Tylesha Ross is an optimist and a philanthropist, providing a vision and solutions when others only seem to acknowledge problems. A native of Texarkana, her heart resides in her community, in her roots. After leaving home to pursue her education, Ross returned to her hometown to care for her ill parents. Since then, she has become a leader for those in the Beverly community.
As President of the Believe in Beverly Association, Ross focuses on educating and empowering others in her neighborhood. Like many others, Ross acknowledges that it takes a village to come together and support one another for individual and collective success.
Ross met with Charles Tyous, Daphne Ryan, David Orr, and Officer Karey Parker to help form the Believe in Beverly Association in 2016. Within the following year, Believe in Beverly was recognized by Leadership Texarkana and received the 2017 Wilbur Smith Award for Community Organization.
“For many years, I wouldn’t tell people where I lived due to the judgement, but then I realized I needed to show people there are hardworking and willing vessels that reside here,” recalls Ross.
Believe in Beverly holds quarterly community meetings, maintains a community garden, hosts regular clean-ups, and teams up with local agencies like Texarkana College to help support educating youth and job training and Caddo Area Boy Scouts to create a little league team for the Beverly youth.
“The cycle of poverty has to be broken,” emphasizes Ross, “but sometimes people just need others to believe in them and help build them up.”
As the city follows through with demolishing nine condemned properties in the Beverly neighborhood, Ross focuses on initiatives to utilize those spaces. She is a firm believer in giving back and community outreach because Ross understands that the opportunities she has been provided were through people believing in her future.
Ross is the president of the Believe in Beverly Association, President of her usher board at Tower of Power under the direction of Pastor David Watson, Board member with First Choice Pregnancy, Advisory board member with Bancorp south for community outreach, volunteer with Heritage Hospice, and member of the Order of Eastern Star Stateline Chapter No. 19, and she has no intentions of slowing down.
Outside of her community involvement, Ross is a full-time Lab Technician at LabCorp, Women’s Specialist, and graduate student working towards her Masters in Public Administration.
“Without my work family, especially Dr. West, Dr. Jayaprabhu, and Gail Miller encouraging me and helping me with all that I do, I don’t think I could have lasted this long.”
Ross continues to reside in Beverly, Texarkana, Texas, because she has a sense of purpose in her community.
“I feel people need to see there’s still good, even in the hood.”
The Believe in Beverly Association is doing a lot of good for their area, hosting their 2nd annual fundraiser this year on June 23, 2018, from 8:30 AM-2:00 PM at Liberty Eylau High School in conjunction with the Hometown Celebrity Weekend by Amachi Vision Corp.
All donations,proceeds, and sponsorship funding will go to the opening of Beverly Community Center, formerly the Boys and Girls Club.
The organization is working from the ground up, instilling values of accountability to the homeowners and renters in the area. The vision is that the community will uplift one another, educate and love their neighbors.
“Community means one thing to me and that is equality,” explains Ross. You don’t have to live in my neighborhood or even know my name, but treat others with the respect and love.”
Ross is working diligently to educate not only those in her neighborhood about how to better their community, but is also informing the community on why Beverly deserves the opportunity to build up their own identity and not be bound by the stereotypes that have been misplaced upon them.
For more information, visit the Believe in Beverly Facebook page: @BelieveinBeverly
