Dear Friend,
This month, we would like to acknowledge Sherry Lanham as the recipient of the Americans Helping Americans® Helper of the Month award! Congratulations, Sherry!
Sherry was named as the very first director of our longtime partner in Beattyville, Kentucky, the Lee County Family Resource Center, in 1993 and for the past several years has been our “go-to” person to distribute school supplies, shoes and more to children in need at Beattyville Elementary School.
More recently she has been instrumental in working with us to initiate and develop our program to bridge the digital divide in the hard-pressed community by providing desktop and laptop computers, along with internet access, to students whose parents and guardians could not afford to purchase them for their children.
Growing up poor without the “luxuries” her fellow students had, she knew that her mission in life would be to make sure that no other child would have to go through what she went through.
It is bittersweet for us to report that Sherry is retiring from the position she has held for some 27 years. The good news is that she has accepted a job with the Lee County government and will continue working with us in making sure the children in her community have the school supplies and other basic items they need for success in school.
Sherry continued her dedicated work after the school was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic by making sure “her” children were able to pick out their very own brand new shoes at a local department store through our Barefoot Program and taking school supplies, dental kits and more to home-bound children through the end of the school year.
We commend Sherry for her tireless efforts to benefit the children of Lee County over the years and are proud to consider her more than just a valued partner, but a friend who shares our mission of helping ensure that no child goes without.
The Helper of the Month Award is designed to show the amazing, wonderful, hard-working, and dedicated people in the Appalachian communities we serve every day. Each month, we’ll be sharing these stories with you in the hopes that you’ll walk away as inspired as we are to do good things in your community!
