The Florida Bankers Association today announced the 10 winners of its Bank On My Dream contest. In April of this year, nonprofit organizations were invited to nominate individuals they serve to win one of ten $5,000 prizes to make their dreams into reality. Numerous nominations were submitted over a two-month period and 35 eligible contestants were selected to compete for the final prizes. An intensive public voting period followed the submission process, garnering more than 50,000 votes, and a panel of judges including Florida bankers chose the 10 winners.
The winners of the Bank On My Dream contest include:
- The Child First, submitted by Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard County
- A Dream Drive Home from the Family Shelter, submitted by Halifax Urban Ministries
- Free Childcare for Eastside Elementary, submitted by Boys & Girls Club of Hernando County
- Helping Disabled Children Lead Independent Lives, submitted by Queen of Hearts Foundation for Disabled Children, Inc.
- Helping Students Play Sports in Memory of Caleb Acosta, submitted by Kaleb Kares, Inc.
- Kids Walking with KidWalk, submitted by The Arc of Palm Beach County
- Osceola Council on Aging, submitted by Osceola County Council on Aging, Inc.
- Safe Travels for Uriel, submitted by Ricky King Children’s Fund
- Single Mom Fighting Brain Cancer, submitted by Jessica June Children’s Cancer Foundation
- Shelter for Child Surviving Kidney Transplant & Battling Cancer, submitted by Jessica June Children’s Cancer Foundation
“I would like to thank everyone who submitted nominations to the contest. This was a powerful and compelling group of submissions and it was a very difficult process to choose the final ten winners,” said Alex Sanchez, president and CEO of the Florida Bankers Association. “We are proud to support these dreams, just as banks help make dreams come true for Floridians every day.”
Winners of the contest expressed their excitement and are ready to see their dreams come true. Upon winning, the nonprofit organizations agreed to administer the funds to fulfill the nominated dreams. To learn more about the contest and view the winning submissions, please visit www.bankonmydream.com.
Florida bankers play an ongoing role in helping Floridians make their dreams come true, including dreams of owning a home and starting or growing a business. In 2012 alone, Florida financial institutions funded an estimated 461,771 mortgage loans totaling nearly $90 billion. Last year, Florida banks made an estimated 48,473 business loans ranging from thousands of dollars to $1 million, including 33,261 loans of $100,000 or less; 8,018 between $100,000 to $250,000; and 7,194 of $250,000 to $1 million.