Gabrielle
Burton-Hill relaxes in Downing Park in Newburgh with her daughters, Jo May, 7, and
Ragi, 18.
In
2010, Gabrielle Burton-Hill’s
life was at a crossroads. She found herself separated and unemployed with two
young daughters to raise. It was the end of a tumultuous time of her life, and
the beginning of a whole lot of uncertainty.
All the while, Burton-Hill kept instilling
in her daughters the sense that despite their difficulties, they were going to
maintain a positive outlook and persevere. As a stay-at-home mother, she
volunteered for various groups in her hometown of Newburgh: literacy programs,
food pantries, and even the city’s historian.
“When I volunteered, I took that very
seriously and made sure I was on time for every appointment,” she said. “I
treated it like a job and I punched myself in.”
The lessons stuck, especially with Ragi.
“She was a quiet, introverted child; but she blossomed during that time,” said
Gabrielle. “She was my rock. Every time I looked at her, I knew I had to
succeed.”
[Read more "I am a Hudson Valley Parent" profiles]
By 2012, Ragi was 15 and old enough for a
part-time job so Gabrielle accompanied her to an open interview at one of the
first places she herself worked 30 years ago: McDonald’s.
They were the last ones called in after
waiting more than two hours. But once the interview began, the manager was so
impressed with Ragi’s demeanor that she hired her on the spot. And once she
noticed that Gabrielle had the same demeanor, she tried to hire her as well.
But Gabrielle wanted to wait until Jo May
was old enough for full-time kindergarten before returning to work. A year
later, with Jo May in school, Gabrielle came back to McDonald’s and asked if
the offer still stood. She was soon working for the McDonald’s stores in
Newburgh, owned by the Dean W. Colley Group.
It’s safe to say that the arrangement has
worked out well. This year, out of 20,000 employees in the New York Tri-State region,
Gabrielle was chosen as “Crew Person of the Year.”
She laughs now when she recalls Ragi’s
original reaction to her being hired.
“She was totally against it, as most
teenagers would be,” Gabrielle said. “They don’t want their parents at their
school or workplace because that’s their territory. But then she realized that
I’m just another crew person and she can call me Gabby. It was good for us to
relate to each other outside of the home. And she’s been there longer than I
have, so there were a few times that she had the opportunity to correct me on
some things. That was interesting!”
There were more hard times in store.
Gabrielle’s father fell ill and passed away this year. But her managers knew
that they didn’t want to lose Gabrielle. They gave her as much time off as she
needed to be with her father during his final days and even paid for the
catering at the funeral.
“McDonald’s went above and beyond for me,”
she says. “I think it’s because in any area in life, you get what you put in. If
you go to work every day on time and you take pride in your uniform and
whatever it is you’re selling, you will shine.”
Today Gabrielle and her daughters have
the stability they’ve sought for so long, but the days aren’t easy. Gabrielle’s
day begins at 4:45 a.m. with a quiet meditation and a walk through the early
morning streets of Newburgh.
Then it’s a rush to first get 18-year-old
Ragi off to work at McDonald’s — she graduated from Newburgh Free Academy a
year early and is now preparing to enter the Air National Guard and then
college — and 7-year-old Jo May off to Balmville Elementary School.
With the kids out the door, Gabrielle
heads to whichever of the two different Newburgh McDonald’s she works in. By
the evening, the whole family is back home together for dinner, a bit of family
time, reading a book to Jo May, and lights out. The next morning, she’s up and
at it again, focusing on cultivating the attitude that has helped her and her daughters
sustain themselves.
“We have a choice as to the kind of
impression we make on people,” she said.
“I want to give as much as I get and I make up my mind every day that
McDonald’s is going to get the best me.”
Do you know a Hudson Valley parent who inspires you? We want to profile local parents who impact their community through business, politics, volunteer work, grassroots advocacy, you name it. Email our editor your “I am a Hudson Valley Parent” nomination.
Other articles by or about "I am a Hudson Valley Parent"