FPL empowers 10 nonprofits that are building stronger communities and providing life-changing opportunities
SOURCE: Florida Power and Light
Pensacola, Fla. — Tiylan Westery, struggling with reading and lacking a positive male role model, observed the transformative impact of the weekly Youths Left Behind (YLB) meetings in his community center.
Determined to join despite being under the age requirement of 10, he boldly asked YLB founder Hassan Hills to lower the age limit. “I’m happy to be in the group now,” Tiylan said. “When Mr. Hills shared his story of going to prison, I knew I didn’t want to go down that road. Now, I’ve turned my F in reading into a B.”
Thanks to a $10,000 grant from Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) and additional community support, promising change is underway in Tiylan’s life and the lives of other young men in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
“Our program helps young men see new horizons and avoid crime. We’re grateful for partners like FPL, Escambia County Children’s Trust and the Escambia County Sheriff Department whose support is vital to our work,” said YLB founder, Hassan Hills, a former drug dealer who vowed to strengthen his community instead of destroying it after being released from prison.
With support from Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons and other community partners, Hills launched YLB in 2022 that targets young men ages 9 to 18 to join the group that provides critical mentorship, academic support and life skills fostering respect, responsibility and resilience.
With YLB growing from 11 to 72 members in two years, FPL’s donation will fund more tutors who mentor the vulnerable youths through the nonprofit’s holistic support systems, which include safe transportation to meetings and events, mental health resources and academic tutoring.
“These are key elements in guiding youth toward empowerment and away from violence and help these young men thrive to reach their full potential,” Hills said. “We are experiencing gun violence in our urban communities, but without interventions like YLB and support from our community partners, we would be dealing with an epidemic far worse than we see now.”
YLB is one of 10 nonprofits across Northwest Florida that FPL is honored to support through grants totaling $50,000 funded by the NextEra Energy Foundation, the charitable arm of FPL’s parent company. This is the second of three rounds of grants FPL Northwest region will award this year to nonprofits that focus on education, food insecurity, senior citizen support and child advocacy, as well as grants focused on environmental conservation and protection.
J.T. Young, FPL Vice President and general manger Northwest region, said supporting Youths Left Behind aligns with FPL’s commitment to nurturing safe, strong and resilient communities.
“At FPL, we are honored to support the Youth Left Behind that makes a lifesaving impact and all of these remarkable nonprofits that lend a hand to lift up those in need, and provide life-changing opportunities,” Young said.
Other NextEra Energy Foundation grant recipients are:
Escambia County
- Escambia County Medical Society Foundation: The ECMS Foundation Blood Pressure Cuff Program aims to reduce health disparities by providing at-home blood pressure monitors to low-income patients. Many lack regular healthcare due to financial and transportation barriers. The grant will allow the distribution of 500 cuffs, helping at least 80% of recipients manage their blood pressure better and reduce emergency interventions.
- ReadyKids!: To support Pre-K academic support in Escambia County, using one-to-one mentoring, family learning resources and classroom help to enhance long-term academic success.
- Valarie’s House: Expanding “In-School Grief Groups” at Pace Center for Girls in Escambia County. Currently reaching 50 girls. Funds will purchase supplies, grief books and journals for activities.
Okaloosa/Walton/Bay counties
- Emerald Coast Theatre Company (ECTC): Provides free theatre field trips to students in Okaloosa and Walton counties, aiming to expose them to fine arts despite reduced school arts programs. Over 1,600 students attended last year.
- A Bed 4 Me Foundation: Since 2018, the Foundation has served over 2,800 disadvantaged children in Okaloosa and Walton counties with beds and bedding. Grant funds will buy a twin-sized bed, sheets, pillowcases, comforters and pillows for 41 children.
- St. Andrews Christian Care Center Inc.: Largest food bank in Bay County, distributing over one million pounds of food to 53,000 people and clothing to over 36,000 people annually. Funds will purchase food from Feeding the Gulf Coast and local supermarkets.
- Okaloosa Public Schools Foundation: Launching “Building Math Skills” program for struggling 5th graders, focusing on hands-on construction-based activities to teach math literacy. Pilot program at Elliott Point Elementary.
- Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation: Supports the ArtsReach program in Okaloosa and Walton counties, which provides diverse, inclusive and accessible art education and therapeutic sessions to underserved communities, including veterans, children and adults with disabilities.
- Able Trust Florida Endowment for Vocational Rehabilitation: Supports High School High Tech Programs in Escambia, Okaloosa and Bay counties helping students with disabilities pursue postsecondary education and employment.
About FPL
As America’s largest electric utility, Florida Power & Light Company serves more customers and sells more power than any other utility, providing clean, affordable, reliable electricity to approximately 5.9 million accounts, or more than 12 million people. FPL operates one of the most fuel efficient and cleanest power generation fleets in the U.S. and in 2022 won the ReliabilityOne® National Reliability Award for the seventh time in the last eight years. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.
