TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Highlands Today

Ann Romney Coming To Sebring Today

Courtesy photo

Ann Romney, former Mass. First Lady is scheduled to be in downtown Sebring today.

ADVERTISEMENT

By Gary Pinnell | Highlands Today

Published: January 23, 2008

AVON PARK — Ann Romney, the wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, is scheduled to be in downtown Sebring at 10 a.m.

The public is invited, said Marvin Kahn, who arranged the meeting at Iris & Butterflies, 207 Circle Park Drive.

"She specifically asked to meet women who are in business," said Kahn, the Highlands County co-chairman of Mitt Romney for President.

Kahn, a Highlands County citrus grove owner, said he got a call last week from the state GOP that Ann Romney might stop in Sebring, so he quickly arranged the visit to the gift shop.

"She'll be there about an hour," Kahn said. He also sponsored the visit of Mitt and Ann Romney's son, Craig, in September.

"I am for Mitt Romney because he's the best qualified person," Kahn said. "He has 25 years experience in his own successful business."

From 1978 to 1984, Romney was vice president at Bain & Company, a management consulting firm. In 1984, he founded Bain Capital, a venture capital and investment firm that guided Staples, Domino's Pizza, Sealy, Brookstone and The Sports Authority to successful outcomes. He was asked to return to Bain as CEO to restructure the organization. Today, Bain employs 2,000 people in 25 offices worldwide.

Romney also turned a scandal-ridden Olympics into a success, Kahn said, managing 23,000 volunteers.

"There is not a more difficult thing in the world than to manage volunteers," Kahn said.

Most recently, Romney was elected governor and erased the deficit of Massachusetts.

Kahn is most impressed that Romney has been married for 38 years and raised five sons.

Biography

Ann Romney graduated with a concentration in French from Brigham Young University.

In 1998, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and has volunteered time to raise awareness of the disease.

According to the Web site www.mittromney.com, Romney is a strong believer that faith-based and community organizations can reach some people better than government. She has served as the governor's liaison to the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. She also supports and leads the United Way of Massachusetts Bay.

Romney is dedicated to improving the welfare of local and international children. She's involved with Right To Play, formerly Olympic Aid, an international nonprofit that uses sport and play as a developmen-tal tool for children in disadvantaged areas of the world.

She advocates for equine therapy programs for physically challenged children, literacy programs for children including the annual Scholastic Reading event, as well as organizations such as Partners for Youth with Disabilities, the American Red Cross, and the Perkins School for the Blind.

She is a sports enthusiast and an equestrian, winning the 2006 Gold Medal and 2005 Silver Medal at the Grand Prix level from the United States Dressage Federation.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT