One Croatan High School senior is helping hearts and the community with his program to provide blood pressure monitors to hypertension patients.

Trevor Brownlow, 17, started the new "Helping Hearts Program" at the Broad Street Clinic as a way to help hypertension patients monitor and track their progress.

Mr. Brownlow found out about the clinic through his grandparents who contributed a portion of their Social Security checks to the clinic every month, and when he got his driver's license, he decided he wanted to get involved with the nonprofit organization.

He spent his summer voluteering at the clinic, helping with phone calls and mailings, and one day asked Director Eddie Reed what the biggest need was at the clinic.

"She said they had about 450 hypertension patients and that I could address the request by collecting donations to provide patients with blood pressure monitors so they could track their progress," Mr. Brownlow said.

Since the project started, he's raised about $1,000 , which purchased about 20 monitors.

"It's been a unique opportunity," Mr. Brownlow said. "I'm thankful to Ms. Eddie Reed for letting me do this because it is uncommon for someone my age. I've been able to do services for them that anyone could do, like answering phones, sending out mail, ... simple tasks that meet their needs."

"Trevor is a very capable and dependable young man," Ms. Reed said." He is an asset to patients, volunteers and staff."

Mr. Brownlow, who volunteers at the clinic every friday for about two hours, is not doing any of this for school credit.

"This is just a self project, personal interest," Mr. Brownlow said. "I'm just doing this because I found the need there and I want to do my part to help the community. I just have a desire to hlep the community."

Well into his senior year, Mr. Brownlow said he's considering studying public policy or law at either the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or Duke University.

He's the president of the Beta Club, Interact Club, Speech and Debate Club,vice president of the schools Habitat for Humanity Club and is involved in several other clubs and organizations at Croatan High School.

"I just try and stay as involved as possible," he said. "I take advantage of every opportunity afforded to me because you never know what doors it will open. It's just exciting how much you can learn from all of these different opportunities."

The "Helping Hearts Project" is ongoing, and a $50 donation will help purchase one monitor. To help out the clinic and the countys hypertension patients, donations in the form of checks can be made payable to the Broad Street Clinic Foundation, Inc., and mailed to Broad Street Clinic 534 N. 35th St., Suite K, Morehead City, NC 28557.

By Eren Tataragasi

The News Times