Nonprofits addressing major health challenges receive support from AdventHealth community impact grants

ORLANDO, Fla. — Eight nonprofits working across Central Florida to deliver mental health care and job training are recipients of new grants that will allow them to expand much-needed services to our neighbors in need.

In Central Florida, one in five people struggles with mental illness — yet half of them lack access to proper care. And despite having full-time jobs, many people still can’t afford safe, stable housing and other necessities to ensure health and wholeness.

With those challenges in mind, AdventHealth’s Collaborative Community Council (3C) is distributing the grants to nonprofit partners for initiatives that will provide much-needed mental health care services to the underserved, and provide workforce training and upskilling that will open more opportunities for Central Floridians to gain high-quality jobs that bring improved health and financial stability.

“As AdventHealth continues extending the healing ministry of Christ, we remain deeply grateful to our nonprofit partners who work every day to build a healthier region where all residents can have the opportunity to feel whole,” said Tricia Edris, senior vice president of innovation and partnerships for AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division. “We know access to mental health services and workforce development are top priorities, and we are honored to work with our grant recipients to help bring wholeness to Central Florida.”

The 2025 grant recipients are:

• Lighthouse Works: Empowering blind and visually impaired (BVI) adults through employment, training and economic inclusion.
• Special Hearts Farm: Creating business opportunities in farming and gardening for individuals with disabilities and unique abilities who have been denied opportunities for college and supported employment.
• Valencia College Foundation: Providing access to high-quality, affordable learning experiences through hands-on training programs that lead to in-demand careers.
• RISE Community Solutions, Inc.: Providing weekly 1:1 peer support from a bilingual certified recovery peer specialist to youths ages 9-17 living full-time with a caregiver in Osceola County who have experienced at least one inpatient psychiatric hospitalization in the past year,
• Grace Counseling: Providing in-person and virtual counseling sessions, awarding scholarship sessions to clients facing financial hardship, funding additional clinical staff, trainings and continuing education.
• Orange Blossom Family Health: Expand access to quality outpatient, integrated mental health services for low-income and homeless community members, hiring an additional provider and offering additional events and activities.
• Osceola Community Health Services: Serving the uninsured and Medicaid-insured individuals of all ages in Osceola County, expanding access to bilingual, culturally responsible outpatient therapy through a therapist who will work alongside primary care, psychiatry, and case management teams to ongoing care coordination.
• The Mental Health Association of Central Florida: Launching a free mental health clinic in Sanford to address the growing mental health crisis, filling critical gaps in care for uninsured and underserved residents.

AdventHealth is honored to partner with these organizations uplifting the community. In previous years, supported programs have delivered remarkable outcomes, such as providing workforce training that has led to job placement for hundreds of Central Florida residents.

"Our ongoing collaboration with AdventHealth has been a powerful force in advancing health care career pathways across Central Florida,” said CareerSource Vice President of Workforce Operations Gina Ronokarijo. “Together, we supported 47 students through a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program at SMTL School of Faith and Nursing, with several graduates already gaining employment and others earning their certification."

The grants total more than $2 million over three years.