ORLANDO, Fla. — Empowering people to make positive changes is all it takes to transform a community.

That’s the message of this week’s Everyday Hero, who is helping make Orlando a more sustainable and environmentally friendly place to live. 

Reginald Burroughs said he feels most at peace working in the dirt.

“We are rolling up our sleeves and doing some work today, man,” Burroughs said. “I enjoy it, I think it is kind of therapeutic. On top of that, just gives you some time to be alone with you and nature, time to think.”

He’s loved gardening ever since he was a kid helping his grandparents.

“I have a real passion for it, and in order for you to garden and garden correctly, you have to care about the environment," Burroughs said. "That’s how we eat. That’s how we survive. That’s how we stay healthy, and when you eat good, you think good, and when you think good, you act good.” 

Through his passion, he has become a volunteer at IDEAS for Us, a global nonprofit focused on environmental solutions through local action. He is helping care for the organization's gardens at Audubon Park Covenant Church, where its office is.

“The betterment of other people, there is no greater joy,” Burroughs said.

Burroughs is determined to make a difference. Growing up in Parramore, he’s since started a youth entrepreneurship program with the city’s Parramore Kidz Zone and founded Black Bee Honey. Now, he is a board member at IDEAS for Us, meeting with the chief executive officer to discuss upcoming plans.

“I graduated from Jones High School. Orlando is my home, and so long as I am here, I want the residents and the community here to know there is somebody that is will always support them the same the way this community has always supported me,” Burroughs said.

His experience is invaluable to IDEAS for Us. He’s currently working on a project in Miami and has gone as far as West Africa to support projects in Liberia.

“His heart is in the right place, and he acts on that. He really cares tremendously about the citizens in this community, and he understands that we are not an island here in Central Florida,” chief executive officer Clayton Ferrara said. “The projects and programs that we launch here can affect people in many other places around Florida and many other places around the world.”

Despite his international reach, Burroughs still makes giving back here at home a top priority by taking time to help with fleet farms across the area, which is where people aim to grow food on their property instead of grass.

“It puts a smile on my face, and every time I come out to a garden like this, I know that whatever we are producing is going to help a family somewhere,” Burroughs said.

While he is planting the seeds of his legacy.

“When people think back, I hope they think of me as a person that inspires them to help somebody else,” he said.

He said he hopes what he reaps is a better world for all.

“It’s growing happiness within,” Burroughs said.

For those inspired by Burroughs, you can get information about how to volunteer or how to donate.