ORLANDO, Fla. — A groundbreaking is scheduled in two weeks for a USO Welcome Center at Orlando International Airport.
OIA spent thousands of dollars on a prayer room in September, and Channel 9 asked why the United Service Organizations wasn't getting the same funding.
The welcome center will be located on the first floor so people can see where it is, but the project still needs funding.
The USO needs $350,000 to complete the 3,100-square-foot space.
A USO spokesperson said the organization has raised 60 percent of its goal through community and private donations and hopes more people will donate the remaining 40 percent.
Marine Corps veteran Tom Pastore said OIA should donate some of the money because it spent $250,000 to open a prayer and reflection room that opened just before the arrival of Emirates Airlines.
"Build your non-denominational reflection room, but at the same time, never forget who protects you day in and day out," Pastore said.
OIA officials said they have restrictions on how they can allocate money, and since the USO is a nonprofit, they can't just cut a check.
A USO spokesperson said OIA has helped in other ways, including providing the space rent free.
"This is their oasis through the transport system," Pastore said.
The groundbreaking is scheduled for Feb. 26.
Cox Media Group
