For all 30 of our years, the Winter Park Health Foundation has led with innovation, investing in the health and wellbeing of the communities of Eatonville, Maitland, and Winter Park through a creative mix of initiatives, facilities, programs, and grants. To date, WPHF has invested more than 131 million dollars in grant funding to projects and organizations that marry impact and innovation and that create solutions for our ever-changing community health needs.  
  
In March of 2024, we announced our special 30th anniversary funding initiative, the Well Together Grant Awards Challenge, Sparked by the Victory Cup Initiative. WPHF sought project proposals focused on solutions to youth mental health, diabetes/prediabetes and heart health, from non-profit partners serving or poised to serve the communities of Eatonville, Maitland, and Winter Park.  
  
With interest from more than 400 local nonprofit partners and more than 40 submitted applications, we collaborated with 40 community evaluators who had the difficult task of reviewing and scoring a set of Challenge applications. From that evaluation process, five finalist organizations were selected: Center for Change; Central Florida Vocal Arts; Grace Medical Home; New Hope for Kids; and UCF College of Health Professions and Sciences’ Community Health Ambassadors Program.  
  
These finalist organizations each received a $50,000 grant toward their project proposals and participated in Victory Cup storytelling training throughout the summer. Yesterday, at WPHF’s Center for Health & Wellbeing, the five finalist organizations put those storytelling skills to the test when they each presented four-minute pitches focused on their organizations and their impact in a competition for additional, unrestricted grant dollars. WESH 2 News’ Nancy Alvarez joined us as event MC.  
 
At the conclusion of the five pitches, the 100 guests in attendance were tasked with voting for the organization they felt best met the criteria: the delivery of an engaging and inspiring presentation and the conveying of the impact of their organization and their organization’s project on the health of our communities. 
 
Please join us in celebrating our first, second, and third-place winners: 

• First Place and a $25,000 Grant: New Hope for Kids, represented by Board Member Melisa Wojteczko
   

• Second Place and a $15,000 Grant: Grace Medical Home, represented by Executive Director Stephanie Garris 
   

• Third Place and a $10,000 Grant: Central Florida Vocal Arts, represented by Founder and Executive Director Theresa Smith-Levin
   

Tamisha “Mimi” Major, Project Manager for Center for Change, and Ashley Hernandez, a UCF College of Health Professions and Sciences student engaged in the Community Health Ambassadors program, proudly represented their organizations, delivering compelling presentations to the Showcase audience.

“We’re so very proud and grateful to you for making our community a better place,” WPHF President & CEO Nicholas Abrahams told the finalists at the conclusion of yesterday’s Showcase.  
 
To view photos from the inspiring morning, please click here.  
 
To learn more about each project receiving a $50,000 grant from the Winter Park Health Foundation, please click here.  
 
Stay tuned to WPHF.org to follow the progress of all five of our finalist organizations as they implement their WPHF-funded projects designed to improve the health and wellbeing of the communities of Eatonville, Maitland, and Winter Park.