My name is Tina Willer. Burma Burt is my sister. For 20+ years, Burma was a special education teacher in Chicago Public Schools. Today, she sleeps on her daughters couch.

Here's what happened.

Burma spent two decades caring for Chicago's most vulnerable children — kids with severe disabilities who needed extra patience and love. She showed up every day, not for the paycheck, but because those kids needed her.

Near the end of her career, CPS placed a severely autistic, violent student in her classroom — a placement that violated their own policy. That particular student needed a specialized cluster program or therapeutic day school. CPS knew it. They placed her anyway.

What Burma endured:

Kicked, punched, and thrown to the floor

Hit in the head with a laptop

Spit on and pinched repeatedly

The result: a traumatic brain injury, permanent tinnitus, leg injuries, and scars that will never fade.

CPS's response? They suspended her — with nothing.

No disability pay. No support. After 20+ years of service, Burma lost her car, her income, and now her home. She's currently in the hospital for stress-related high blood pressure and migraines, living off a small Medicare check.

She is fighting back — filing for the justice and disability benefits she's owed. But that fight takes time, and she needs to survive right now.

Your Donation Directly Covers:

Housing — $6,000 — Security deposit and several months' rent to get her off the couch and into stable housing

Transportation — $2,500 — Reliable transportation to medical appointments and legal meetings

⚖️ Legal fees — $3,000 — To continue fighting for the accountability and disability benefits she's owed

Medical care — $3,500 — Ongoing treatment for her brain injury, tinnitus, high blood pressure, migraines, and leg injuries

️ Basic living expenses — $2,500 — Food, utilities, and daily necessities while she rebuilds

Total Goal: $18,000

This isn't just Burma's story. Teachers across Chicago are placed in dangerous situations, injured, and abandoned by the system they served. If we stay silent, nothing changes.

"I gave those children everything I had. I just need help getting back on my feet." — Burma Burt

Please donate what you can — $5, $25, $100. And if you can't donate, please share this page. Every share reaches someone who can help.

Burma spent 20 years fighting for kids who couldn't fight for themselves. It's time we fight for her.

With love and gratitude, Tina Willer