One Man’s Millions Turn a Community in Florida Around

ORLANDO, Fla. — Two decades ago, Harris Rosen, who grew up poor on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and became wealthy in the Florida hotel business, decided to shepherd part of his fortune into a troubled community with the melodious sounding name of Tangelo Park.

A quick snap from the city’s tourist engine, this neighborhood of small, once-charming houses seemed a world away from theme park pleasures as its leaders tried to beat back drugs, crime and too many shuttered homes. Nearly half its students had dropped out of school.

Twenty-one years later, with an infusion of $11 million of Mr. Rosen’s money so far, Tangelo Park is a striking success story. Nearly all its seniors graduate from high school, and most go on to college on full scholarships Mr. Rosen has financed.

Young children head for kindergarten primed for learning, or already reading, because of the free day care centers and a prekindergarten program Mr. Rosen provides. Property values have climbed. Houses and lawns, with few exceptions, are welcoming. Crime has plummeted

“We are sitting on gold here now,” said Jeroline G. Adkinson, president of the Tangelo Park Civic Association and a longtime resident of the mostly black community. “It has helped change the community.”

Still, Tangelo Park’s progress raises as many questions as it answers. While heartwarming, can it be replicated? Or is it the singular story of a singular figure willing to donate not only his money but also his time?

Some elements of Tangelo Park’s success, like its focus on both early childhood education and college, are being used in other programs. And other individuals have played prominent roles in changing students’ lives elsewhere.

George Weiss created Say Yes to Education, which offers scholarships and helps high school students succeed, and Geoff Canada spearheaded the comprehensive Harlem Children’s Zone, which has enhanced the futures of thousands of children in Harlem who attend charter schools.

But Tangelo Park is perhaps hard to mimic in other ways.

The community is small — with only 3,000 people — and filled with homeowners, making it unusual for an urban area. Tangelo has determined leaders who were fighting the drug trade even before Mr. Rosen’s arrival. And it has had Mr. Rosen’s focus and financing over 21 years.

“It’s not inexpensive,” Mr. Rosen said. “You stay until the neighborhood no longer needs you.”

But, he added, there are a lot of wealthy people with the resources to do the same thing if they choose.

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Source: The New York Times