Not every organization seeking assistance needs a $100,000 grant. Sometimes they need some money to buy food or clothing. Sometimes they just help open the door.
Seniors made their way through the Gulf Breeze Senior Center, some carrying supplies, some with canes and walkers, as they struggled to open the red double doors. One woman arrived with a bag and a service dog and had to have the door opened for her.
That will soon change with the installation of automatic doors thanks to a $3,292 grant from Gulf Breeze Will Do, a philanthropic women’s group that has been giving money to schools, environmental groups, scouts and other organizations that benefit Gulf Breeze for a decade.
This month, Gulf Breeze Will Do awarded $46,000 in grants to nine different organizations, including the Gulf Breeze Senior Center, housed at St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church in Gulf Breeze.
Grants will help purchase new ceremonial drill equipment and instruments for students, a four-year scholarship, turtle conservation, provide home repairs for two area veterans and more.
Gulf Breeze Will Do President Leslie Perino said the philanthropic group is modeled after the Impact 100 Pensacola Bay Area group, which awards $100,000 grants annually to multiple organizations.
“But it has been scaled down,” she said of Gulf Breeze Will Do, founded in 2014 by Susan Nitterauer. “Some groups may not need $100,000. It really helps smaller groups.”
The role model: IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area awards $1.2 million to local nonprofits
Perino said a previous grant helped a Boy Scout fund his Eagle Scout project.
Gulf Breeze Will Do awards grants to groups operating in zip codes 32561 and 32563. Each year, grants of up to $10,000 are awarded in several categories: arts, recreation and sports, environment, education, hardship support services, public safety.
Recipients of 2024 grants
Art, recreation and sports
• The arc gateway – Healing through Art: Art Therapy for Arc Gateway. A grant of $3,750 will be used to provide art therapy services to the clients enrolled in the day program at the Arc Gateway South Santa Rosa center.
• Gulf Breeze High School Junior ROTC – Ceremonial drilling equipment. An $8,457 grant will be used to purchase ceremonial drilling equipment, replacing the outdated and broken equipment currently in use.
Environment
Gulf Coast Turtle Watch, Inc. – Sea turtle superheroes, conservation through education. A grant of $1,140 will be used to purchase educational materials, a sling to transport injured turtles and a tent and cart for use at community events.
Education
Gulf Breeze Elementary School -A grant of $7,015 will be used to purchase 11 new xylophones for the music program, benefiting all students at the school.
Santa Rosa Education Foundation – Take stock with children. An $8,011 grant will be combined with matching funds from the State of Florida to fully fund a four-year college education for an at-risk, low-income student from the Gulf Breeze/Pensacola Beach area.
Hardship Support Services
Pensacola Habitat for Humanity – Gulf Breeze Heroes: Critical Home Repair Matching Fund for Disabled Veterans. A $10,000 grant will be used to provide $20,000 in federal funds for critical home repairs for at least two disabled military veterans in the Gulf Breeze/Pensacola Beach area.
Santa Rosa County Schools – Just the basics. A $1,011 grant will be used by two school district social workers to provide after-hours assistance with basic needs, including food, clothing, shoes and lice treatment kits to students in need.
Public safety
Gulf Breeze Senior Center – Automatic door system. A $3,292 grant will be used to install an automatic door system at the senior center, improving accessibility for community members with limited mobility.
Pensacola Beach Elementary School PTA – Request for replacement of decking boards. A $3,859 grant will be used to partially fund the replacement of unsafe, deteriorating wood decking with composite materials that have a much longer lifespan.
Members of Gulf Breeze Will Do pay an annual membership fee of $250, with all money going toward awarding prizes. The group ended the 2024 campaign with 175 members and has already launched the 2025 membership campaign with a target of 200 members. For membership and other information, visit gulfbreezewilldo.org.
“They’re just a fantastic organization and they’re great to work with,” said Kim Giryluk, director of the Gulf Breeze Senior Center, referring to Gulf Breeze Will Do. “They work locally to make a better Gulf Breeze.”
But Perino said her group is just helping other groups in their efforts to improve their communities.
“Each of these grant recipients is truly making something different in the lives of those they serve,” she said, “and it is an honor to work with them to improve our community.”
This article originally appeared in Pensacola News Journal: Gulf Breeze Will Do awards $46,000 in grants to community groups.
