EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was written before hurricanes Helene and Milton made landfall. Since then, the OHI Foundation has created a $75,000 fundraising goal to support parks impacted by Helene. To learn more, click here.
The OHI Foundation is seeking further help to support its disaster relief efforts as requests for such support continues to rise due to the increasing number of natural disasters occurring.
Recently, the Foundation had to pause distributing disaster relief support due to a lack of funds.
“We’ve exceeded our budget for the second year in a row,” noted Terry Munoz, chairman of the foundation. “We have the money that is earmarked for the school through the George O’Leary fund and then we have our unrestricted funds or donations that we use for disaster relief. It has been an unprecedented year for disasters and we have received numerous requests that we have funded this year.”
Munoz noted that the foundation has had to have some tough conversations recently with park owners seeking help that the Foundation couldn’t give aid to at the moment.
Disaster Relief support is funded 100% through donations from park owners/operators across the country, and some industry suppliers, like Tengo Internet, have given thousands over the past several years.
Krystine Harris, vice president of finance for OHI, noted that both 2023 and 2024 have been “significantly over budget.”
- Fiscal Year 2024 (ends 9/30) – Disbursed $31,500 — these figures were gathered near the end of August
- Fiscal Year 2023 – Disbursed $34,500
Type of Support Provided
Parks may apply for any, or all, of the following:
- Up to $1,000 Grant For Interim Relief For Personal Use
- Up to $3,000 Grant for Interim Relief for Business Use
- Up to $1,000 Grant For Providing Shelter, Food, Clothing, etc., to Victims of a Natural Disaster, including Park Staff
* Parks must apply for Disaster Relief Funds within 60 days of experiencing a disaster.
Munoz said he hopes to highlight all of the work that the Foundation does to support the industry.
“We want to make sure that we’re getting the word out of who we are and what we do,” he noted. “Our tagline says, ‘It’s in our nature to help,’ and that’s what we do. We want people to know that and how we do that, whether it’s through disaster relief or scholarships, which help people improve their businesses by attending OHI’s national school.”
To donate to the fund, click here.
If your park experiences damage from any natural disaster, you are eligible for funds from the OHI Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund.
Click here to apply for assistance.
You DO NOT need to be an OHI member to apply.
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