Harris Rosen Honored by The U.S. Dream Academy |
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For more information, contact Mary Deatrick:
(407) 332-5212 or Mary.Deatrick@FreshOrlando.com
Photography available at http://www.rosenplazamedia.com |
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ORLANDO (May 31, 2005) Orlando Hotelier Harris Rosen was recently honored by The U.S. Dream Academy at the "Power of a Dream Gala" in Washington, D.C. Rosen was presented with the prestigious President's Award in recognition of his work with an educational pilot program for Tangelo Park, a predominantly African American community in Orlando.
"My pledge was that every two, three and four-year-old would be able to attend preschool at no expense to their parents," Rosen said, "and that for every youngster who was accepted to a public college in the state of Florida, we would pay his or her tuition, room, board, books, and travel."
Since its inception in 1993, the Tangelo Park program has provided more than 250 college scholarships, and high school dropout rates have gone from 25% in 1993 to just 6% last year.
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Harris Rosen and Oprah Winfrey,
guest speaker
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In addition to Rosen, The U.S. Dream Academy bestowed its President's Award on Dr. Dorothy Height, chair and president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women and recent Congressional Gold Medal recipient (one of only three recipients including Dr. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks) and George E. Johnson, founder and chairman (retired), Johnson Products Company, Inc.
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Throughout his distinguished career, Rosen, president and COO of Rosen Hotels and Resorts, has received as much praise for his involvement in the community and work with at-risk youth as he has for his success as an award-winning hotelier.
Height commented that she was honored to have served with Harris Rosen as the co-chair of the Mary McLeod Bethune "The Bronze Statue Project," which was an initiative to build a monument to honor the legendary educator on the campus she founded which is Bethune-Cookman College, Daytona Beach, Fla. Height said, "I'm honored to be here with Mr. Harris Rosen. It was a great day when we put in a Bronze Statue of Mary McLeod Bethune at Bethune-Cookman College, which means a lot to me.
It's nice for someone to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.
Attending the gala were such luminaries as Senator Orrin Hatch, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Representative Sheila Jackson Lee. |
Harris Rosen accepting the President's Award from
Dr. Wintley Phipps,
US Dream Academy President |
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Also in attendance was Oprah Winfrey who apparently made an impression on the usually unflappable Rosen. Upon accepting his award, Rosen quipped, "I just met Oprah, and I'm still kind of tingling."
In accepting his award, Rosen said "I am honored to be here this evening to accept this recognition on behalf of all of the men, women, boys and girls who live in the Tangelo Park community. Our Tangelo Park Initiative has reaped extraordinary results in a relatively short period of time and offers great promise to the many disadvantage young people throughout our great nation. The great society we have all dreamt of is not an impossible dream. We have a template that works. All we need now is the will to make it happen."
Rosen later added, "I am humbled by this award from The Dream Academy. For me, the true reward is being able to make a difference in the lives of the youngsters in our community and to watch them overcome obstacles and determine their own success."
Entertainment was provided by Grammy Award-winning performers Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. and gospel Grammy Award recipient Donnie McClurkin.
The U.S. Dream Academy, based in Columbia, Maryland, is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering at-risk children by providing them with values-centered mentoring, academic tutoring and a technology-focused curriculum in a safe, constructive learning environment. The Dream Academy operates 10 Learning Centers around the country and two additional Learning Centers are slated to open in Orlando and Leesburg, Florida this fall.
Rosen Hotels & Resorts currently owns and operates six properties in the Orlando market, with the seventh, Rosen Shingle Creek Resort and Golf Club, scheduled to open fall 2006. The resort's golf course, Shingle Creek Golf Club, opened for play in December 2003. The growth of Rosen Hotels & Resorts has been fueled by numerous hospitality-industry awards, employee longevity and a reputation for quality.
For more information about Rosen Hotels & Resorts, visit www.rosenhotels.com.
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