Couple’s $1M gift will help build wellness center
Winter Park philanthropists Dr. Don and Cindy Diebel are donating $1 million to help build the Heart of West Lakes Wellness Center — part of an effort to bring equity and opportunity to the historically Black neighborhood southwest of Camping World Stadium.
The $13.5 million, 30,000-square-foot center, slated to open this winter, will include a café with healthful food, fitness studio, community meeting rooms and a comprehensive primary-care medical clinic.
The project is being led by Lift Orlando, a nonprofit working to overcome decades of discrimination and disinvestment in the community.
“Cindy and I feel strongly about the horrendous history of racism in our country and its many ramifications, including long-standing healthcare inequities that we’ve witnessed firsthand through our professions,” said Don Diebel, a longtime obstetrician and gynecologist. “While we cannot go back in time, we certainly believe that by partnering with Lift Orlando’s stellar leadership, board, and staff, we could build a future with a more level playing field.”
The Diebels helped to launch a philanthropic fund in memory of their son, Dr. Don Diebel Jr., who was killed in 2002 after he stopped to help a newlywed couple trapped in an overturned truck along the Florida Turnpike. A tractor-trailer lost control in the rain and crashed into the rescuers.
“We are so grateful for the immense support of the Diebel family, whose generosity can be found throughout various projects and nonprofits in Central Florida,” said Eddy Moratin, president of Lift Orlando.
The center is the first large-scale collaboration between AdventHealth, Orlando Health and Florida Blue.