A Louisiana twin who grew up in foster care is now paying it forward to help others in need.
Cherry and Sherry Wilmore have become pillars of their community. Locally in Houma, Louisiana, they are known as “everyone’s favorite twins.” With glittering personalities and huge hearts, the duo has many fans.
“I love them both dearly,” Terrebonne Sheriff Tim Soignet said. And I’m not afraid to tell them every day that I talk to them that I love them, and I’m very blessed to have them as part of our community.”
A close friend from college describes the Wilmore sisters as authentic, genuine, loving, caring and tenacious, but it’s the way they grew up that inspires others.
Life in foster homes
Cherry and Sherry spent 12 years, from ages 6 to 18, in foster care, spending most of their time with two families.
“We had foster parents, the McMahons – Mama Anna and Papa Albert – and they were so sweet to us. “We didn’t know we were in foster care until we left their house at 10 o’clock,” they said.
The twins said a few times that they were up for adoption, but that didn’t work out.
As they aged out of the foster care system, they realized how fortunate they were to have such loving foster families.
“Six-year-olds Sherry and Cherry didn’t see this. The ones left on the stairs and even the ones who weren’t adopted,” Sherry said. “So it’s a lot to take in, but it shows you that even if you felt forgotten, you’re not really forgotten.”
The two were separated for a year when they were 10 years old and were in group homes. They would later find out that there was no intention to reunite them.
“We had a psychologist who wrote, ‘Cherry and Sherry Wilmore are a danger to society and they should be institutionalized for the rest of their lives,'” the twins said. “There were nine of us because they said we were feeding each other in an unproductive way.”
They credit their foster parents, Anna and Albert, and later Louise Navy Wallace, who they said showed love and helped them grow positively together.
“She (Wallace) said, ‘Oh no, we can’t separate twins. They need family. They need structure. They just need structure and discipline and they’ll be fine,'” Cherry said.
Wallace told the twins that foster care is a chapter, not their story.
“It stayed with us for the rest of our lives,” Sherry said.
Give back
The twins decided to give back in a big way to support vulnerable communities through their nonprofit organization “CHeriSH Times Two.” They donate laptops to foster children studying at university, to give them a boost at school.
They call themselves innovators, educators and influencers, but their friends say they are much more.
“Cherry and Sherry are unforgettable. They are a real ray of sunshine,” said Ariel Triggs.
CBS News
If the women, now in their 40s, could talk to their younger selves, they said they would tell them how proud they would be of their adult selves.
“I tell six-year-old Sherry that you will find the peace you didn’t have as a child,” Sherry said.
The Wilmores also have a half-brother, Jeremy Wilmore.
As the women spoke with CBS News contributor David Begnaud for their interview in New York, Jeremy, whom they had not seen in a decade, made a surprise appearance.
He said it was great to see his sisters’ achievements.
“It’s a blessing to see what they’ve done with their lives and all the trials, all the struggles they’ve had to go through to get this far,” Jeremy said.
While their story inspires others, the twins want people to know that you don’t have to go through anything alone.
“Sometimes the people you look forward to working with may not be your family, relatives. It may not be biological, but look for those people because they will definitely be your family,” they said.
