Army veteran Linda Cheeks has been a pillar of military service for more than 40 years. Joining the ministry in the early 1970s, the Henderson, Texas, native first honed many important skills there, including structure and discipline.
Ms. Cheeks has applied these important traits to many aspects of her life, including being a foster parent to 20 teenagers over 15 years. In fact, she won Prince Williams County’s Foster Parent of the Year award earlier this year through her efforts.
This Today Show screenshot captures Cheeks’ Army photo
Now, television viewers who tuned into NBC’s “Today” show’s Sept. 25 Spotlight segment heard that she generously provides beauty services to nursing home residents and others in need. I know everything about her, including the facts.
The owner, who has operated a beauty salon for more than 20 years, continues her philanthropic efforts by providing free and discounted beauty services to nursing homes and senior centers in the Washington, D.C., area. These include August Healthcare at Leawood in Annandale, Virginia;
The 157-bed facility is home to both seniors and short-term residents with disabilities, and Cheeks told McKnight Long Term Care that she loves working with them.
When people at the facility heard about Cheeks’ “Today Show” feature, they couldn’t think of a better person.
“Our staff and residents were so excited that we had a viewing party for this segment,” Anne Quinnan, August Healthcare’s business development manager, told McKnight’s. “It was well-deserved because of her compassion, hard work and dedication.”
Ben Cohen, CEO of August Healthcare, agrees that Cheeks is a pleasure to work with and supports her new recognition.
“Linda has been with our Leawood Center for two years and truly embodies our company motto of ‘Distinguished Care,'” he said. “Linda’s love and care for her residents and families is a true testament to the wonderful person she is. We look forward to her great presence at August Healthcare for many years to come. ”
screenshot of today’s show
Whether it’s providing guardianship to an adopted child or a new hairstyle to an elderly person, Cheeks says the reward for her service is the ability to change lives.
“Money isn’t everything, but helping people is important. I love people,” she said during the corner.
Such virtues caught the attention of television producers and other key figures.
As part of his appearance on the Today show, Cheeks was featured in the “Honoring the Heroes Among Us” segment, courtesy of sponsor Progressive’s Keys to Progress veteran car giveaway program. At the end, I was gifted a brand new minivan.
