For speaking to the powerful on behalf of the powerless, Eric Gray is our Central Floridian of the Year
Every year, the Orlando Sentinel honors a group of heroes who make big differences in local lives: Those whose inspiration and hard work support our community at the time w hen their efforts are most needed. Over the past weeks we’ve profiled the finalists for this year’s honors, and today we name Eric Gray of the Christian Service Center as Central Floridian of the Year.
Many nonprofit leaders firmly believe that controversy is the enemy when you’re trying to promote a cause. But there are times when staying silent just doesn’t seem like an option — when the microphone is in your hand and you have to speak up, or risk betraying everything you’ve worked for.
For Christian Service Center executive director Eric Gray, 2023 was a little bit like that. Actually, a lot like that. And he found he could not back down. Gray’s determination to challenge core elements of Central Florida’s power structure — to become a voice not just for the people who were already homeless, but for those who were sliding toward that brink and desperately reaching for help — makes him the right choice for the Orlando Sentinel’s Central Floridian of the Year.
A call to action
The year was already stacking up as a busy one for Gray. The CSC was in the throes of expanding, adding services such as haircuts, laundry and showers to its Central Avenue campus through partnerships with smaller agencies. Even as the facilities grew, CSC employees were seeing increasing numbers of homeless people, including some who had never been homeless before.
There had been talk, off and on, about a potential solution: Pursuing a slice of the hundreds of millions of dollars generated by hotel bed taxes. The talk usually died out quickly, smothered by the fear of offending the powerful tourism forces in Central Florida.
But then Gray was appointed to a citizens’ panel to oversee the use of tourist-tax money. The microphone was in his hand. And he made full use of it — speaking up about the mounting desperation and how little need Orange County had for an expanded convention center or other taxpayer-funded makeovers to massive public venues. The County Commission didn’t divert any funding — but it did ask the Legislature to consider ways that tourism could support the search for attainable housing.
In the meantime, Gray continued to speak up on issues that affected the people he served, particularly a subtle but nasty shift in state policy that is pushing for increased criminal penalties against the homeless, while putting restrictions on local communities’ efforts to help them.
Speaking out for economically disadvantaged Floridians will always be a somewhat thankless task. Martha Are, head of the Homeless Services Network (and a finalist for 2022 Central Floridian of the Year) understands the importance of Gray’s “powerful and eloquent voice.”
“He is never afraid to speak up for what is right and moral, even when it means ruffling some feathers. I’m beyond grateful to have him as a fellow soldier in our united mission to help people struggling with homelessness.”
Gray shows every sign of continuing the fight. We expect the same from our other finalists for this year’s honor — as we have since 1983, the year the Sentinel debuted these honors. The other finalists are:
Stephana Ferrell and Jen Cousins, founders of the Florida Freedom to Read Project. This organization, formed to speak out against book bans and other attacks on learning that stifle discussion of racial or sexual identity, became a critical voice in 2023 as ultraconservative lawmakers across the country followed Florida’s increasingly restrictive policies. Cousins has left Freedom to Read to work on better protections for LGBTQ youth in schools, while Ferrell’s focused on unearthing public records that document how the state’s policies are taking notable works of literature off school shelves and catering to fringe School Board candidates. Both can be proud of their stand for academic liberty, in Florida and on the national stage.
Ruben Saldaña, who has thrown his heart into an effort to keep local children from being ensnared in a culture of violence and incarceration. Saldaña has used his own story — his leadership in one of Florida’s biggest gangs, and his nearly two decades in prison for his role in the killings of two rivals — as a means to engage youth through mixed martial arts, art and mentorship. Tapped as the head of Orange County’s “Credible Messenger” program, he is rightly proud that none of his active participants have been arrested or seriously injured. He’s still working on expanding the program with more participants and activities.
Atreya Manaswi, an Orlando teen who has packed more scientific success into his first 17 years than many can boast of in a lifetime. After learning (at age 12) about a global collapse in the bee population that is threatening the world’s food supply, he launched himself into research and reached out to key scientists in the field, Manaswi decided to focus on a beetle that attacked hives that were already vulnerable to collapse , developing an all-organic, beer-based formula that killed the invaders without endangering the bees or the honey they produced. Then he designed a refillable container for his elixir that can also keep track of the beetles it kills. Manaswi is still considering his long-term career options, but he’s determined to keep pursuing research for the greater good.
Andrea Eliscu, well-known in this community for her often-inspired ability to identify community needs and bring together the right people to address them. One good example: The Dueling Dragons rowing club, which for more than a decade has worked to bridge gaps between inner-city youth and local law enforcement. Even years later, participants in the Dueling Dragons program are eager to talk about the positive energy and personal ambitions it awakened in them. Eliscu has also played a key role in the fight to expand education of health-care workers in this area, including collaborating with local philanthropist Harriett Lake to endow some of the first scholarships to UCF’s School of Medicine.
As in years past, there were many, many others who could easily have been recognized for these honors. But this year’s nominees share one common trait: They brought their talents, their effort and most of all their heart at a time when it was needed the most.
