funds for a multitude of philanthropic tional Drive, which is now the Rosen initiatives. One of these is the Rosen Inn closest to Universal. And so, in one College of Hospitality Management at year, I went from a very sad person who the University of Central Florida, where believed he had just done the dumbest we donated $18 million to purchase the thing a human being could possibly do, land at the foot of Rosen Shingle Creek to an owner of two hotels, both doing and to help build the college—which quite well. Our little company continopened in 2004 and which I am proud ued to expand as we added rooms to to say is now rated as one of the top existing hotels and built new properfive hospitality colleges in the world. In ties; no doubt I was experiencing the addition, a $5 million endowment fund American dream. was established that provides 100 to Life was wonderful. I met a beautiful 150 scholarships annually, more than young lady at the local YMCA, dated all of the other colleges at the University for about a year, proposed marriage of Central Florida combined. Soon we and, yes, finally moved out of the hotel. PHILANTHROPIC AWARD: Maria Triscari, Director, shall begin design work for an up to We were blessed with four children I-Drive Chamber, presents the first annual Harris 50,000-square-foot building to accom(three boys and a girl) in six years and Rosen Philanthropic Award to Harris Rosen in modate much needed classrooms, offices I now had a private life, as well as a November 2017. and kitchen space as the college has business life. grown from approximately 1,000 students in 2004 to nearly 3,500 But something very important happened to me just about 26 students today. years ago while sitting at my desk dreaming of building even more The Tangelo Park Program was created when we adopted an hotels (I had five and was planning a sixth and dreaming of a underserved, high-crime neighborhood in Central Florida where, seventh), when suddenly it became clear that it was time for me for the past 26 years, we have provided a free preschool educato say thank you to God for all the blessings I had received and to start offering a helping hand to those in need. I enthusiastically cre- tion for every two-, three- and four-year-old in the neighborhood, by creating 10 little schools in neighborhood homes (six children ated The Harris Rosen Foundation, an organization that provides
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COURTESY ROSEN HOTELS & RESORTS (3)
PROFILE