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2013 Persons Of The Year: Marilyn Robinson

NorthEscambia.com is naming several Persons of the Year for 2013. More honorees will be named on Sunday.

Marilyn Robinson of Century has been named one of our North Escambia persons of the Year.

There’s that old saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”.  That’s Marilyn Robinson.

The Carver Community Center Association has been a big part of the Century community for many years. The center was started by a group of senior citizens in 1992, spearheaded by Leola Robinson, the mother of  Marilyn Robinson, who now serves as the director. The center provides a safe place for children to go after school and during the summer and offers year-round tutoring and other programs.

The Carver Community Center on Jefferson Avenue  provides food  for 70 to 100 children Monday through Thursday and serves as a satellite office for Catholic Charities and United
Ministries.

Marilyn Robinson works tirelessly each year to organize Century’s annual Martin Luther King Day celebration. She is a board member of the Century/Flomaton Improvement Association, where she acts as a mentor to citizens providing services to local residents in the area of finance, education and housing improvement.

Robinson is active in the Community Action Program, assisting citizens with financial necessities and works with Farm Share to organize events to provide tens of thousands of pounds of food and necessities to the community.

During 2013, Robinson and the Center were presented The President’s Volunteer Service Award. Established in 2003, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation encourages citizens to volunteer in their communities. Congressman Jeff Miller honored the Center and Robinson with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition. And the Carver Community Center Association was presented Gulf Power Company’s prestigious Power of Service Award.

During the past 15 months, during Robinson’s tenure as director,  a widespread group of people across the region have given back to the Carver Community Center.

After a December 2012 article about the Florida Department of Children and Families statewide “Operation Santa Cause” campaign featuring the needs of the Carver Community Center, people stepped up to help.

The Center’s needs included internet service (about $100 per month) and at least 15 computers to replace current computers that are old, slow and sometimes non-functioning. A man in St. Petersburg volunteered to cover the internet service for one year, according to DCF. And the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners donated 20 refurbished computers for the children.

A small army of volunteers organized by Americorps worked during the 2013 National Day of Service to paint the Carver Community Center. Nearly 100 volunteers painted inside the community center, a much needed facelift covering flaking and peeling paint in hallways and classrooms. The volunteers were from groups like Pensacola State College’s Student Government Association, DCF, Northwest Florida College, Americorps Coalition of Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, the Ministry Village from Olive Baptist Church, Chain Reaction and Habitat for Humanity.

Word of the Carver Community Center spread to Georgia and the Rivertown Church of Columbus. They spent a portion of their summer working and volunteering in Century, and church members returned to provide a free Thanksgiving dinner for the town.

And UF IFAS/Extension Escambia County Agents teamed up with Robinson during the summer to offer lessons to about 50 children related to nutrition, preparing healthy food, water resources, insects, livestock, discovering where originates, and healthy choices for the youth of Century.

Pictured top: Marilyn Robinson is honored during 2013 by the Century Town Council. Pictured middle inset: The Carver Community Center.  Pictured bottom inset: Children learn about nutrition during a summer event at the Carver Community Center. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.