Westgate Foundation Gives $1 Million in Grants

David Siegel’s Westgate Resort Foundation recently announced their $1 million donation in grants to nonprofits that work to help children, homeless people, domestic violence survivors, and veterans. The news of the grants also marked the foundation’s 15th anniversary.

These grants make up the largest sum of money ever donated in the history of the charity. They will help to bring food to homebound seniors, mentor school kids, provide job training for veterans and the homeless, as well as offer counseling to victims of abuse. Each nonprofit was given from $5,000 to $20,000 to make these services possible. Westgate’s president and CEO, David Siegel, hopes that next year they can double the amount of money they gave this year as the community’s needs are so great.

“This will let me sleep a little better at night,” said Michael Dippy, executive director of IDignity. The organization helps those who are poor or homeless regain proof of identification. “What we do doesn’t fit neatly into a grant category, so it can be a struggle to find funding,” Dippy said. “But having identification touches everything. Without it, a person cannot be employed, can’t get housing, can’t obtain health insurance.”

The Westgate Foundation’s mission is “strong families, strong workforce.” They work to help people overcome hurdles that keep them from working and put them on a path to self-sufficiency.

David Siegel made this announcement at the Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa conference center, where he called on parents to lock up their prescription medications and drug test their children. This message has become a personal crusade for him after losing his 18-year-old daughter in June of 2015 from a methadone and antidepressant overdose.

Learn more about the Westgate Resorts Foundation on their official website.