By Morgan Harvey
Intern

The Osceola County YMCA and the Osceola County Council on Aging are receiving grant money from the Dr. Phillips Charities for a series of additions, renovations and equipment.

The Osceola County YMCA is receiving a matching grant from the charity to the tune of $1.5 million. However, the YMCA must raise $250,000 by the end of the year before it can receive the grant money.

“What's happening is that Dr. Phillips Charities has agreed to give us $1.5 million if we raise $250,000 by the end of the year. So that’s what we're doing right now.” Jose R. Gonzalez, associate executive director of the Osceola County YMCA, said. “We're hoping to achieve that goal by December in order to be able to start breaking ground on construction here at the YMCA. So, right now, we're about $60,000 into it and we have a few more conversations we need to make with some members and some businesses in order to achieve that and I think we're on path to be able to hit that.”

Dr. Phillips Charities is comprised of The Dr. P. Phillips Foundation and Dr. Phillips Inc., which makes grants in each grant cycle; there are three grant request periods annually responding to funding requests for projects or programs submitted by nonprofit organizations serving Orange and Osceola counties. Dr. Phillips Charities grants have helped to fund several programs for the Osceola YMCA in the past, such as the Safe Start Infant Swimming Program in 2001, costing $1.2 million, and the Osceola County YMCA teen center and fields in 2002, costing $323,000.

This year’s grant will be used to fund a 5,000-square-foot addition to the front of the Osceola YMCA. The addition will include two multi-purpose rooms, a spinning room, men and women's locker rooms and a private meeting space. The additions also will include the Y Pulse Cafe, which is the YMCA's new in-house cafe. Gonzalez said he expects that the additions will draw in more members, which currently is at 3,800.

“With this construction we're looking to double our membership numbers. It’s going to create that excitement, especially with the launch of the new logo nationally and making these additions.  We're getting ready to put the renderings on the walls so people can see and get excited about it. We're going out to the community, the Rotary clubs, the chambers, the associations. We're going to their meetings and giving them a heads-up, saying, ‘Hey this is what's going on at the YMCA; see if you guys want to get involved,’” Gonzalez said.

In order to raise the $250,000, the Osceola County YMCA is turning first to its members and staff, offering long-term payment plans for donations. After a Nov. 28 deadline that the Osceola YMCA has put in place, a kickoff will be held in December for additional funding and donations in order to meet the match goal.

The other matching grant of $69,890 went to the Osceola County Council on Aging and is intended to enable the council to expand its catering capability and to offer special-event clientele of the Barney E. Veal Center a variety of options for linens, china, serving and chafing dishes, storage racks, silverware, table draping and glassware.

Rob Dent, the council’s marketing and development director, stated in an e-mail that The Dr. Phillips match grant was awarded earlier this month (July). The grant matched each dollar raised by the Council with $2 from Dr. Phillips. The total grant including the third raised by the Council was $69,890.

“The new grant money will allow us to expand our catering services and increase our profits, directing that revenue back into the community via our many services and programs for the low income,” Dent stated.

Osceola County YMCA and the Osceola County Council on Aging were selected in April and May of this year to receive the matching grants. The Council on Aging is currently in the process of purchasing new equipment while the YMCA continues to work toward its year-end $250,000 goal.