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Dr. Ann Tyler was just one of seven community leaders honored at a city of Kissimee Black History Month celebration on Feb. 18.
Courtesty of the city of Kissimmee
The city of Kissimmee honored seven community leaders on Feb. 18 at a reception to honor Black History Month.
They were: Anna Pinellas, Dr. Ann Tyler, Pastor Roxanne Harvey, Pastor Sterling Blake, Eddie Fullwood, Marielle Pierrot and Arkeisha Reese.
Here’s some information on each one of them.
Anna Pinellas
Anna Pinellas moved to Kissimmee in June 1981 from Washington, D.C. She inquired positions in Kissimmee. It was during this period that she also inquired about Osceola County’s and the city of Kissimmee’s access to Community Development Block Grants (also known as CDBG). Her journey began after she was hired by the city find funds from the Federal governments. She has worked on many projects to secure federal funds.
She has served in multiple boards, including the Osceola Council on Aging, Head Start Board of Directors, and 4C Board of Directors, to name a few.
Dr. Ann Tyler
Dr. Ann Tyler has been residing in Kissimmee since August 1991.
Tyler demonstrated interest in the community, and served as an appointed member of various Osceola County committees. She has appeared before Osceola County and the Kissimmee City Commission, when there are issues that need to be presented for discussion. She belongs to multiple organizations such as Osceola County Education Associations-Retired and as a lifetime member of the local NAACP branch.
Pastor Roxanne Harvey
Pastor Roxanne Harvey is the current president of the Democratic Women’s Club of Osceola County, and she is also the executive director and lead pastor of Real Love International Ministries. She is also a recording artist, business owner, and a prolific motivational speaker.
She established Real Love International where her overall vision is to help people discover and develop skills that will enable individuals to move from poverty to abundant living, from helplessness to hopefulness. She also developed programs such as the Transformation Technology Station- a six-week computer training program that assisted and educated low-income and at-risk family members in computer technology and provided job assistance upon completion of the program.
Pastor Sterling Blake
Pastor Sterling Blake was born in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica.
Blake started in the work field as a carpenter apprentice and worked within many areas of the construction field, like masonry, painting and general construction. In 1979, Blake got his first farm working card, which allowed him to come to the United States as a farm worker in the Sugar Cane Industry in South Florida. There he worked cutting sugar cane from 1979 to 1985.
After years of working in the sugar cane industry, Blake decided to stay in Kissimmee, where he started his own business “Sterling Silver Scape & Sod” as a one-man business, but it didn’t take long for the company to see growth.
Today, Sterling Silver Scape & Sod is 31 years old with 29 employees.
Eddie Fullwood
Eddie Fullwood was born and raised in Kissimmee. He is the co-founder of No Limit, Inc. He began his career in 2002, by maintaining neighborhood landscape plants and lawns throughout Kissimmee. In 2003, his business was incorporated under the name of No Limit Lawn Care, Inc. and expanded into all segments of the landscape industry. Then in 2012, he established No Limit Handyman Services, Inc. The company that started with 12 employees now employs over 40 people.
He believes in giving back to the community by donating to schools, churches, and charities. Last year, he donated a butterfly garden to Thacker Avenue Elementary School for International Studies.
Marielle Pierrot
Marielle Pierrot is a native New Yorker, who moved to South Florida in 2003, and then to Central Florida in 2006. She is the third of seven siblings, and a mother of two children. Despite Pierrot’s’s obstacles to being hearing impaired, she successfully pursued her career as a social worker and community organizer with more than 20 years of experience in the social services industry.
Marielle began working in social services- nonprofit organizations when she worked with at risk homeless youth, pregnant youth, foster children, and homeless families. She has served in the Florida Coalition for the Homeless, Broward Coalition for the Homeless, United Way Independent Living Program and FEMA.
Arkeisha Reese
Arkeisha was born in Miami. In May 2001, she had her second son, but unfortunately, she only got to share memories with him for five years. On June 16, 2016, Reese’s life changed forever. Kareem Angel Green’s life was cut short due to a drowning accident. This accident caused her tremendous pain, but for her love and fervor for helping others, she found solace and began to let her voice be heard so that no one else would go through that type of pain.
She began donating swimming lesson vouchers to various parks so the less fortunate will have the opportunity to learn how to swim. She speaks to organizations about water safety and she has also spent countless hours gathering donations for students to start school with the supplies they need. During the holiday season, she has given away bicycles and toys.
