Commission spreads $6,000 among organizations

OCOEE — Thirteen local organizations will receive a financial boost from a city grant program, the City Commission decided Sept. 16.

Ten of the groups each will receive $500, one will get $400 and two will receive $300 each.

The $6,000 in total grant money was awarded via the city’s Community Merit Awards Program. It provides grants of up to $500 to nonprofit organizations and civic groups that are located within the city or are located outside of Ocoee but benefit city residents.

The grants are awarded bi-annually to acknowledge excellence and further the contributions the groups bring to Ocoee.

Here are the organizations that were awarded, the amount of their grants, and descriptions of their proposed projects that will benefit from the money:

• Autism & Related Disabilities; $400; swimming lessons, pool party and bowling nights for families

• Barkie’s Legacy: $500; dog food, treats and crates, offset weekly costs/supplies

• Bread of Life Fellowship: $500; Fuel for fleet of trucks used to pick up donated food items

• Boy Scout Troop 198: $500; Refurbish and refinish six canoes that were donated to the troop

• Christian Service Center: $500; Equipment maintenance for major appliances, such as an icemaker, an air-conditioning unit, a hot water heater and an oven

• Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida: $300; Scholarship to send an Ocoee resident to the state Down Syndrome conference and for workshop materials

• Gift of Swimming: $500; Funding for two pre-qualified Ocoee children to receive swim lesson scholarships

• Mathew’s Hope Ministries: $500; Transportation for homeless guests, i.e. bus passes, bicycles, bicycle locks and lights

• Ocoee Lions Club: $500; Eye exams, eyeglasses, hearing exams, hearing aids

• Rotary Club of Ocoee: $500; Provide dictionaries to all third-grade students at Ocoee elementary schools

• St. Vincent DePaul Resurrection Church: $500; Pay utility bills and supply food and clothing to Christian services

• Saving Young Hearts, Inc.: $500; Provide health screening to youth ages 6-18

• Woman’s Club of Ocoee: $300; Creative Expressions School Program for fifth–grade students at seven schools in Ocoee.

City Commissioner Rosemary Wilsen, who is a family and emergency services staff member at the Orlando-based Christian Service Center, abstained from voting on the grant for this organization.

Last month, Ocoee’s Community Grant Review Board decided to recommend the 13 groups listed above from the grant-application pool of 19 organizations. The six applicants that did not make the cut were: the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; Ocoee Cardinals Baseball Club; Ocoee High School Athletic Department; Ocoee Future Farmers of America Boosters; Ocoee Elementary School Clean Up Club; and the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation.

Commissioner Rusty Johnson complained about seeing some of the same grant applicants numerous times.

“Two or three of these people get (grant money) every time,” he said. “I’m not going to name names, but the last four or five years. . .they get it.”

He also said some organizations that receive grant funding later turn around and donate money back to the city.

But Mayor Scott Vandergrift didn’t have a problem with that.

“This is seed money,” Vandergrift said. “They’re spending money in other places. If they come down and give us money, that’s OK. It’s circulating. Somebody has a job because of it.”

“They’re nonprofits, mayor,” Johnson said.

“So are we,” Vandergrift said.