The seeds for Betty Chinn’s BIG journey took root in Communist China where she experienced extraordinary misery and family tragedy. Her parents were medical doctors and intellectuals at a time when the Communist regime persecuted free thinkers. Her dad fled; her mom was imprisoned. Betty and her siblings ended up on the street. Homeless and traumatized, Chinn lost her voice, literally becoming mute for a short time.
Fast-forward several decades to Eureka, California where Chinn helps the homeless in her community. Her web site describes her work: “Every morning before dawn, she loads up her catering truck with an urn of hot coffee, piles on the doughnuts and heads out to make her deliveries. Hers is a special clientele: the homeless, the disenfranchised, the forgotten. They are often mentally ill, substance abusers, teenage runaways or veterans. They do not seek out shelters or come in from the cold; they prefer to hide.”
If they’re hungry, she gives them food. If they’re cold, she gives them blankets and warm clothing. If they need to call a relative, she gives them a phone card. If they need a shower, she drives them to a friend’s apartment. And if they need shelter from stormy weather, she finds them a hotel room. If conditions are especially bad, she’ll make multiple trips a day to the spots where she finds those whom she helps.
This started as one woman’s mission, a woman who wanted to help those who suffer like she suffered in China. Chinn has discovered, though, that BIG journeys don’t happen in isolation. She seeks help and forges partnerships to expand her effort. Now, she works with dozens of volunteers and a few key social service agencies to pursue her mission.
More from her web site: “”As Betty likes to say, she is the ‘middle man,’ simply helping people realize the joy of giving and making sure everyone gets what they need.”
Chinn’s BIG dream is to build “Betty’s House,” a place that not only will shelter and feed people in need, but will also connect them with essential services all available under one roof. Chinn is raising money to realize this BIG dream now.
BIG Inspiration from Betty Chinn:
Bold: From the depths of despair, homeless in Communist China, she has risen to become a BIG force for the homeless in northern California. Her bold dream is to build Betty’s House to serve those in need even more effectively
Innovative: By motivating a group of volunteers and establishing strategic partnerships with key agencies, Chinn has turned her effort from a one-woman show into a BIG enterprise.
Generous: She has helped countless people with little fanfare and she’s raised thousands of dollars to improve conditions for the needy in her community. For example, she teamed up with St. Vincent de Paul’s Free Dining Facility in Eureka to raise more than $125,000 for a public shower and laundry facility.
Web site: http://www.bettychinn.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Betty-Chinn/134560076562126
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Bold, innovative and generous people like Betty Chinn are in every corner of America. We want to find them, celebrate them, and connect them with you. If you know people who are BIG, please share their stories with us.
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Bold, innovative and generous people are in every corner of America. We want to find them, celebrate them, and connect them with you. In the next few weeks and months, we plan to connect with BIG people in every congressional district in America.