Orlando philanthropist Harris Rosen awards $35,000 to GNV4All for its Family Learning Center

Press release from GNV4All

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Harris Rosen, an Orlando philanthropist and founder of the largest independently owned hotel chain in Florida, has awarded Gainesville for All $35,000 for its Gainesville Empowerment Zone Family Learning Center (GEZFLC).

“I have been struck by the tenacity of Gainesville for All and its supporters in their efforts to improve academic achievement among children from low-income families,” Rosen said. “Because I have personally witnessed how the quality of life of a community can be enhanced where a spirit of giving exists, I urge Gainesville area residents to strongly support GNV4ALL  and its Family Learning Center.”

The GEZFLC was opened eight months ago on the campus of Metcalfe Elementary School to help close the academic achievement gap between black and white students in Alachua County by providing high-quality early learning for children from infancy to age four and connecting their struggling families to vital social and community services.

“We are pleased that Mr. Rosen recognizes the value of the approach that we’re using to begin chipping away at a persistent problem,” said James F. Lawrence, GNV4ALL president. “After being open for just eight months, at least two studies have found that we’re already making significant progress.”

Lawrence referred to a recent classroom observation assessment conducted by the Early Learning Coalition of Alachua County and research directed by the University of Florida’s Lastinger Center.

The GEZFLC was inspired five years ago by the work of the Rosen Foundation after a delegation of local leaders joined Lawrence on a daylong tour of Rosen’s Orlando preschools. The Rosen Preschool, located in the near-downtown Parramore neighborhood, was the primary model for the Gainesville initiative.