Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - construction - the leonard & marjorie williams family ymca, a branch of the ymca of central florida, was initiated in 2021 to serve as a…

Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - construction - the leonard & marjorie williams family ymca, a branch of the ymca of central florida, was initiated in 2021 to serve as a community hub for the new, 202 acre live-work-play development led by the DR. Phillips charities located two miles from the center of downtown orlando called the packing district. IT is located at 2178 packing district way, orlando, FL 32804. This new ymca, which opened in march of 2023, is strategically located inside of a new city of orlando regional park between the socioeconomically diverse 32804 and 32808 ZIP codes. This new ymca will work to foster greater community-wide unity and inclusion through safe, equitable access to health and wellness activities for all. The leonard & marjorie williams family ymca (lmwfy) has not only created over 100 new local jobs, but also has the opportunity to serve a combined population of over 70,000 residents within a 12-minute drive time surrounding the facility, of which 48.5% of the residents are black and 13% of the residents are hispanic. Based on the 2011-2015 census tract data, the area surrounding the lmwfy is highly-distressed with a 40% poverty level, medically-underserved, and a food desert. While there is both a great need and a great opportunity to positively impact thousands of lives through this new y, the economic realities and headwinds from the covid-19 pandemic have severely reduced the ymca of central florida's annual revenue by roughly 50%, coupled with rapidly escalating construction costs for the new facility. As a result, despite best fundraising attempts to date, the y simply is not able to fully fund the entire leonard & marjorie williams family ymca project, and opened the main facility in march of 2023 without one critically-needed space - a gymnasium. This new gymnasium will serve a vital role as a safe place for kids and teens to become healthier and nurtured through the activities, skills, friendships, and enriching experiences of y day camp and youth sports programs, a place or families to enjoy healthy recreation time together, a place for adults and seniors to grow stronger in adult sports leagues and group exercise programs, a place where volunteers can give back through coaching and community service initiatives, and a welcoming place for all in the community to gather together in fellowship during special events and town halls. This gymnasium will stand for decades and last for generations. IT will become a place where kids grow up safe, healthy and strong and then return years later as parents who take their kids to the same y programs in the same GYM. A place filled with fond memories, tight-knit bonds of friendship, and healthy habits that will transform this community in a way which yields a far greater return than the initial financial investment. The gymnasium will be the "heartbeat" of this new y and this new community. Therefore, the ymca of central florida is requesting the use of $1,000,000 of taxpayer funds through the hrsa-23-117 community project funding as an investment which will go directly back into enriching the health of thousands of taxpayers for generations to come through the construction of a gymnasium at the leonard & marjorie williams family ymca in the packing district. The project director of the hrsa-23-117 funding is rachel bowman, (407)896-9220