WINTER PARK, Fla. (July 10, 2024) – The Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF),  is thrilled to announce the five nonprofits selected for the Well Together Grant Awards Challenge, designed to tackle critical health issues in Central Florida. This initiative is a key part of the WPHF’s ongoing efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of residents in Eatonville, Maitland, and Winter Park, and is a special project in commemoration of WPHF’s 30th anniversary.

After reviewing more than 50 applications, a panel of community evaluators chose the following nonprofit organizations to each receive $50,000 in funding. The check presentation occurred at a celebratory announcement ceremony at the Winter Park Health Foundation’s Center for Health & Wellbeing. 

Center for Change: Its $50,000 grant from WPHF will be dedicated to the Center for Change’s Heart Health Blood Pressure program (HHBP), an empowering, self-management program that addresses two major challenges individuals have when trying to improve their cardiovascular health: lack of dedication, and inaccessibility to support services and equipment that contribute to improved health outcomes. Staff will work closely with 100 HHBP participants from Eatonville, Maitland, and Winter Park, providing one-on-one education, counseling, and access to support services, such as walking programs and nutrition classes, with the goal of measurable, improved health outcomes.  

Central Florida Vocal Arts: With its $50,000 grant from WPHF, Central Florida Vocal Arts will expand its performing arts curriculum designed to impact youth participants’ mental health by improving confidence, connections, and self-efficacy.  Individual vocal lessons, arts one-on-one lessons, and group voice classes at new locations throughout Eatonville, Maitland, and Winter Park will produce tangible positive changes in the mental health of the children in our communities.    

Grace Medical Home: Grace Medical Home plans to use its $50,000 grant from WPHF to ensure the presence of its Mobile Medical Unit in Eatonville, six times a year for a week each time. Collaborating closely with the Central Florida Black Nurses Association, this initiative will facilitate consistent health outreach, education, and screenings. Working with Eatonville’s churches and community centers, the Mobile Medical Unit will prominently display its array of medical services, including those focused on diabetes prevention and heart health improvement, serving as a beacon of healthcare accessibility in historically underserved areas.   

New Hope for Kids: New Hope for Kids will use its $50,000 grant from WPHF to improve the mental health of the children it serves in Eatonville, Maitland, and Winter Park in two distinct ways. First, New Hope for Kids will offer facilitated peer support groups, empowering participants with the opportunity to connect with others who have experienced similar losses, share their stories, and offer mutual support. Physical activity sessions taught by local experts, the second component of New Hope for Kids’ new mental health-focused initiative, will teach youth participants the importance of regular exercise as a tool for mental health improvement and the lifelong benefits of healthy behaviors.   

UCF Foundation: Its $50,000 grant from WPHF will support the provision of critical supplies needed for UCF’s College of Health Professions and Science’s Healthy Living Initiative, including portable clinical equipment used in community settings. Offered free of charge to all community members who choose to participate in the Winter Park and Eatonville Neighborhood Center for Families locations, the Healthy Living Initiative addresses health risk factors that directly contribute to heart disease and diabetes/prediabetes. 

“These five outstanding nonprofits are dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities in unique and different ways” said Patricia Maddox, WPHF President & CEO. “Their projects submitted for consideration in the Challenge are innovative and will have long-lasting positive effects on three critical health challenges. We are proud to support this important work.”

The selected nonprofits will now participate in a signature storytelling training program to perfect their pitching and overall storytelling led by the Victory Cup Initiative from late July to September 2024. On October 11, 2024, the nonprofits will showcase their organization’s story and ideas for addressing community health priorities at a culminating event hosted by the Center for Health & Wellbeing. At this event, the remaining $50,000 commitment to the challenge will be awarded to the outstanding finalist organizations to fund their creative ideas.

To learn more about the Winter Park Health Foundation and the Well Together Grant Awards Challenge, please visit wphf.org/welltogetherchallenge. For media inquiries, please contact C. Major at [email protected] or 407.394.6411. 

About the Winter Park Health Foundation
Since 1994, the Winter Park Health Foundation has focused on improving health in the communities of Eatonville, Maitland, and Winter Park. Through ongoing data collection and monitoring trends, our team identifies health issues and needs. Our strategy is to engage partners and empower residents to support healthy behaviors; address barriers to health; create healthy habits where people live, learn, work, and play; and make health a priority. Learn more at www.wphf.org.