LEND A HAND - VOLUNTEER AT THE COMMUNITY CARE CENTER BY NIKKI HOFFMAN

Dr. Howard Vesser

A few short miles from the gates of Harbor Hills Country Club stands a contemporary building behind First Baptist Leesburg. There you will find the Community Care Center. Incorporated in 1999, this not-for-profit medical clinic offers free medical care for uninsured families in financial need. Tammy Youngren is the Ministry Director. She explains that the clinic was the dream of former Harbor Hills resident Dr. Howard Vesser. Dr. Vesser recruited dozens of neighbors to lend their skills to the effort. With the support of First Baptist Leesburg, the clinic doors opened in October 2000.

Harbor Hills resident Elba Burns is a familiar face at the clinic. A 21-year volunteer, Elba is an active Spanish translator. She greets and qualifies patients in a warm and welcoming manner. The clinic needs volunteers, from physicians to receptionists. Speaking Spanish is a plus. The Florida Department of Health provides sovereign immunity to all licensed providers who volunteer.

The Harbor Hills Ladies Charity makes donating to this clinic a top priority, but funds are always needed. To help, call the Community Medical Care Center at 352-787-8489.

Treat The Troops, a national non-profit, provides deployed troops with cookies and encouraging notes from home. After fulfilling initial requests, additional appeals were received from South Korea and Iraq. Our dedicated cookie ladies, led by Roseann Cochran, immediately sprang into action! The final count: an impressive 17,376 cookies. Roseann has received notes and photos from grateful soldiers. We pray for their safety and a swift return home.