Carol Burnett visits childhood home repurposed for new mission

Comedienne's past to play an important role in the future of San Antonio families

78-year-old Carol Burnett grew up in San Antonio and remembers skating so much she'd have marks on her legs and the hardwood floors of her west side home. Little did she know, that home will be used to leave lasting marks on San Antonio children and their families.

PHOTOS: Carol Burnett visits San Antonio

"My first memories are of this house and the fact that they saved it and moved it and they're doing what they're doing with it for children and their families, it's such a beautiful idea," Burnett said Saturday.

Burnett visited the home, which was moved eight blocks from its location to a new area. A local business, needing to expand but could not tear the house down due to preservation limits, gave the house to American Sunrise, a non-profit headed by former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros.

Cisneros says the home will be a resource center for families who need education in the English language, financial planning, parenting, technology, and other areas. He hopes the house will be an inspiration to many underprivileged families.

"Someone made it from the west side of San Antonio to a world-wide recognized figure," Cisneros said. "If that person, Carol Burnett, can do it, they've got a chance if they work and study and prepare."

Burnett hasn't seen the house since it's been restored but she's hoping she will get to play a big role in the program's success.

"My God, what they are doing is they are giving these children a positive outlook on life, a leg up, and a terrific foundation for what they are going to have to face in this life," she said.