(March 23, 2012) - This week's Billy Johnson Community Hero is well known throughout our region for work she does through her business, but Shirley Blackburn is this week's Community Hero for the work she does from her heart. She heads up "Coats for Kids," a non-profit group that she started eight years ago to purchase coats for children in our area. She said it all started when she heard someone talking about needing to purchase coats for children, and it has grown from there. But, Shirley gives all the credit for their success to the many volunteers who help. "It's all about the volunteers. It's about the Lord first, and then the volunteers who jump in there to help," explained Blackburn. "Whether it be working hot dog sales or someone donating $10 to purchase a coat, it's all about the volunteers. I just was the person who heard the need that day!" The "Coats for Kids" group works year-round, holding fundraisers to help pay for the coats they will need to purchase in the fall, and she is very thankful for the support of her family. "If it wasn't for my husband, J.R. Blackburn, my daughters Brianna and Lexie and my mom, we couldn't do it," explains Blackburn. "They've put up with my vision to help with the coats, and we've had coats all over our home trying to get them ready to give out to children."
Shirley says she was excited that first year to see how many children received new coats, and had absolutely no idea how much it would grow! "We started the first year with 200 coats, and I thought, 'Oh, my goodness, how are we going to pull this together?' But, we traveled from Huntington to Charleston to Lexington trying to locate coats. The next year it grew more, and this year...eight years later, we were able to put 3,000 coats out to our children!" For more information, visit www.coatsforkidsky.com.
Congratulations, Shirley Blackburn, this week's Billy Johnson Community Hero!
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