Amscot Financial Contributes Mini-Grants to 25 Non-Profit Service Groups

Amscot Financial, a leading provider of convenient, consumer-oriented financial services, recently awarded mini-grants of $100 to $3,000 to support 25 different non-profit service organizations located throughout Florida.

“Our goal is to find the most effective ways in which we can support our local communities,” said Ian MacKechnie, Founder and CEO of Amscot Financial. “There are some very deserving organizations making a difference, and we want to contribute to their success.”

Mini-grants went to the following organizations:

• 1st Veterans Kids Care, Haines City, Polk County: Committed to providing a broad range of programs and services, for low to middle income families, and eligible veterans, to make a successful post-service re-adjustment in their community to civilian life. For more information, please visit: www.1stveteranskidscare.org

• All Kidney Patient Support Group, Pinellas County: Transforming the lives of those experiencing Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) with supportive resources aimed to improve quality of life. In conjunction with bringing awareness, they educate the pre-CKD community, and the general public, about diseases and lifestyles that disproportionately impact the functionality of the kidney which could lead to CKD, kidney dialysis, and/or transplantation. For more information, please visit: www.akpsupportgroup.org

• Beyond the Spectrum Education Center and Therapeutic Clinic, Sarasota County: Their mission is to serve children and families in the community affected by autism and related disorders. By providing individualized therapeutic and educational services, and utilizing the expertise of our professionally trained staff, their goal is to help children achieve their highest potential in a safe, caring and family friendly environment. For more information, please visit: www.beyondthespectrum.org

• Children’s Safety Village of Central Florida Inc., Orange County: On Dec 14, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office wanted to spread holiday cheer by taking more than 200 children shopping. The children were selected from Orange County schools with the help of the School Resource Officers. Amscot donated bike helmets for all the children this holiday season. For more information, please visit: www.childrensafetyvillage.org

• Safe & Sound Hillsborough, Hillsborough County: The Hillsborough County Community Violence Prevention Collaborative was created as an initiative to transform the way local policy makers address violence. The initiative shifts policy from a public safety to a public health model and aligns community and professional stakeholders to develop a comprehensive prevention and intervention approach. They work to build strong families, safe schools and healthy neighborhoods. For more information, please visit: www.safeandsoundhillsborough.org

• Dress for Success Tampa Bay, Hillsborough County: The mission of Dress for Success Tampa Bay is to promote the economic independence of women by providing a network of support, professional attire and the career development tools to help them thrive in work and in life. For more information, please visit: tampabay.dressforsuccess.org

• Eckerd Kids, Pinellas County: They provide and share solutions that promote the well-being of children, young adults and families in need. They held the Christmas for Kids program on Dec. 17^th, 2019. Amscot made a bike helmet donation for each child. For more information, please visit: www.eckerd.org

• Escuela de Bomba y Plena Tata Cepeda's, Osceola County: Their purpose is to contribute to economic community development, by creating artists and improving quality of life by educating and transmitting the values and the cultural roots of Bomba (Puerto Rico's traditional dance). They also serve low income communities with dance workshops, history and presentation events that promote diversity, respect and collaboration.

• Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, Inc., Sarasota County: For more than 100 years, young girls have explored new fields of knowledge, learned valuable skills and developed strong core values through Girl Scouts. Today, Girl Scouts is, and has been, the organization focused on helping all females in grades K-12 develop the essential leadership skills they need to become successful adults. For more information, please visit: www.gsgcf.org

• Henderson Behavioral Health, Broward County: They are continuously working to give children, adults and families support and hope for a brighter future. Every year during the holiday season they provide Thanksgiving meals to 500 families in need. For more information, please visit: www.hendersonbh.org/

• Human Development Center Inc., Hillsborough County: Their mission is to help individuals with developmental disabilities, including autism and intellectual disability, achieve independence in their lives. Many of these individuals also have a mental health diagnosis and face other life challenges. During the holidays, the Holiday Heroes program provides gifts and holiday celebration to those with developmental disabilities that otherwise would not be able to enjoy the holidays. For more information, please visit: www.hdcinc.org

• Jamestown Concerned Citizens, Polk County: They hold an annual “Christmas Eve in the Park” event supplying gifts to needy children in the community. Amscot sponsored bike helmets for these children this season.

