Dr. Phillips Charities celebrates Central Florida nonprofits during 2025 Impact Awards
President and CEO of Dr. Phillips Charities, Kenneth Robinson, joins WESH 2 to discuss the ceremony, recipients and significance of the annual event.
THROUGHOUT CENTRAL FLORIDA. IT’S ANOTHER YEAR AND MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. AT DOCTOR PHILLIPS CHARITY’S ANNUAL IMPACT AWARDS. LEADERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS FILLED THE ROOM TO CHEER FOR MORE THAN A DOZEN ORGANIZATIONS WHO RECEIVED A TOTAL OF. $325,000. AND WITH THAT MONEY, THOSE NONPROFITS CAN CONTINUE DOING THE REAL WORK RIGHT HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY. JOINING ME NOW WITH A LOOK BACK AT THIS EVENING AND THE WORK STILL AHEAD IS THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF DOCTOR PHILLIPS CHARITIES, KEN ROBINSON. KEN, THANK YOU FOR COMING IN THIS MORNING. WELL, GOOD MORNING, CHRISTINA. WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY. WE HAD AN AWESOME EVENING AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME AS YOUR EMCEE YESTERDAY. I LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT THESE ORGANIZATIONS. IT WAS GREAT. WELL, THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME OUT OF YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE TO COME AND HOST IT. IT MADE IT ALL THE BETTER. THANK YOU. IT WAS AN HONOR. KEN, FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR, TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT DOCTOR PHILLIPS CHARITIES. SO DOCTOR PHILLIPS CHARITIES IS A GRANT MAKING ORGANIZATION. WE GIFT MONEY TO OTHER NONPROFITS WHO REALLY DO THE HARD WORK. WE. OUR JOB IS EASY. GIVE THEM THE MONEY, MAKE SURE WE VET IT PROPERLY. GIVE IT TO THE RIGHT ORGANIZATIONS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA THAT ARE GOING TO MAKE AN IMPACT. AND LET’S GO BACK TO THE ROOM. LAST NIGHT WE WERE LOOKING AT VIDEO OF ALL THE RECIPIENTS. TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAY WAS A FILLED ROOM. IT WAS A FILLED ROOM. AND IT’S ALWAYS EXCITING. YOU KNOW, LAST NIGHT WAS ABOUT MICROGRANTS. IT WAS ABOUT LIFTING UP SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS THAT REALLY DON’T GET THE ACCLAIM THAT THEY DESERVE. AND SO WE WANT TO PUT THEM FORWARD INTO THE COMMUNITY, GIVE THEM SOME SEED DOLLARS TO HELP MAKE AN IMPACT. AND THESE ORGANIZATIONS DO EVERYTHING FROM LEGAL SERVICES, HOUSING, MENTAL HEALTH, AEROSPACE. I MEAN, I JUST LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT THE WORK THEY’RE DOING. IT’S REMARKABLE. KEN, HOW DO ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE ONES HIGHLIGHTED YESTERDAY HELP FULFILL DOCTOR PHILLIPS MISSION AND HONOR HIS INCREDIBLE LEGACY? SO OUR MOTTO IS TO HELP OTHERS HELP THEMSELVES. AND SO THESE ORGANIZATIONS REALLY GET HAND IN HAND AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THAT. LIKE YOU MENTIONED, MENTAL HEALTH, HELPING THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THEMSELVES, TAKE THE STIGMA AWAY FROM IT TO HELP YOUTH PROGRAMS, TO HELP ARCHITECTS BECOME ARCHITECTS. YEAH. AND IT’S NOT EASY TO PICK THE RECIPIENTS OF THESE MICRO GRANTS BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR BACKYARD DOING THE REAL WORK. WHAT IS THE PROCESS TO NARROW IT DOWN? THAT IS A TOUGH JOB. WELL, IT IS DIFFICULT TO GIVE MONEY AWAY PROPERLY, RIGHT? IT’S EASY JUST TO HAND OUT MONEY, BUT YOU WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN IT GETS TO THE RIGHT ORGANIZATIONS. SO WE CREATE AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND WE RECEIVE A LARGE NUMBER OF GRANT REQUESTS IN. AND WE PUT THOSE FORWARD TO THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, LET THEM HELP US VET THROUGH THEM, AND THEY MAKE THE FINAL DETERMINATION FOR US. IT’S A UNIQUE PROCESS ON THE LARGER GRANTS. WE KEEP IT INTERNAL WITH OUR BOARD. BUT FOR THIS WE BRING IN AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE BECAUSE