The votes are in and four local non-profit groups in Okaloosa and Walton Counties will receive $104,500 each from Impact100 of Northwest Florida, Inc., an organization designed to financially support nonprofit organizations in Okaloosa and Walton Counties.
Grant recipients were selected from the following five categories: Arts & Culture; Education; Environment, Recreation and Preservation; Family; and Health and Wellness. Since its conception in 2012, Impact100 NWF has now awarded 3.6 million dollars to nonprofits in Okaloosa and Walton counties.
For Education, it’s United for a Good Cause for Hope Squad’s Peer-to-Peer Prevention Expansion. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among kids 10-18. There were 36 youth suicides ages 10-24 between Okaloosa and Walton Counties in 2015-2019. The goal of United for a Good Cause is to save our kids by having a Hope Squad Peer-to-Peer Suicide Prevention Program in every school in our region from Escambia to Walton Counties. Grant dollars will support more than 51,000 students in both Okaloosa and Walton Counties.
For Environment, Recreation & Preservation, the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) will receive funds for new Clinic Medical Equipment. PAWS’ goal is to reopen the only low-cost animal clinic in Okaloosa/Walton counties, to provide diagnostics and surgery for injured animals and reduce the unwanted and unhealthy animal populations. To do this they need equipment. Funds will quickly restore on-site medical access for abused/abandoned shelter animals (7k+ annually) and serve the public need for locally accessible and affordable vet care, thereby reducing pet populations (domestic and feral) through more than 30k annual spay/neuter surgeries. The clinic has a 20-year history ($200k annual profit) using old equipment and a semi-retired vet. New and additional equipment will allow vets to perform at 6x rate and offer more clinic services.
For the Family category, Fresh Start for Children and Families won the grant award for its Sell More = Help More ~ Fresh Start Takes Aim at More Capacity program. Fresh Start is a housing/education program for families with children who are homeless. Their clients come from all walks of life, face many problems including abuse, divorce, generational poverty and more. This project is to purchase a box truck with lift, which would increase their capacity. The program provides a furnished apartment, food pantry, weekly life skills classes, one-on-one budgeting and goal meetings. The Repeat Street thrift store is a revenue source covering more than 50% of the program’s bills, furnishing apartments, and with only two employees and volunteers. A dependable truck will save money on repairs, increase funds with less trips to unload, less pickups missed and appear more professional. Families who graduate from the program leave self-sufficient with savings.
For the Health and Wellness category, Sharing and Caring of Okaloosa County will use the funds for Building Expansion. The organization desperately needs a facility expansion and renovation. Since 1990, it has operated its food pantry in a small 1,485 sq. ft. building using a tiny pantry of just 409 sq. ft. This year, they finally saved enough to purchase this building. Their 960 sq. ft. expansion will extend their rectangular building by 30 ft. It will more than double the pantry for food storage and cooling equipment, add a prescription interviewer room, increase the reception lobby by 75%, make the entrance, walkways and client restroom more functional and handicap compliant. The organization’s mission is to improve the health and independence of clients by providing nutritious food, personal care items and medicine vouchers. Additionally, partnerships with Shelter House, Fresh Start and other agencies to synergize the local transformational movement will be expanded, thereby doubling the number of clients supported to all demographics.
For additional information about Impact100 NWF or to join the organization, please visit www.impactnwf.org. The website provides an overview of Impact100 NWF and features our grant recipients from 2012 to 2020 highlighting the successful community outreach and the services provided to Okaloosa and Walton Counties.
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