VALLEY MAN BELGIUM-BOUND WITH COUNTRY SOUND.

Byline: Diana Peyton Community Columnist

Sherman Oaks resident Richard Burr, will go to Belgium on Feb. 16 to sing his country songs at a fund-raiser for a critically ill boy named Jordi.

By day, Burr works in the law offices of Polk, Scheer and Prober in Woodland Hills, but the rest of his time is devoted to his creative talent as a country singer.

Enormous crowds are expected to attend the fund-raiser. ``My promoter Gary Bradshaw told me I'm gonna feel like Garth Brooks when I perform in Europe. Country music is exploding there,'' the singer said.

The concert is being billed as ``possibly the largest event in the history of Belgium,'' a country with a population of about 10 million.

The country music moonlighter will perform songs from his new CD ``Touch a Little Heaven,'' to help the boy with a life-threatening kidney ailment.

Burr, 48, won the On-line Country Talent award for ``Male Rising Star,'' in a contest set up by Mia Heylen, a Belgian disc jockey.

Heylen is president of the Belgium International Country Music Association. She asked the artists whose music she played to donate five CDs each to auction on the boy's behalf. European interest in the child's financial needs sparked the series of concerts and an outpouring of response from country artists.

Locally, Burr has performed in coffee houses with audiences just a fraction of the size expected in Belgium.

``Several years ago, I lost my job. With my severance pay, I poured everything I had into creating my first CD, `Mile After Mile,' because I believed in myself,'' Burr said.

``I never tried anything on my own before my first CD,'' he said. ``My background is playing drums. I played behind Randy Sharp, Karen Brooks and Louis Ortega,'' he said.

The Feb. 18 and 19 concerts will include U.S. artists from Alaska to Florida, including Ernie Ashworth of the Grand Ole Opry.

Burr is also hoping to perform in the Netherlands. A third concert is planned in Denmark.

For those who enjoy a more intimate setting, Burr is scheduled to perform at the Coffee Junction in Tarzana from 5 to 7 p.m. March 2. But go early - seating capacity is about 45.

Entertainers will pay their own expenses to sing at the overseas benefits.

For more information, call Burr at [phone].

The Women's Care Cottage is hosting the sixth annual Literary Luncheon Series at the Magic Castle in Hollywood.

Located in Valley Village, the Cottage is the only facility for homeless women within the San Fernando Valley.

``Many of the women we work with are not the stereotypical homeless woman,'' said Casey Horan, executive director.

``Often one thinks of someone who is not clean, poor and possibly alcoholic, but it really isn't that way. Many of the women we serve may have lost their businesses, are going through a divorce or could be teachers or nurses,'' she said.

A previously homeless woman, Thryll Sims, was touched by the comfortable and hospitable environment of the center. ``It's such an uplifting place,'' she said. ``The staff gives you so much encouragement and they make you feel like a part of something.''

``Beth Parker, the career specialist, taught me computer and job finding skills, and then they gave me a five-day wardrobe to go look for a job,'' Sims said.

``They build your self-esteem there. They encourage you, and they taught me to feel good by serving other women as a volunteer,'' she said.

Sims is working at Abex Display Systems and going to school, working on an AA degree. She aspires to be a teacher. ``There is no obstacle I can't overcome now,'' she said.

Guest speakers for the literary luncheons are authors Judith Krantz, Feb. 25; and Iris Rainer Dart, Larry Gelbart, and Eric Lax, March 31; and Lee Cullum, Teresa Miller and Janet Fitch, April 28.

Tickets for the series are $125 or $50 for an individual luncheon. For information, contact Casey Horan, [phone] Ext. 11.

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Photo: Sherman Oaks attorney Richard Burr is looking forward to singing at a fund-raiser in Belgium for a child with a life-threatening kidney ailment. While in Europe, Burr plans to play in Denmark and the Netherlands.