THEY’RE MORE GRASSROOTS. THEY REALLY CAN SEE WHAT THE IMPACT IS AND CAN. IN ADDITION TO THE MICRO GRANT RECIPIENTS, THERE WAS ALSO A LEGACY AWARD RECIPIENT. TALK ABOUT THAT WINNER AND WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO WALK AWAY WITH. WELL, THE LEGACY AWARD WINNER IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US. IT REALLY KIND OF FOLLOWS DOCTOR PHILLIPS HIMSELF AS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND INNOVATOR, AND A MAN WHO GAVE BACK. AND SO THE LEGACY AWARD WAS GIVEN TO THE ARNOLD AND WINNIE PALMER FOUNDATION. AND THEY HAVE DONE SUCH GREAT WORK. IF YOU THINK OF MR. PALMER HIMSELF IN THE IMPACT HE HAD, NOT JUST IN GOLF, BUT LOOK AROUND CENTRAL FLORIDA AND YOU SEE THE ARNOLD AND WINNIE PALMER HOSPITAL, AND WINNIE PALMER HERSELF WAS VERY MUCH INTO THE NATURE AND THE GIVING BACK INTO THE NATURE AND EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT IT. SO THEY HAVE DONE SUCH A GREAT JOB. AMY SAUNDERS, CARRYING ON HER FAMILY’S LEGACY. WE WANTED TO HONOR THEM. IT WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL EVENING. BEFORE WE LET YOU GO, KEN, HOW CAN OUR COMMUNITY GET INVOLVED AND SUPPORT WHAT DOCTOR PHILLIPS CHARITIES IS DOING RIGHT NOW? WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT. IN THE COMMUNITY IS INVOLVED. CENTRAL FLORIDA IS A VERY GIVING COMMUNITY. AND SO OUR HOPE WAS TO UPLIFT SOME OF THESE SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS. SO TAKE A LOOK AT WHO WAS RECEIVED THE IMPACT AWARDS LAST NIGHT. YOU’LL SEE IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND SUPPORT THEM PLEASE. ABSOLUTELY. AND WE’LL BE SURE TO POST LINKS TO THOSE ORGANIZATIONS ON OUR WEBSITE AS WELL. WESH.COM. KEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH AND T
Dr. Phillips Charities celebrates Central Florida nonprofits during 2025 Impact Awards
President and CEO of Dr. Phillips Charities, Kenneth Robinson, joins WESH 2 to discuss the ceremony, recipients and significance of the annual event.
Updated: 10:56 AM EDT Oct 17, 2025
Dr. Phillips Charities has awarded $325,000 in grants to Central Florida nonprofit organizations enacting positive change during the 2025 Impact Awards on Thursday, Oct. 16. The recipients include community organizations that take part in all types of philanthropy, from large-scale initiatives to grassroots projects.President and CEO of Dr. Phillips Charities, Kenneth Robinson, joins WESH 2 to discuss the ceremony, recipients and significance of the annual event. WESH 2’s Christina Watkins served as the event emcee. 2025 Dr. P. Phillips Legacy Microgrant RecipientsChildren’s Safety VillageThe Kitchen HouseEmbrace of CelebrationGrace Counseling CenteriBuild Central FloridaJoshua’s House FoundationLegal Services of the Puerto Rican Community Angel Flight SoutheastMuslim Women’s OrganizationOne PursePer Scholas OrlandoWelbourne Avenue Nursery & KindergartenAdult Literacy LeagueBetter TogetherBlack Architects in the Making2025 Legacy Award Recipient The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation Click here to learn more.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Dr. Phillips Charities has awarded $325,000 in grants to Central Florida nonprofit organizations enacting positive change during the 2025 Impact Awards on Thursday, Oct. 16.
The recipients include community organizations that take part in all types of philanthropy, from large-scale initiatives to grassroots projects.
President and CEO of Dr. Phillips Charities, Kenneth Robinson, joins WESH 2 to discuss the ceremony, recipients and significance of the annual event.
WESH 2’s Christina Watkins served as the event emcee.
2025 Dr. P. Phillips Legacy Microgrant Recipients
Legal Services of the Puerto Rican Community
Welbourne Avenue Nursery & Kindergarten
Black Architects in the Making
2025 Legacy Award Recipient
The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation
Click here to learn more.