The nonprofit organization DBC Gifts of Love will host a 5K community walk this Saturday to support unhoused children and their families in the south suburbs.
Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. and the walk begins at 9 a.m. near the Vollmer Road Grove Forest Preserve, 4162 Vollmer Road, Flossmoor.
The goal is to raise $25,000 to donate 1,000 book bags with school supplies and gift cards and to purchase uniforms to unhoused school children in the region.
The founder of DBC Gifts of Love, Michiel Burnett said in a news release she she has done giveaways to support unhoused school children for a few years now.
“The families are always grateful for the resources, and the children deserve the assistance, so that they can be prepared and focused for the new school year,” she said.
Burnett and her husband, Sean, were once unhoused after an adjusted loan rate caused them to lose their home 20 years ago.
While renting, staying with relatives and even hotels, the Burnetts started the nonprofit to help other families without homes.
Last week, the Burnetts became homeowners once again.
“Homelessness can happen to anyone,” Michiel Burnett said. “We were blessed with a supportive village who didn’t judge us for the mistakes we made.”
An estimated 12,800 people are unhoused in the Southland region, according to data from South Suburban PADS.
Burnett said she hopes to use her experiences to help families navigate home purchases more effectively, urging them to carefully scrutinize the fine print to steer clear of the challenges she and her husband encountered.
“We learned the hard way and went through some hard times, but now we are trying to be an example to help others and help them avoid the pitfalls of homelessness,” she said.
