{"id":23358,"date":"2025-12-15T09:15:39","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T14:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/?p=23358"},"modified":"2025-12-12T14:57:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T19:57:18","slug":"orange-countys-community-centers-making-significant-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/2025\/12\/orange-countys-community-centers-making-significant-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"Orange County\u2019s Community Centers Making Significant Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Across Orange County, nine Community Centers are doing far more than offering programs and services \u2014 they are helping thousands of residents build better lives. Operated by the County\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orangecountyfl.net\/CommunityFamilyServices\/CommunityActionDivision.aspx\">Community Action Division<\/a>, these centers embody a simple but powerful philosophy: when people are given the tools to help themselves, entire communities thrive.<\/p>\n<p>Each year, nearly 300,000 residents walk through the doors of Orange County\u2019s Community Centers, which include East Orange, Hal P. Marston, Holden Heights, John H. Bridges, Maxey, Pine Hills, Taft, Tangelo Park and the new Multicultural Center. Inside these hubs, residents connect with resources that range from job fairs and health screenings to financial literacy classes and after-school programs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe think of ourselves as America\u2019s poverty-fighting network,\u201d explained Jonathan Kohn, manager of the Community Action Division. \u201cCommunity Action was created in 1964, when lawmakers realized that poverty looks different in every community \u2014 and the solutions have to look different, too. Sixty years later, we\u2019re still experts in what poverty looks like here in Orange County and what it takes to fight it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That fight takes many forms. In the past year alone, the centers distributed more than 87,000 food boxes, helped nearly 800 residents find employment, provided 1,500 students with school supplies and logged 13,000 volunteer hours. They also made 5,000 referrals to partner agencies and offered welcoming spaces for support groups, community meetings and family events.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur mantra is, <em>\u2018Where Joy Lives, Hope Grows and Help Happens,\u2019<\/em>\u201d said Roy Leath, Community Center manager. \u201cWe often meet citizens when they\u2019re facing a rough time and can\u2019t see a way forward. Our job is to meet them where they are and guide them through their situation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The centers\u2019 computer labs are a lifeline for many residents seeking to improve their circumstances. From job searches and r\u00e9sum\u00e9 building to online training and educational resources, these labs help bridge the digital divide and promote self-sufficiency.<\/p>\n<p>Other programs include job fairs that connect residents with on-the-spot hiring opportunities, health fairs that emphasize preventive care and nutrition, and financial literacy workshops that teach first-time homebuyers how to plan for the future.<\/p>\n<p>For many, the County\u2019s new Multicultural Center represents the next evolution of community action. \u201cThe Multicultural Center is a building, but its people are its heart,\u201d said Kohn. \u201cThere\u2019s no need we won\u2019t address and no problem we won\u2019t help solve. Every day, we\u2019re using innovative, results-oriented problem-solving to help those who need it most.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the numbers, the centers provide something more difficult to quantify \u2014 a sense of belonging and hope. \u201cSometimes what people need most is someone to listen,\u201d asserted Leath. \u201cWe may not always have every answer, but we always have a plan B, C or D to help give them relief.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With measurable outcomes and unmeasurable compassion, Orange County\u2019s Community Centers continue to prove that an investment in people is an investment that pays dividends for generations to come.<\/p>\n<p>For more, go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orangecountyfl.net\/CommunityFamilyServices\/CommunityActionDivision.aspx\">Community Action Division<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Across Orange County, nine Community Centers are doing far more than offering programs and services \u2014 they are helping thousands of residents build better lives. Operated by the County\u2019s Community Action Division, these centers embody a simple but powerful philosophy: when people are given the tools to help themselves, entire communities thrive. Each year, nearly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":23360,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-services"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Orange County\u2019s Community Centers Making Significant Impact<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Across Orange County, nine Community Centers are doing far more than offering programs and services \u2014 they are helping thousands of residents build better lives.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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