UNITY MARCH: These are just some of the many who participated in the recent annual Unity March held in Charleston in Alva, just outside Lehigh Acres. The march is celebrated every year by residents who ridded their community of crime. Photo Special To The Citizen

The annual Charleston Park March attracted around 600 people by the end of the day, thanks to great weather and lots of good things to eat. Alice Washington, the neighborhood coordinator in Charleston Park, just outside Lehigh, said it was one of the most attended marches in the years she has lived in Charleston Park.

“At the beginning of the day we had about 100 people and then around 4 p.m., people began showing up to around 500 to 600. We had a great basketball game this year – no gunshots at all, no loud music, no fights with people from LaBelle or anywhere else.

“Out basketball game was between the residents and children and teenagers and it was lots of fun,” Washington said.

Charleston Park is a community just off SR80 in the Alva area and many years ago, it was a hotbed of crime, a place where drugs could be bought out in the open. The homeowners in the community got sick of it and they banded together and confronted the drug dealers in their community and began calling the Sheriff’s Office when they saw crime being committed.

At one time, Alice Washington herself, saw problems of teenagers gathering on a certain corner where drugs were being exchanged and she stormed into the group and convinced them to make some changes in their lives.

Under her leadership and others in the community such as Nettie Roundtree, with the help of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, crime like this has dropped off dramatically.

But Washington and members of the neighborhood group continued to work together and met to keep drugs and the bad guys out of Charleston Park.

“We wanted a safe neighborhood to live in and we didn’t like it that we were being called the place to go and get drugs,” she said.

Over the years they were able to get help from Lee County which built a huge covered outside basketball court which many people swear is 20 degrees cooler in the summer than out in the sun.

“But it became a place for our youngsters to play ball and do other activities. It was a great thing for Charleston Park,” Washington said.

For years now Charleston Park celebrates how it turned its neighborhood of about 100 homes around. The board has been active in making sure Charleston Park is a safe place to live. Most of the residents in Charleston Park are minorities with neat little homes.

Washington, who has been active during these years as the neighborhood coordinator said all the new board members came out for Charleston Park Day and marched in the parade. Some served food which was free for everyone who came.

“We gave out 25 awards to providers, people like Gail from the Lee County Health Department, Jonnie from the Ella Piper Center, Mr. Jones, our computer man, and Nettie Roundtree, and all the board members.

She said Melvin Lawson is this year’s new president of the association and she praised his remarks and the way he conducted the ceremony. The annual Unity March this year was held on Saturday, April 24. Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann, who lives in Alva, spoke about how things were in Charleston Park years ago and how great a community it has become today.

Ilianet Suarez, of Lee County’s Dept. of Human Services, gave an update on the infrastructure projects recently completed such as a new playground for children ages 2 to 5.

It was the first time since the annual march began years ago that Nettie Roundtree was not able to participate in the event. The elderly woman is known as the “mother of Charleston Par” and in her day, it was not uncommon for her to take troubled children aside and talk to them about their actions and their responsibilities to the neighborhood.

Everyone in Charleston Park regards Nettie Roundtree with the highest respect. In the past, she has given a short speech at the ceremonies.

Commissioner Mann took time to visit with Roundtree at her home where she is now bedridden. But Washington says her mind is sharp from time to time.

“Everyone around here loves her very much. She is still our vice president. She’s been an important part of what improvements have come to our neighborhood,” Washington said.

Also in attendance this year was Capt. Ed Tamayo, commander of the Brava Zone of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in Lehigh, who spoke of the decreased criminal activity at Charleston Park. With him was Larry Gutridge, of the Sheriff’s Office in Lehigh, who helps people set up neighborhood watches and speaks to groups about how to protect yourself from crime.

The occasion was Charleston Park’s 19th anniversary and is now an annual event held by the neighborhood residents as an opportunity for community leaders, providers, and residents to come together and celebrate the positive changes made in their neighborhood over the past year.

The celebration began with a Unity March at 10 a.m., followed by fire trucks, Sheriff’s cars, floats, and participating marchers celebrating their commitment to Charleston Park through inspirational songs.

One of the favorite things was the barbecue lunch at noon, said Angel J. Coates, a neighborhoods relations specialist, with the county ‘s department of human services.