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One Mans Millions Turn a Community in Florida Around
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of New York Times
Posted: November 23rd, 2015
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/26/us/tangelo-park-orlando-fl...
Two decades ago, Harris Rosen ... decided to shepherd part of his fortune into a troubled community with the melodious sounding name of Tangelo Park. This neighborhood [and] 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. Rosens 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. Its 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. In all, Mr. Rosen now spends about $500,000 a year, less than when he began the program, he said. Mr. Rosens plan gives no money directly to the schools, directing it instead to help preschool children and provide scholarships for high school graduates. Next year, Mr. Rosen is starting his education program in Parramore, a neighborhood in downtown Orlando, with housing projects and a more transient population. Success ... he said, might persuade other wealthy people to embrace the program.
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