News

Eureka philanthropist Betty Chinn has been named “this week’s CNN hero.”

The network’s Heroes series is designed to “celebrate everyday people changing the world” and showcase “how one person can truly make a difference.” The network accepts nominations annually and showcases one hero weekly, one of whom will be named the network’s hero of the year in December.

Chinn, who spent years of her childhood homeless in China, has largely dedicated more than three decades of her life to serving and caring for Eureka’s homeless population. In collaboration with St. Vincent de Paul, she opened Eureka’s first public shower facility in 2009, and has since opened a day center aimed at caring for homeless youth and providing vocational counseling services for adults, a transitional housing project for 40 adults and a family shelter that also houses homeless people recently discharged from the hospital.

The CNN video highlighting Chinn’s work also features a quote from Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services Director Connie Beck intoning that Chinn does more to provide services to a portion of Humboldt’s homeless than the entirety of county government.

In addition to the video embedded above, you can read CNN’s coverage of Chinn here. And read past Journal coverage of Chinn and her many accomplishments here. For good measure, you can check out the video below, of President Barack Obama awarding Chinn the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2010.