Amscot Financial contributes mini-grants to 16 non-profit service groups

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Amscot Financial, a leading provider of convenient, consumer-oriented financial services, recently gave mini-grants to 16 non-profit service organizations in the Florida communities it serves. Mini-grants went to:

• Mittye P. Locke Elementary School,  New Port Richey. The school sought to provide 50 bike helmets for children aged five to 11. For more information, please visit: http://mples.pasco.k12.fl.us.
• Egypt Shrine A.A.O.N.M.S., Tampa. The Egypt Shriners in Tampa annually seek to help underprivileged and disabled children attend the annual Shrine Circus. The 2014 circus is scheduled for April 10-13 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. For more information, please visit: http://shrinecircusfund.com.
• SafeHouse of Seminole, Sanford. SafeHouse of Seminole is a non-profit organization dedicated to seeing an end to the cycle of domestic violence. SafeHouse reaches out to the community to provide a coordinated response to prevent the epidemic of domestic violence. This response includes the provision of an emergency shelter, counseling services, a 24-hour crisis hotline, court advocacy and outreach programs. For more information, please visit: http://safehouseofseminole.org.
• ArtHaus Foundation, Port Orange. ArtHaus is a small unique non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing visual arts education in Volusia County. It is a creative outlet that helps artists of all ages learn and grow. It affirms the value of the Visual Arts' ability to improve the quality of life through art forms that speak to us at every level, every day.  For more information, please visit: http://www.arthaus.org.
• Lavoy Exceptional Center, Tampa. Lavoy is a public school in Hillsborough County that serves students with special needs, including intellectual disabilities, blindness, autism, emotional and behavioral disorders. For more information, please visit: http://lavoy.mysdhc.org.
• Saddle Up Riding Club, Pinellas Park. The club's Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT) Program seeks to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities. It provides structured horseback riding sessions to children and adults with physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities. Instructors are certified in therapeutic riding. Volunteers and horses have been carefully selected and trained for their roles. Benefits of horseback riding include improvement in joint mobility, balance and coordination, relaxation of spasticity, increased muscle tone, self-confidence, concentration and spatial awareness. Riders also benefit emotionally through the unique bonds they form with their horses and volunteers. For more information, please visit: http://pinellashorse.com.
• The Cypress Center for Well-Being, Tampa. The Cypress Center for Well-Being (formerly known as The Cypress Initiative, Inc.), is a non-profit organization established in 2007 to promote well-being, healthy and productive relationships, and resiliency in individuals, organizations and communities through the understanding of principles explaining how we create and change our experience of life. The Spark Inside mentoring program is provided to young women in public and private schools. For more information, please visit: http://www.cypresscenterwellbeing.org.
• Rotary's Camp Florida, Brandon  Rotary's Camp Florida is an 21-acre, non-profit organization that caters to children with special needs and challenges. The camp is located in Brandon Florida, nestled between two lakes, and canopied by grand oak trees. Although the camp is secluded, it is only minutes away from metro Tampa Bay.  The camp offers both day and overnight rentals, as the facility has a host of necessary structures to aid in our goal of supplying a pleasant and satisfactory visit. Rotary's Camp Florida consists of: air conditioned cabins that sleep a total of 50 to 100 individuals, kitchen, dining hall, assembly hall, library, pavilion, fire pit, boating, and a pool. For more information, please visit: http://rotaryscampflorida.com.
• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, St. Petersburg. JDRF's research mission is to discover, develop and deliver advances that cure, better treat and prevent type 1 diabetes (T1D). As the global leader in the fight against T1D, JDRF's research programs are comprehensive -- addressing the hopes and dreams of every person with T1D for the best quality of life and a cure for this disease. For more information, please visit www.jdrf.org.
• Bay Area Youth Services, Tampa.  Bay Area Youth Services, Inc. envisions a safer Florida where people experience the benefits of life resulting from the reduced risk of harm caused by juvenile delinquency. BAYS' vision also includes a Florida where youth and families can achieve positive goals, such as: good health, improved personal, family and social relationships, educational and career success, and a crime-free lifestyle. For more information, please visit: http://baysflorida.org.
• Friends of Newtown Estates Park, Sarasota. The Friends of Newtown Estate Park have two main programs. The After-School Homework Assistance Program and the Community Enrichment Program. The homework assistance program is designed to assist students who have educational deficiencies. The community enrichment program provides young people with low-cost or free social activities.
• Project D.A.L.E., Sarasota. The mission of Project D.A.L.E. Inc. is to enhance the lives of disadvantaged and at-risk youth and mold them into future leaders through redirection, motivation, positive reinforcement and personal empowerment. For more information, please visit: http://projectdaleinc.org.
• Sarasota Bay Parrot Head Club, Sarasota. The group sought to provide 100 free bike helmets to children aged five to 11. The club partnered with a member who raised funds to purchase 100 bicycles. For more information, please visit: http://sbphc.org.
• Greater Melbourne Police Athletic League, Melbourne. The Melbourne PAL provides multiple programs to over 1,000 youth of Melbourne, supervised by more than 100 coaches and volunteers. Programs include, basketball, football, tennis, softball, boxing, volleyball and cheerleading and dance. Many of its young athletes have moved on to the college and professional ranks in football, basketball, baseball, and track and field. For more information, please visit: http://greatermelbournepal.com.    
• The Life Center of Hernando, Hernando Beach. The Life Center envisions a generation of young women who love and believe in themselves, who possess the moral character, self-discipline and courage to be productive members of their community and who will instill these traits in their children. For more information, please visit: http://lifecenterofhernando.com.
• Communities in Schools of Hernando, Brooksville. This organization is an affiliate of the nation's largest dropout prevention organization. For more than 30 years, CIS has had a focused mission: bringing community resources and caring adults into schools, so that all children have the tools they need to succeed in school and in life.  For more information, please visit: http://www.cishernando.org.

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About Amscot Financial

Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., Amscot Financial is a leading provider of convenient, consumer-oriented financial services, including check cashing, bill payment, money transfers, cash advances, prepaid cards and money orders through its wholly owned division, Amscot International Money Order Company.  Amscot Financial currently operates 230 retail financial service centers throughout Florida and employs more than 1,600 employees. Amscot Financial has been recognized by the Tampa Bay Business Journal as one of Tampa Bay's Best Places to Work for five years. For additional information, please visit the company's website at www.amscot.com.

SOURCE Amscot Financial