United Way of Central Florida is heartbroken by the tragic loss of Kayla Harris on Tuesday, March 16.

Kayla was 23 years old and had recently accepted the role of Resource Development Assistant at UWCF after serving as the Highlands County Ambassador during the 2020/2021 campaign. Staff remember Kayla’s gentle spirit and kind heart that was felt by all she came in contact with.

When she started at United Way, the executive staff’s biggest worry was how we were going to keep her as she had just graduated with her masters in Global Development and Justice. Kayla had big goals of solving worldwide problems, including one day providing sustainable water to impoverished communities.

When the opportunity arose to officially join our team, Kayla was voluntarily commuting from Highlands County to Polk because she truly believed in the mission of United Way and wanted to find her place in our work.

Kayla was known for her high levels of organization, promptness, multitasking, and analyzing data.

Kayla is survived by her parents, Michele and Mike, twin sister Kristen and younger sister Sara.

The celebration of life for Kayla will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 20 at the First Presbyterian Church, located at 118 N Oak Ave. in Lake Placid.

Click here to read Kayla’s full obituary.

One person of integrity can make a difference.

– Elie Wiesle