PHOTOS: Hope & Help breaks ground at new location

ORLANDO | Hope & Help held its groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 6 for its new location at 7750 S Orange Blossom Trail.

The new location looks to expand Hope & Help’s ability to provide accessible healthcare, HIV/STI prevention, testing, treatment and education to Central Florida communities.

Thresa Giles, CEO of Hope & Help, said the new location will be open in April or May of next year. The building will be left alone, and the inside and parts of the outside will be renovated.

“What I like about it is that you get to see it in the raw right now, and then you get to wait and see the impact that we’re gonna have on the neighborhood,” Giles says. “We’ve already been out to the community.  We’ve already told them that we’re coming. Everyone is excited.”

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings attended the ceremony and said he wants to be invited back for the grand opening even though he won’t be mayor.

“It’s always a great day to do groundbreaking, because that means that there’s a new beginning happening within our community,” Demings says. “We have a lot going on; we certainly have our challenges. As I have about two months left in office, it’s really important for me to come out and share in these types of occasions.”

As Central Florida continues to grow, expanding access to healthcare and prevention services is increasingly important. The nonprofit said this new location is an investment in making those services more accessible to the communities Hope & Help serves.

Watermark Out News attended the groundbreaking ceremony. View our photos below.

Photos by Bellanee Plaza.