We heard it over and over from Circles chapters all over the US: “So much depends on the Coach. You gotta have the right Coach.” Little did we know that we would find just the right Coach. We had interviewed six people and just were not completely happy with any of them. In walked Bonita Bingham, and the three of us doing the interviews were sold – unanimously. Here she was, and we all knew it then. And, boy, were we right then and still right to this day about that choice.

Bonita has nurtured, shepherded, led and mama’d four cohorts of Circle Leaders and Allies through their journey in Circles. She has worked with countless volunteers in a variety of ways. The Circles program is what it is today in large part because of her. Her spirit – quiet yet feisty – has fused its way into the culture of this program, and we are all the better for it. Thank you so much, Bonita, for being our wonderful Coach.

But that is not all. Bonita is a beloved coworker for all of us at Friends In Deed. She is our sister, and this place will not be the same when she retires. None of us could have predicted all the things that FID, the community, and the world would experience in these last six years. But we became an even stronger team, a more effective team, with Bonita. No one could have predicted the things that Bonita herself would go through in that same time. But I feel sure that she felt more loved and supported through all of it, because the FID and Circles families were on her side.

For me personally, I am going to miss my friend. But I am not going to let her slip too far away, because my life would be poorer without her in it. Besides, who else would go see Earth, Wind and Fire in concert with me – again and again and again?

We love you, Bonita. Happy Retirement!

Sarah Thornburg

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