Orange County non-profit safety grants make positive impacts in community

From the Orange County Newsroom

The newly acquired Non-Profit Safety Grants will make a positive impact on Orange County. The grants, which will be distributed throughout the community by Orange County’s Neighborhood Services Division, range from $1,000 to $10,000, and will assist local non-profit organizations with the delivery of programs and services that seek to reduce crime and enhance public safety in the region.

As an example of its positive impact, just look at one of this year’s awardees, Lighthouse Central Florida

For 43 years, Lighthouse Central Florida has been the only provider of vision rehabilitation services in the tri-county area (Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties) for people of all ages. Although their clients are blind and vision impaired, they are important, contributing members of society, as well as beacons of strength to the community.

It is estimated that over 45,000 Central Floridians live with vision difficulty. Orange County accounts for 58 percent of people in Central Florida who are living with blindness and with vision impairments (Prevalence of Visual Impairment in Florida by County, Florida Agencies Serving the Blind, Oct. 2018).

Orange County grant funds have contributed to Lighthouse Central Florida’s implementation of the 1 Touch Project TM, the first comprehensive self-defense program designed specifically for people who are blind and vision impaired and those people legally viewed as vulnerable members of society.

The program teaches hands-on self-defense techniques for dealing with assaults, aggressive behavior, and bullying. Orange County Government’s Neighborhood Services Non-Profit Safety Grant will help improve the safety and personal security of County residents from all walks of life.

For more information about Orange County Government’s Neighborhood Services Division, visit their webpage at www.ocfl.net/Neighborhoods.