TAMPA, Fla. — "It was a calling," Sarah Combs told me when I asked her about what made her decide to fix up The University Area neighborhood in Tampa.
"When I came to the University community, I knew nothing about it. And that was what intrigued me." Combs saw the need while also seeing the opportunity.
Over time, Combs has teamed up with the community, bringing in residents and artists to fix up the community.
It all started with a garden, and then it expanded into a park, one of the only private parks in Hillsborough County, that has a "HOPE" art installment, which was led by Haiti Artist Junior Polo who was recently featured on Beautiful People.
"We're gonna have opportunities for home ownership for residents. We're teaching them, having educational classes to be able to help them not just get better jobs, but get more higher equity and paying jobs," Combs said.
"Every family is so personal and for us, a family can't get lost in the numbers. It's one person. One family at a time," she said.