Florence Buckley

Big Mama

My great-grandmother, Florence Buckley, is my hero! Our family and many others call her “Big-Mama.” She volunteers, once a month, at the Women’s Crisis Center by cooking and feeding homeless women and children. The Women’s Crisis Center used to be a Red Cross Shelter. My great-grandmother has been a volunteer at the facility for 5-1/2 years. Also, she volunteers at the Carpenter’s Place, where families are fed. At Christmas time, my great-grandmother organizes toy-drives at church. Later, the toys are donated to children in the community through the Salvation Army. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays she solicits donations of food and money and organizes food drives. These donations are used to make food baskets. These baskets include full-course meals for a family of six to eight people that are distributed in the community, through our church.

Big-Mama always goes out of her way for others. Her motto is, “I get my blessings from above.” She consistently gives a helping hand. She is a praying and God-fearing woman. She is loving, caring and helpful. Often, my great-grandmother helps people that never know of her assistance. She is humble, modest and passionate about her work in the community.

My Big-Mama cares for her family and we care a great deal for her! Big-Mama is important to me because of her caring nature. I want to be just like her. My hero lives in Rockford, Illinois. She is a leader. She is faithful to her ministry. She is an example of a true Christian woman!