Shirley Raines makes the homeless community in Los Angeles's skid row(贫民区) neighborhood feel human. She is the founder of Beauty 2 The Streetz, a nonprofit that provides free food, clothing, hair, and makeup services to the homeless. And Shirley is now the CNN Hero of the Year.
In 1990, Raines' 2-year-old son Demetrius passed away from accidental poisoning while at his grandma's house. This event created a lot of pain for Shirley Raines. The pain lasted for many years. And she did not know what to do about it. She struggled to understand what her purpose was in life. Until one day. . .
Six years ago, Shirley visited skid row with a friend from church who asked her to volunteer. She met a lot of homeless people and realized how much help they needed. Not just in finding a home, but in finding themselves and their own worth and beauty.
Shirley started to volunteer each Saturday. As she got to know the homeless, they often praised her makeup, hair, and style. She started to offer to make up" the homeless. They loved it, she loved it, they loved her and she loved them. She found purpose. So she started an outdoor beauty salon to serve the homeless, which took most of her spare time.
Raines started sharing her efforts on Instagram with photos and even live-streaming some of her events. Things took off. She formed her nonprofit, Beauty2 The Streetz, and her followers quickly began donating to grow Shirley's impact. Her followers grew to over 200,000 people, including many beauty professionals such as licensed hairstylists, barbers, make-up artists. Many of them regularly donate money to keep the services rolling. Others donate their time to help Shirley serve the homeless.
Shirley's boldness, courage, and desire to take action have led to making a real impact on people's lives. And she also served as a role model and inspiration to others.
