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Health center founder receives governor's award

Clearwater's Willa Carson has run the North Greenwood Community Health Resource Center since 1996.

By ADRIENNE SAMUELS
Published February 5, 2005

CLEARWATER - One of Clearwater's own is being recognized by Gov. Jeb Bush for a job well done.

Willa Carson on Thursday was given the governor's Points of Light award, an honor distributed weekly that goes to a Florida resident who provides exemplary service to the community.

In Carson's case, that service comes from creating and sustaining the North Greenwood Community Health Resource Center at 1108 Martin Luther King St.

Carson, 79, opened the free health clinic in 1996 and since then has kept it alive with donations of money and physicians' time.

"It's nice to know that what you are doing ... that somebody thinks it's great," said Carson. "I think people are recognizing us now because at the center we see over 600 patients a month. If somebody didn't know what we were doing, we wouldn't have all of that."

Carson will join other Points of Light recipients in Tallahassee at a later date to meet the governor.

"Willa Carson is an extremely dedicated person whose main focus is the medical needs for those less fortunate," said Bush in a news release. "Her vision and determination has made a positive impact on her community and has provided many with available health care."

Carson isn't complaining about the honor, but she does wish the award came with some sort of grant money. The center runs on a little less than $200,000 a year - much of it raised through grants and donations."The funds we have are running out," she said.

Adrienne Samuels can be reached at 445-4157 or samuels@sptimes.com

[Last modified February 5, 2005, 00:56:15]