Tampa, FL – (June 18, 2018) – Amscot Financial, a leading provider of convenient, consumer-oriented financial services, recently awarded mini-grants of $250 to $3,000 in support of 15 different non-profit service organizations located in the Florida communities where the company serves several million consumers.
“It’s up to businesses like ours to support non-profit service organizations. They can’t do it alone nor should they,” says Ian MacKechnie, Founder and CEO of Amscot Financial. “If we can play a small part, we’re glad to.”
Mini-grants went to the following organizations:
- Arthritis Foundation, Tampa. Juvenile Arthritis Camp programs provide a safe and secure camping experience for children and teens with arthritis and related childhood rheumatic diseases. They gain an understanding of their own diagnosis and treatment, develop peer-to-peer support, increase independence and self-confidence, discover new skills and interests, and develop the skills they need to be leaders, advocates and champions in their everyday lives. For more information, please visit: www.arthritis.org
- Early Learning Coalition of Pasco and Hernando Counties, Inc., Spring Hill. The Coalition is an organization administering early learning programs for nearly 13,000 children annually within their communities. The children are served through the Coalition's two main programs - School Readiness, a financial assistance program for working families and the State of Florida's Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) program for all 4 and 5-year old children. For more information, please visit: www.phelc.org
- Florida Police Athletic League, Jacksonville. They serve as a link between law enforcement officers and children in Florida communities by providing coordination, training, and programs that can keep them off the streets and away for drugs, gangs, and crime. The main objective is to combat juvenile delinquency. For more information, please visit: www.sfapal.com
- Hillsborough County 4-H Associations Sassy Cows 4 Savvy Kids Program, Riverview. Their goal is to make a difference in the lives of special needs children, while fulfilling their mission to empower youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults. Kids work with mentors and volunteers on a weekly basis, learning life changing skills in a real world setting. The simple interaction with an animal and the relationship between child and mentor can build independence, instill self-confidence, and boost determination. For more information, please visit: www.sassycows4savvykids.weebly.com
- Inspire Equine Therapy Program, Clearwater. They serve teens and adults with disabilities along with disabled veterans thru equine assisted therapies and programs. For more information, please visit: www.inspireequinetherapyprogram.or
- Kingdom Kids Christian Academy DBA Kingdom Kids and Families Support Program, Kissimmee. They provide hundreds of children and their families in their community with education, food, clothing, shelter, tutoring, and counseling. The after-school education portion consists of an instructional emphasis on foundational skills, particularly in reading, math, language, and writing. For more information, please visit: www.kingdomkidsca.com
- Koss Music and Cultural Arts Institute, Lutz. They put musical instruments into the hands of disadvantaged and underprivileged youth. Their mission is to keep guns, knives and needles out of their hands and put the healing gift of music to a greater number of troubled and impoverished children throughout the surrounding counties. For more information, please visit: www.kossmakesmusic.blogspot.com
- Lake Cares, Inc., Mount Dora. They are an independent community food pantry that provides food and other necessary items directly to the people who need assistance in Lake County, Florida. For more information, please visit: www.lakecares.org
- New Season Apostolic Ministries Inc., Tampa. They host an annual youth conference where they focus on education, life skills training, and entrepreneurship. They initiated the Ronnie Felton's Scholarship Fund where they will be giving out scholarships to graduating seniors who need assistance due to family financial status. For more information, please visit: : www.nsamtampa.com
- Pace Center for Girls, Jacksonville. They provide girls and young women an opportunity for a better future through education, counseling, training and advocacy. For more information, please visit: www.pacecenter.org
- R’ Club Child Care, Inc., St. Petersburg. R’Club programs emphasize the importance of the Four R’s: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness and Responsiveness to the needs of others and provides quality early education programs, extended learning opportunities, tutoring by certified teachers, homework assistance and an overall enhancement to each child’s academic experience and success. For more information, please visit: www.rclub.net
- Rotary's Camp Florida, Brandon. They offer special needs user groups the ability to rent their entire 21-acre facility, allowing them to tailor each of their camps to suit the specific needs of the children and adults they serve. Camp fees for special needs children and adults are sponsored by their groups and the Camp’s Memory Maker Scholarship Fund. For more information, please visit: www.rotaryscampflorida.org
- Special Olympics of Florida - Hillsborough and Pinellas, Tampa. They provide year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for people with intellectual disabilities who wish to participate, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community. For more information, please visit: www.specialolympicsflorida.org
- Trinity Café, Inc., Tampa. They are a free restaurant serving more than 380 plus hot and hearty meals daily to men, women, children, elderly, honored veterans, and the physically and mentally challenged. An army of loyal volunteers unconditionally serves a hot, well-balanced meal. Tables are set with cloths, centerpieces, plates and silverware. Guests are seated just like in fine dining restaurants. A volunteer host sits at each table offering conversation, encouragement, support and community connection, as another volunteer serves a chef-prepared meal in courses. Simple respect and kindness given with the goal of restoring dignity to lives turned bleak by the streets, poverty and need. For more information, please visit: www.trinitycafe.org
- Veterans Helping Veterans, Ocala. They provide a variety of social services to veterans and their families throughout north central Florida, including assistance to the homeless with food and emergency shelter, personal items, ,etc. They also provide veterans and their families with direct financial assistance for food, gas vouchers, utility bills and emergency rent assistance. For more information, please visit: www.vhvusa.org
Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., Amscot Financial is a leading provider of 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) & was recently named as one of Americas’ Best Midsize Employers by Forbes.