Bonnie's Stroke Recovery Fund

Its been a very long road since the stroke that occurred on July 2, 2019. Everyday feels like a new challenge and a new adventure, as we all share a profound gratitude that Bonnie Allen aka Ms. Leonardo survived with her memory and her zest for life intact. What has suffered is her stamina, her strength, her confidence, her independence and consequently her ability to make a living. This is the first time since Bonnie was 13 years old that she hasn't had a steady job, and she'll be 80 in May of 2020. At this point we're trying to cover almost $8,000 that Medicare doesn't from hospital bills, continue to cover her living expenses while she gets stronger and stronger, since she spent the last 30 years in a job with no sick leave, no 401k and no benefits. Prior to the stroke Ms. Leonardo was teaching art to 300 kids a week, raising her grandson, and being an active member of her Religious Science community with a fierce independence. Now, she needs help: shopping, cooking, doing laundry, getting down the stairs, etc. If you or your children have ever been the beneficiary of her amazing art/life lessons; if she's prayed with you; if she's laughed or cried or organized or canvassed with you; if you've stood shoulder to shoulder with her at a school board meeting; if you've said goodbye after 5 pm while she's still traversing the hallways of Kaiser Elementary to hang the annual art show; if she's mentored your child during their application to an art school or helped you advocate for your child with special needs, NOW IS THE TIME TO SAY THANK YOU WITH A DONATION, A PRAYER, A REPOST AND A TESTIMONIAL. How has Bonnie aka Ms. Leonardo touched your life? Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for the previous donations which have been used to rehab her apartment, pay for adaptive devices, pay for the board and care, as well as living expenses up to this point; we are eternally grateful! All the original text from when we started this campaign in May in honor of Bonnie's birthday is below (that feels like such a long time ago now) so if you want to learn more about her keep reading: Bonnie Allen aka Ms. Leonardo is my mama, but she is so much more than that: She is the beloved art teacher at Kaiser Elementary School (since 1985) where she still encourages, educates and advocates for kids everyday. She is a deeply spiritual prayer warrior, teacher and practitioner at Heart & Soul Center of Light where she stands in the gap holding hope for those seeking clarity. She is a Mama, Grandma and Great Grandmother- who has given birth to two children and helped raise 19, including currently, actively raising her 17 year old grandson most of his life. Ab (short for Abuela) is what most of us in the family call her now; she has 10 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren and every single one of us are more creative, confident, compassionate human beings because of her. She is an amazing friend, an avid follower of the political landscape and a conservationist decades before anyone even talked about recycling. Bonnie's motto in life comes from her grandmother, Tilly said, "Bonnie, you wake up, pour yourself a cup of coffee and you go to work." Today, Thursday, May 9, 2019 Bonnie Allen turns 79 years old. In all her years of devoted service to Kaiser, to Religious Science, to us --- her amazing multicultural brood--- to her friends, to integrity and voting and hardwork and the planet she has been a single mom who almost never asks for help, so today I'm asking on her behalf. Ms. Leonardo has always been an independent contractor at Kaiser, which means no sick leave, no paid days off, no 401k, and no official job security from year to year; despite the fact that most families who come to Kaiser do so because they want their kids to have a chance to learn from her. This year she didn't cross the picket line during the teacher's strike, despite it costing her $700 a week. At the same time her car was towed and it cost her almost $800 to get it back, it is a used car she's still paying for because her old car died. And now Oakland Unified School District has put Kaiser on the list for school closures which means merging with another school with absolutely no guarantee about who will be retained and who will be let go until August. Our mom, teacher, practitioner, friend still rents an apartment on the 4th floor of a building with no elevator, that is literally falling apart, because she can't afford to move. The bottom line is she needs our help and she won't ask, so I am. Those of us who love and learn from her everyday would be so grateful. if you give as much as you can and say a prayer and share until this thing goes viral; it is truly time for her to receive as much as she's given! I chose the amount of $9,000.00 to honor her 79th birthday on the 9th day of May 2019, but I honestly hope we can quadruple that. Thank you in advance for giving, and sharing to honor ALL the ways her life has touched yours.