Aretha Simons moved to Orlando in 1995. She became a resident of the Rock Lake neighborhood in 2015. She is a Florida native hailing from a small town called Arcadia, which is about 120 miles from Central Florida.
Aretha is most likely the youngest person on her street. She loves her quiet community and her neighbors. She is proud of her community members who always look out for one another.
Aretha is happy to see her West Lakes community revitalized “in a good way” alongside the city of Orlando’s inevitable expansion. While initially hesitant, she is now very excited about the park renovation at Lake Lorna Doone. She looks forward to being able to exercise and utilize the new facilities.
Aretha has a passion for giving back to her community. She is a retired veteran from the U.S. Navy. She has been a chef instructor and owned a catering business for 7 years. Over the last 20 years, she has worked as a Grant Writer helping non-profit organizations start, grow and maintain their businesses. For the past 15 years, she has also worked for federal, state, and local governments, as well as local corporations as a Grant Reviewer.
Click on the audio file below to hear more of Aretha’s story.
To learn more about the Lake Effect | Faces of West Lakes project or to listen to more stories of the residents of the Communities of West Lakes, visit https://www.westlakespartnership.org/faces-of-west-lakes
