Celebrating an Osceola Council on Aging hero and icon; Carmen Carrasquillo!

The Council is celebrating an Osceola Council on Aging hero and icon; Carmen Carrasquillo! Carmen has retired after serving more than 25 years at the Council and to the Osceola County Community as the Chief Operations Officer for the Council. As a caring person with a heart of gold, Carmen always helped whoever came through our doors. She will be missed, not only by staff and clients, but by many people in our community.

Carmen began her career with the New York Public School system and progressed to serve as the Administrator of the Boriken Health Center for the indigent of East Harlem New York for 10 years. Upon moving to Florida in 1992, Carmen became part of the Council on Aging family, first as a volunteer and soon after providing administrative supervision for the Senior Center, including community events, fundraising events, regular program activities and the Special Needs Shelter.

Carmen transitioned from a life and career that was cultivated in a vast urban environment to a small town and largely rural community by researching and addressing local issues through her volunteer work. Her background as a bilingual teacher in the New York Public School system proved to be a valuable asset, with Carmen starting the first English classes for Spanish speaking adult residents in Osceola County. Carmen’s efforts created a priceless resource for the large Hispanic population of Osceola County, helping Spanish speaking residents increase their opportunities for employment and ability in accessing other local resources. Carmen also implemented the first Spanish voter registration campaign for Osceola County, creating a base of social, political influence for Osceola County’s Hispanic community. As a founding member of BRAVO (a non-profit organization) she helped provide necessary information and referrals to newly emigrating Hispanic families and individuals in Osceola County. For these contributions, Carmen was subsequently awarded the 1994 Woman of the Year Award.

We all wish our dear Carmen a very happy retirement!

We love you with all our hearts!