Samsung, construction of the Circuit of the Americas racetrack in Austin, and projects at Hewlett-Packard and the University of Texas, among others. In recent years, he also had taken an interest in becoming a certified safety and health official, but fate had other plans.

Charlie Yerger’s initial degree was not predictive of what turned out to be his passion. He turned a degree in EMS/Paramedicine into a career of working with HVAC control systems. His HVAC career started as an installation foreman for a controls contractor, which led to working as a technician for a large residential and commercial HVAC contractor in central Texas. In 2006 Yerger joined Johnson Controls Inc. as a systems technician on a major projects team, doing service work in specialized building systems areas.

Parker needs 24-hour in-home care, and after purchasing a home equipped with a patient lift and wheelchair entry, he had no funds to purchase the wheelchair he desired. An online search led him to the Joseph Groh Foundation, where he applied for a grant. Thanks to many supporters, it was able to grant Parker’s wish.

The Joseph Groh Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides financial support to people associated with the construction and HVAC trades who are living with life-altering disabilities.