[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 99 (Thursday, June 13, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E771]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING KIMBERLEE BURKS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ERIC SWALWELL

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 2019

  Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the 
life of Kimberlee Ann Burks, on the occasion of her unexpected passing 
on Thursday, May 30, 2019.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  June 13, 2019, on page E771, the following appeared: Madam 
Speaker, I rise to recognize the life of Kimberlee Allen Burks, on 
the occasion of her unexpected passing on Thursday, May 30, 2019.
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: Madam Speaker, I 
rise to recognize the life of Kimberlee Ann Burks, on the occasion 
of her unexpected passing on Thursday, May 30, 2019.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  Kimberlee's roots in Hayward ran deep. She was born at our very own 
St. Rose Hospital in January 1967. She enjoyed spending her childhood 
at our local landmarks, like Kennedy Park and then returned to settle 
in Hayward in 2015.
  For the homeless populations in Hayward and Alameda County, Kimberlee 
was a champion. She modeled what a person could do for themselves and 
for other people. Regardless of whether you recently lost your job, had 
become a victim of the ever-increasing cost of housing in the Bay Area, 
or were struggling with an addiction, Kimberlee saw you as a human 
being first.
  The Downtown Streets Team is where Kimberlee found the support that 
fostered her spirit for advocacy. She started as a peer advocate and 
peer leader where she introduced the group and its goals to those in 
search of support, work-experience, and secure housing in our 
community.
  In addition to her work with the Downtown Streets Team, Kimberlee 
found community at Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL), 
where she served as a housing search coordinator. There she served two 
vulnerable communities that she held dear, the homeless and the 
disabled through the coordination of housing search workshops.
  Kimberlee volunteered throughout Hayward and Alameda County to raise 
awareness and restore dignity to our homeless population. Whenever she 
made a gain of her own in life, she was always looking for a way to 
help someone else.
  In 2017, she came to Washington, D.C. and visited my office to 
represent and advocate for the needs of Alameda County's Healthcare for 
the Homeless program. Just days before she passed away, Kimberlee was 
in Sacramento with CRIL and other advocates seeking support for 
measures that would provide secure and stable housing and medical care 
for those with disabilities and older adults without access to other 
forms of insurance coverage.
  Kimberlee led by doing. She was a force for good, and she is gone far 
too soon. She is survived by her mother, Barbara, and her two sons, 
Austin and Preston. They have my deepest condolences.

                          ____________________