Linda Burlingame and her family were recognized for her care for children. Shown (l to r) Sammy Burlingame, Mark Lindsay, Linda Burlingame, Andy Krens and Neil Davis.

When Special Olympics Monroe County named Churchville native Linda Burlingame "Family of the Year" at the Hyatt Regency in Rochester September 6, friends were not surprised.

"She is just there to do everything. You wonder how she gets everything done," said Corrine Pimm of Churchville. "You need a volunteer, she is there."

Burlingame has spent 22 years involved in Special Olympics. With her son and three other young athletes in her care, she is on the go non-stop, 12 months a year.

"Linda Burlingames’s doors are always open," reads the program from the awards dinner. "She is family and home to several Special Olympians. … She truly stands for everything good that is Special Olympics and shows every day her dedication, caring and love for the Special Olympians in her care."

"She never looks for recognition … her concern is always that ‘her family’ have the best conditions and the best in their lives that is possible. ... We congratulate her on being mother, father, and friend to those in her home."

"It was really nice to be honored in that way," Burlingame said. "We are not the traditional family. … My son and the other three boys who live with me constitute my family." She said her husband, Ray, was an active volunteer until his death ten years ago

Burlingame cares for her son, Sammy Burlingame, along with three other young men, Neil Davis, Mark Lindsay and Andy Krens in her Palmer Road home full time. In addition, she often provides respite care for other children to give their parents or caregivers a break. "I am a kid provider," she said.

One of her "kids," Davis, was also honored as one of the 2001 Cyr Outstanding Athletes.

"(Special Olympics) is a wonderful way for the boys to participate in sports—especially team sports," Burlingame said. She said she enjoys watching the events and has been able to see some of the Olympians she once had in respite care when they were six or seven years old, grow up. "Now they’re in their 20s and they recognize me. … Special Olympics is a whole big family," she said.

Athletes have the opportunity to play baseball, soccer, volleyball, hockey and basketball, along with track and field, bowling and swimming. "It gives them a well-rounded opportunity to do things on their own plus to be able to contribute to a team," Burlingame said. "It’s an important part of life to learn to contribute as part of a whole."

Burlingame was born and raised in Churchville. Her other three children have all settled in either Churchville or Bergen, and Burlingame sees her three grandchildren frequently. She is anxiously awaiting the birth of another in December.

In addition to her foster care, respite care and work for the Special Olympics, Burlingame is also an active member of the Union Congregational Church of Christ in the village. "(The church has) been very supportive of the kids over the years. And I think the kids have been an enlightenment to them as well," she said.

Although she is extremely busy and always on the go, Burlingame said she has put aside the time and money for a cruise vacation this year. She and "her kids" will spend three days in Disney World and four days on one of the Disney cruise ships.

"I have never had a job where I worked regular hours," she said. "I just do this 24 hours a day. That works for me."