Author: Danny Hafner

Commentary: Harris Rosen to employers: Take charge of health care

Having recently participated in the World Health Care Congress in Washington, D.C., I am heartened in the future of health care in America because of the wonderful ideas discussed from around the globe. However, I was somewhat disappointed that still many employers don’t get as involved in health care as perhaps they should be.

YMCA Names Aquatic Center After Harris Rosen, Who Saved It More Than 25 Years Ago

ORLANDO (July 26, 2018) – The YMCA Aquatic Center at 8422 International Drive in Orlando has been officially renamed the Rosen YMCA Aquatic Center in honor of Harris Rosen, who led the fight against the center’s demise more than 25 years ago.

Rosen, a prominent Orlando hotelier and avid swimmer, turned activist for the facility in 1992 when the private center, then called the Justus Aquatic Center, was shut down by the mortgage holder.

“I remember arriving at the center one day and finding some Special Olympians hovering about,” said Rosen. “One of the youngsters recognized me as a swimmer there. They asked me if they’d done something wrong, to have it closed. It broke my heart. I knew I had to do something.”

Respecting its place within the fabric of the Orlando community, and especially the swimming community, Rosen called upon celebrities, organizations, and even Orange County to help save the competitive swimming center.

Under his visionary leadership, the facility was ultimately gifted to the YMCA of Central Florida and revenue-generating programs were put in place to help offset operating costs. Rosen has donated millions to the YMCA, some of which will continue to be used for renovations over the next few years.

“Harris Rosen took it upon himself to save this facility, and, at the time, gave the YMCA of Central Florida one of only two competitive swimming centers in Florida. This allowed us to increase our impact in the Central Florida community and it is only fitting to honor him by renaming this facility,” said Dan Wilcox, President and CEO, YMCA of Central Florida.

“I am deeply honored by this recognition,” said Harris Rosen, President & COO, Rosen Hotels & Resorts. “I have been so blessed to be a part of this community and I hope this facility serves as a reminder to all the children and competitors who enter, that with courage, drive and determination, anything is possible.”

Additional capital renovation donors to the new Rosen YMCA Aquatic Center include: OUC, Lochinvar, Duke Energy, Modern Plumbing, Trinity Surfaces, Cree and Rentex.

The newly renamed Rosen YMCA Aquatic Center is a state-of-the-art facility featuring two Olympic-size swimming pools and new diving platforms. It is home for many competitive swimmers, divers and water polo players.

For Rosen, however, one of its biggest impacts to the community rests in the lives of the hundreds of children who have learned drowning prevention and swimming skills there.

“Who knows how many children have avoided water-related tragedies because of the programs here at the Aquatic Center. It truly saves lives, and I will forever champion the cause to keep our children safe in the water,” said Rosen.

The facility was also selected to host the 2018 UANA Pan American Masters Championships, making it the second-ever American site to host the event. The 2,500-athlete competition began July 25, one day after the Rosen dedication ceremony.

The 2018 UANA Pan American Masters Championship will run until Aug. 12 with events like swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, water polo and open-water swimming. Competitors will represent 43 Swimming Federations in North, South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean. It is believed that Orlando’s popularity will make this one of the largest swimming competitions in North America, outside of a World Championship. In a previous announcement, U.S. Masters Swimming CEO Dawson Hughes called the Rosen YMCA Aquatic Center one of the “most respected” aquatic centers in the country.

“They have experience hosting large events and the facility, volunteers and community support to showcase this international event,” said Hughes in the announcement.

Rosen built Rosen Hotels & Resorts into the largest independent hotel company in Florida while never losing sight of those philanthropic roots, especially in relation to the community support of the facility. In addition to Rosen Hotels & Resorts being a hotel partner for the Pan American Masters Championship, it is an annual sponsor of the Rosen YMCA Aquatic Center. Rosen has donated millions to the YMCA of Central Florida and currently serves on the board of directors for the Aquatic Center. The Harris Rosen Foundation has also contributed tens of millions of dollars to the founding and support of educational and youth-benefiting programs and scholarships throughout the Central Florida area.

About YMCA of Central Florida

For over 130 years, the YMCA of Central Florida has focused on strengthening communities through Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility. Operating 27 YMCA Family Centers across Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Lake and Marion counties, the Y is on a mission to improve the lives of all in Central Florida by connecting individuals, families and communities with opportunities based on Christian values that strengthen Spirit, Mind and Body. As one of the area’s largest non-profits, Y serves over 400,000 Central Floridians per year and employs 1,800 Y staff who join together with thousands of donors, volunteers and advocates to empower our community for good. To join the cause or for more information, visit ymcacentralflorida.com.