• Kids Wish Network, Pasco County: Kids Wish Network is a national 501(c)3 organization that grants wishes for kids with life-threatening conditions. They host gift giving events and provide gift banks to several charities helping kids and military families in need. They partner with local fire departments, police, military bases, non-profits and schools to help distribute free toys, gifts, educational products and necessities to areas that are often overlooked and underserved. Amscot has donated bike helmets for the children this holiday. For more information, please visit: www.kidswishnetwork.org

• Kiwanis Club of South Lake, Lake County: This group sponsors many kids’ programs in South Lake County. On Dec 14, with the partnership of the Clermont Police Department, they delivered 40 bikes to the kids at Hanna Grace Homes. Amscot contributed by sponsoring the helmets for the bikes. For more information, please visit: www.kcosl.org

• Lakeland Police Department, Polk County: On December 12^th they held their Annual Cops for Kids Christmas Program. The event was designed to provide Christmas gifts for children in the Lakeland community that would otherwise not have a Christmas due to family circumstances beyond their control. They serve approximately 450 children each year. For more information, please visit: www.lakelandgov.net

• Little Smiles, Inc., Broward County: They help kids in hospitals, hospices and shelters. They provide food, snacks, toys, parties, games, gaming equipment, TVs, DVDs, iPads, and more. Their Florida program runs from Miami to Orlando and west to Tampa. For more information, please visit: www.littlesmiles.org

• Marcia's Sons of Thunder, Polk County: December 12^th-21^st, 2019, is their third annual Christmas in the Community event. This is a county wide Christmas party for under-served communities throughout Polk County, Florida. They provide clothes, food, toys and other items to the community. For more information, please visit: marciassonsofthunder.net

• Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots, Manatee County: They collect donated toys from the public and distribute them to the children of Manatee County. Amscot donated bike helmets to give out with the gifts this Christmas. For more information, please visit: www.bradenton-fl.toysfortots.org

• Muscular Dystrophy Association Central Florida, Hillsborough County: On Friday, December 6^th, the Muscular Dystrophy Association held their annual Holiday Party for MDA families at Shriners Hospital for Children - USF. This event was an opportunity for children and their families living with one of 43 different neuromuscular disorders to come together and share food, fun and fellowship. For more information, please visit: www.mdausa.org

• The School District of Osceola County, Osceola County: The School District of Osceola County (SDOC) wishes to share their student homelessness program and named Families in Transition Program (FIT). The program provides services such as extra academic support, clothing, school supplies, gas cards, taxis, bus passes, stringent wraparound services and dozens of additional activities for students that are experiencing homelessness. The program focus is broken down into five areas which include: Immediate Enrollment (identification and school retention), Academic Supplemental Services (remediation and enrichment), Transportation, Collaboration (supplemental social services) and Summer Literacy. For more information, please visit: www.osceolaschools.net

• ReDefiners World Languages, Inc., Hillsborough County: Pioneers in the early language education programming in Hillsborough County, this organization is made up of qualified teachers, international student volunteers and business professionals who are passionate about language and cultural education. They offer language classes in Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish and English to children in PreK-5th grade. For more information, please visit: www.redefinerswl.org

• Sarasota Bay Parrot Head Club, Sarasota County: Each year they hold a Christmas party for their members and admission fee is a new, unwrapped toy. They have donated to Toys for Tots for 15 years now and Amscot sponsored children’s bike helmets this season. For more information, please visit: sarasotabayparrotheadclubinc.wildapricot.org/

• Serenity Outreach Inc, Hillsborough County: They provide a therapeutic and evidence base practice approach to helping families in need. Their services include case management, coaching, counseling, work force development and more. For additional information, please visit: www.serenityoutreachinc.org

• Wheels of Success, Hillsborough County: Incorporated in June 2003, this organization helps families obtain or continue work by providing them with reliable transportation through a program of car repairs, vehicle replacement, related licensing services, car payments, down payments and auto care classes in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. For more information, please visit: www.wheelsofsuccess.org

• Winegard Elementary, Orange County: Winegard Elementary currently has 130 homeless students. These students live in local hotels and do not have basic essentials. Winegard Elementary brought holiday cheer for these students during the last hour of school on December 19, 2019. For many of these students, this was the only holiday celebration they will have this season. They provided stockings filled with small toys and goodies, a visit with Santa Claus, carols with Mrs. Clause and a story with an elf! Everyone was treated to hot cocoa, popcorn, holiday cookies and candy canes. For more information, please visit: www.winegardes.ocps.net

Amscot is Florida’s leading non-bank financial services company. Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., Amscot Financial provides convenient, consumer-oriented financial services, including cash advances, check cashing, bill payment, money transfers, prepaid access cards and money orders. Amscot Financial currently operates 237 retail financial service centers throughout Florida and employs close to 2,000 associates. Amscot Financial has been recognized by the Tampa Bay Business Journal as one of Tampa Bay’s Best Places to Work for five years (2008-2012) and was recently named one of Americas’ Best Midsize Employers by Forbes. For more information on Amscot’s products and services, community involvement, and career opportunities, please visit www.Amscot.com.

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