Still Lending a Hand is a mixed-media piece created in memory of my friend BB, Betty Burdine, who passed away last Tuesday after pancreatic cancer. Over the past few years, I had the honor of helping care for her, sit with her, and share parts of my life and work that very few people around me fully understood.
BB was a nurse, caregiver, and community builder. The daughter of a farmer, she earned her nursing degree and built a life around service. Through her work with seniors, she did more than help people. She gave them a place to gather, connect, and feel seen.
We talked often about care, purpose, social impact, blockchain, and why I believed in using new tools to support girls’ education across the world. She did not always understand the technology, but she understood the heart.
She was especially fascinated by my friendship with Salwa in Pakistan and the way BLINK OASM connected women across distance, culture, and generations. When Salwa sent me a Pakistani dupatta, BB saw the beauty in that thread from Alabama to Pakistan.
The piece centers on a found newspaper article titled “Betty Burdine: Still Lending a Hand.” I found it while helping prepare her room after she passed. The headline felt like an instruction.
Still care.
Still build bridges.
Still help the girls.
Still create community.
This piece carries BB’s memory forward as a give-back to BLINK OASM, supporting girls’ education and the belief that love, opportunity, and imagination can cross borders.
595 editions
1 TEZ
The edition number honors the home at 595 in Florence, Alabama, a place BB was deeply proud of and a place where community, family, memory, and care gathered.
Grief is mixed media.
So is legacy.
Artist Bio
RockinFREEWorld is a creative strategist, artist, founder, and social-impact builder.
She is the founder of BRAINFROG, a creative community token on Stellar, and co-founder of BLINK OASM, an initiative supporting girls’ education and cross-cultural connection.