In the past, this isolated community had very few services or transit options for residents.
Education in Tangelo Park struggled as well; the high school graduation rate was around 30 percent.
He didnt know what that meant.
Mom had to explain to us that not everyone lives this way, hesays.
Epiphany might be too strong of a word…it was more of a voice.
A feeling that now is the time.
Youve achieved more success than you ever imagined.
In the 29 years that TTP has been active, the Tangelo Park community has experienced exceptional improvement.
The elementary school is now a grade-A school and the high school has a nearly 100 percent graduation rate.
I was part of the first generation of pre-K children in the Tangelo Park Program.
Donna Wilcox, another Harris Rosen Scholarship recipient, earned a bachelors degree from UCF using her full-ride.
She then went on to earn an M.A.
from the University of Georgia.
When people have the resources to go and succeed, theres a ripple effect, she says.
My mother even went back and got her degree.
I showed her that she could do it.
Alongside community leaders, the Tangelo Park Program (TTP) was created.
It offers free preschool, educational opportunities for parents, and all-expenses-paid college education for every high school graduate.
The Tangelo Park community is now thriving because they have been provided hope for the future.
In 1993, Harris Rosen adopted a Florida neighborhood called Tangelo Park.
