Lift Orlando Lands Million-Dollar Donation From KPMG

By Ryan Gillespie, Orlando Sentinel (TNS)

KPMG, the tax, audit and advisory firm with a headquarters in Lake Nona, committed a $1 million donation to Lift Orlando Tuesday in hopes of bridging education and healthcare gaps in West Lakes neighborhoods near Camping World Stadium.

The donation was announced during a celebration of the firm’s 125-year anniversary, alongside an announcement of hiring more than 600 new employees in the region which would bring its local workforce to more than 2,000.

“This is a large-scale investment,” said Lift Orlando President Eddy Moratin of the donation. “These gifts don’t come very often.”

The nonprofit, which brought in $3.7 million last year according to its annual report, focuses on the neighborhoods surrounding Camping World Stadium, building everything from mixed-income and affordable housing to a health center, and investing in businesses.

Its model pairs business and community leaders to revitalize neighborhoods like West Lakes, which face historic systemic barriers.

The $1 million will be paid over a five-year period in $200,000 installments and go toward investing in small businesses, early-childhood education and healthcare options, said Anita Whitehead, who chairs the KPMG Foundation.

“Through this gift, we’re thrilled to play a role in increasing access to health care and supporting holistic wellness services in a community that has too often become a health care desert,” she said. “Many of these families have the skills, but need a hand up to find the opportunities so they too can prosper.”

KPMG opened an 800,000-square-feet training center in Lake Nona in 2020 called the Lakehouse. The $450 million campus includes 800 hotel-like rooms, dining options and a 1.2-mile fitness trail, the Sentinel reported at the time.

___

Accounting