About Rosen Hotels & Resorts

Rosen Hotels & Resorts owns and operates nine quality hotels in the center of Orlando’s world-famous attractions, shopping and entertainment. Combined, the nine properties feature more than 700,000 square feet of versatile meeting and event space and close to 7,000 guestrooms, minutes from the Rosen YMCA Aquatic Center and Orange County Convention Center. Guided by founder and President Harris Rosen’s unsurpassed standards of quality and service, the company’s team of experienced professionals will help make your Orlando vacation or convention the most memorable experience. For more information, visit rosenhotels.com.

A healthier approach: Hotelier Harris Rosen makes health care a priority

Hotelier Harris Rosen’s venture into health care is still reaping rewards.

On June 24, 1974, Harris Rosen bought a 256-room Quality Inn along Orlando’s International Drive tourist corridor — the beachhead from which Rosen would build a small empire that today includes nine hotels around Orlando with 6,694 rooms catering to a mix of theme-park tourists and convention-bound business travelers.

Rosen Hotels & Resorts – Three Rosen Scholarship Recipients To Enter Rollins

Winter Park, Fla. (May 25, 2018) — The first recipients of the Harris Rosen – Rollins College Scholarship have been selected. Donayja Gates, Tylyiah Andrews and Samijah Butler, high school seniors from Orlando’s Tangelo Park and Parramore neighborhoods, received the scholarships and will enter Rollins this Fall. Gates is currently in the medical program at Jones High School and hopes to pursue a career in cognitive behavioral therapy. She is a member of the National Honor Society and a scholar-athlete, pitching on the softball team. Andrews is captain of the softball team and a varsity volleyball player at Jones High School. She recently received the Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year Award from her local club. She hopes to study computer science at Rollins. Butler plays on the varsity basketball team and the flag football team at Dr. Phillips High School. She also plays the piano and drums.

“We are grateful to have The Harris Rosen Foundation as a partner in identifying and supporting outstanding students from the Parramore and Tangelo Park communities to attend Rollins,” said Faye Tydlaska, vice president for enrollment management at Rollins. “Our selection committee was impressed with the accomplishments of our new Rosen Scholars, and we look forward to welcoming them on campus this fall.”

For the last 25 years in Tangelo Park, and the last two years in Parramore, Rosen has partnered with local community organizations and Florida public colleges and universities to assist students from those neighborhoods to attend and graduate college. He provides scholarship funding that includes tuition, room, board and books and collaborates with community organizations to ensure the students receive the mentoring and other support they need to help them succeed. This year, Rollins College was added as an option from which the students whom Rosen supports can choose.

Studies have shown that low-income students who attend more selective colleges such as Rollins have higher rates of retention and graduation than those who attend less selective institutions. The Rollins College mission of educating students for global citizenship and responsible leadership means that students from Tangelo Park and Parramore not only will have opportunities to attain an outstanding Rollins education, but also will have increased chances of becoming leaders who will give back to their communities.

Under the agreement between The Harris Rosen Foundation and Rollins College, Rosen will fund the remainder of participating students’ costs of attendance at Rollins after the College applies available federal, state, and internal financial aid dollars. The students will take advantage of existing mentoring and other non-financial support in the Rosen Foundation’s Tangelo Park and Parramore scholarship programs, in addition to experiencing the world-class academic preparation, career planning, and other support services at Rollins.

Rosen Hotels & Resorts Since 1974, Harris Rosen, President & COO, Rosen Hotels & Resorts, has been committed to providing outstanding value and service to guests at his nine Orlando hotels. The award-winning collection features three convention properties and six leisure hotels, which when combined provide 6,693 guestrooms, 700,000 square feet of meeting space, an 18-hole championship golf course, two spas and numerous restaurants. Through The Harris Rosen Foundation, Rosen has funded the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida, (ranked a top hospitality school by CEO Magazine), the Jack and Lee Rosen JCC and has provided hundreds of college scholarships through his Tangelo Park and Parramore programs and to Rosen College students and his own associates and dependents. For more information, visit RosenHotels.com.

About Rollins College: Founded in 1885, Rollins College is Florida’s oldest college. Located in Winter Park, near Orlando, Rollins is consistently ranked as one of the top regional universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to full-time undergraduate programs in the College of Liberal Arts, Rollins offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs for working adults through its evening program at the Hamilton Holt School and graduate business degree programs through its Crummer Graduate School of Business, which has been ranked a top MBA program by Forbes and Bloomberg Businessweek.

Rollins serves approximately 3,200 degree-seeking students annually. For more information, visit www.rollins.edu.