Homeless Community Donates $8 To Slain Officer’s Family

People in Richmond, Indianapolis have rallied together to support the homeless community after they received an unexpected donation during a time of tragedy.

According to a media release from the Richmond Police Department, K-9 officer Burton was injured from a criminal act while on duty on August 10th. She tragically succumbed to her injuries on September 18, 2022. She was 28 years old.

The Richmond community was devastated by the loss, and many rallied around to support Burton’s co-workers and family with monetary donations.

According to WRTV, Richmond Police Lieutenant Donnie Benedict shared that after the passing of officer Burton, someone walked into the police station with a dirty white envelope.

Inside the envelope were 8 one dollar bills. The envelope was anonymous, but it had four words written on it: “People from the Street.”

Benedict said they realized the donation came from the homeless community and the department was greatly touched by the generous act.

He said, “There have been many valuable gifts given in honor of Seara. However none, and I mean none, are more valuable than the gift of 8 $1 bills in a dirty white envelope.”

The generous act of kindness sparked a movement in Richmond. The community is now rallying behind the homeless population and gathering donations and support for them.

Amber Conley got on Facebook to ask the community for donations for the homeless community. She said, “These people paid it forward and gave from their hearts, when they literally had nothing hardly to give.”

Within a matter of days, Conley was blown away by the community’s support. People donated coats, sleeping bags, food, tents, and more. It was enough to fill an entire room at the fire department.

Conley shared on update on Facebook and said, “If anything good came out of this unthinkable tragedy, it is the sudden, unbelievable sense of community that we are all witnessing in the wake of a beloved police officers untimely death. A group of homeless strangers who collected $8, unintentionally found a way to restore our faith in humanity, and unite people from all walks of life.”

According to WRTV, Seara’s mom shared that she would’ve loved the donations and community support. Conley added, “Everyone feels so hopeless and I feel like now that unfortunately Seara is gone this is the best legacy you could every leave behind is people showing kindness to the other citizens in honor of her.”