Cheryl Burton

Cheryl Burton is a model volunteer who helps the homeless and less fortunate in her community. Among other service activities, she makes a consistent effort to feed and clothe the homeless in her neighborhood.

On Christmas Eve of 1997, Ms. Burton joined a group of people to provide food and clothes for the homeless at a nearby park. While there, she gave a winter coat to a very appreciative little boy who was wearing only a sweatshirt and shivering. This was a life altering experience for her and because of it, she decided to do more for the less fortunate in her community.

Ms. Burton began cooking food in her kitchen and taking it to a nearby park to feed the homeless people who slept there. She does this every Saturday and the residents of the park have come to rely on her. She also gets restaurants to donate their leftovers. In addition, she gets others involved by recruiting two to four volunteers to help her out at the park each week. Her family and friends offer their help by donating clothes, blankets, shoes, etc., and by spreading the word of what she is doing so that more people can contribute.

In addition to her activities to help the homeless, Ms. Burton brought a young boy, who had just suffered the loss of his parents, into her home. She took care of him until willing family members were found to take her place. She also took an interest in a special homeless family with four kids and successfully completed her mission of finding them a home.