By Roxanne Brown
Take Stock in Children honors organization’s guiding lights
Guiding Lights
The extraordinary efforts of Take Stock in Children mentors have not gone unnoticed. Take Stock in Children of Lake and Sumter Counties held a mentor celebration on March 30 at the Venetian Center in Leesburg to recognize the self-sacrificing adults who change lives and help kids break the cycle of poverty through education. Mentors were recognized for helping students build confidence and improve academic skills. Students enrolled in the program receive a collegiate scholarship after graduating high school.
@ Leesburg | Photos: NICOLE HAMEL
Originally from Nogales, Arizona, Roxanne worked in the customer service industry while practicing freelance writing for years. She came on board with Akers Media in July 2020 as a full-time staff writer for Lake & Sumter Style Magazine and was promoted to Managing Editor in October 2023—her dream job come true. Prior to that and after just having moved to Florida in 1999, Roxanne had re-directed her prior career path to focus more on journalism and went on to become a reporter for The Daily Commercial/South Lake Press newspapers for 16 years. Additionally, Roxanne—now an award-winning journalist recognized by the Florida Press Club and the Florida chapter of The Society of Professional Journalism—continues working toward her secondary goal of becoming a published author of children’s books.
