FAR honored Tricia Carlisle Northcutt, a member of the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors as winner of the 2007 Humanitarian of the Year Award. She created the non-profit Children’s Volunteer Health Network because she believes “all kids deserve to be healthy, they are our future and our hearts.” Once she realized that there are children who, for a variety of reasons, don’t qualify for government-sponsored health programs, she knew something had to be done.
In the beginning, Northcutt devoted about 60 hours per week getting the Children’s Volunteer Health Network up and running; now, she still volunteers about 30 hours per week to her cause. The network’s mission is to facilitate free medical, dental and mental healthcare for the uninsured and underinsured children in Okaloosa and Walton counties by using volunteer providers.
Since its creation in April of 2005, the Children’s Volunteer Health Network has helped more than 300 children and their families. Through the network, they’ve made 1,100 medical, dental and mental health appointments and boast more than 80 volunteer doctors, dentists and mental health counselors. All of the funding for the Children’s Volunteer Health Network comes from grassroots donations and 85 percent of every dollar donated goes directly to helping the children.
