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Autistic Orphan Can’t Afford Grave for His Late Mom—Until He Walks Through Kind Store Owner’s Door An 11-year-old autistic boy was looking for something to place at his mother’s gravesite. He walked into a gift shop in Virginia but found a lot more than he’d expected. The store owner learned of his tragic story and how his late mother lacked a proper grave to mark her resting place—where her son, Jamarius Burneson, visits to talk to her. “I had an instant connection to him the minute he walked into my store,” Deborah Keeling, owner of Accents Flags Gifts Home and Garden in do...

Lynchburg business owner helps boy with autism pay for mother’s gravestone ‘I’m going to see to it that that’s done, that a real marker is going to be put there’ Published:  Tags:  “I’ll never forget, the first thing he asked was if I’m a Christian,” said Keeling. Eleven-year-old Jamarius Burneson wanted to buy something for his mother’s gravesite, not only because it’s his mom. “[But] because Jesus wants me to go, so I follow that,” said Jamarius. His biological mother, Alfreda, died in 2019 after a battle with diabetes. She was 33 years old. Jamarius’ adoptive ...

Downtown Lynchburg sees impact of the pandemic one year later Small businesses hope overwhelming support will help overcome COVID-19 Published:  Tags:  The Downtown Lynchburg Association released their 2020 annual report to show the impact. Ashley Kershner, executive director, said small businesses have suffered. “[With] that said, when we look at our colleagues across the country and what their downtowns are enduring, I’m actually very proud,” said Kershner. Through their recovery initiative, the association created a gift card program, giving away $45,000 so far to spend at 40 parti...