Give to Someone Who Has Given So Much

You may have known Bonnie D. Stroir:
Bonnie is a powerful, badass, force of nature. She founded the San Diego roller derby scene back in 2005. She pioneered roller derby YouTube tutorials.  She created seminars that help skaters on and off the track with confidence, conflict, and barriers to achievement.  Bonnie was also the first touring roller derby coach, traveling the globe, helping players, couches, and leagues, which has touched the lives of tens of thousands of people.

Or you may know her as Bonnie Beck:
Bonnie is also my sister, a master barber, and the nicest, coolest, most caring person in my life. If she saw trash on the ground, she'd pick it up, if she saw a homeless person on the street, she'd give what she could and treat them like the human they are and the person they deserve to be treated, every time.

Less than a year after this photo was taken, Bonnie experienced an emotional crisis. Her friends, family, and colleagues tried to help but didn't understand what she was going through and Bonnie wound up on the street. After years of repeated trauma, she decided the streets were a preferable environment. 

Of course I wanted to do something to help her, but she wasn't ready to let people in, so I was essentially sidelined. Recently, my partner and I decided that was not enough, and with her help, set out to find Bonnie. And we did!  Even as we spent the day together at a transit station, I watched Bonnie pick up litter and offer help to other homeless people with finding work and medical assistance. Despite everything she is going through, she has not lost her self, and what makes her so good.
(We never *all* make "nice faces" in photos at the same time -- that's just our thing.)

Little did we know when we set to out to find her that day, a week earlier she had posted this:

Perhaps the timing was just lucky, but if you know Bonnie, of course it meant much more than that.

We could afford to get her some food and a hotel for a week, but she needs more than that, and unfortunately, more than I can provide.  Her own suggestion (as she said in the video): start a Go Fund Me. She needs time and space - but most importantly housing security to heal from the physical and emotional trauma, compounded by living on the street. 

Aren't there programs for this? Can't she get help from a government, non-profit, or church? Sure. She sometimes gets a free meal, but she gave me the list of places she tried to get help getting off the street:
For one reason or another, all of them turned her away. We continue to work to find Bonnie transitional housing that can help move toward a permanent living situation, but either way your support could mean everything. 

I have set a modest goal to help get her back on her feet. That by no means will be enough, but it's a start.  
Bonnie said herself, “If all the people who I have helped saw this and gave one dollar, I would be a millionaire." And she's absolutely right.


Did Bonnie D. Stroir touch your life?  Through her words in a seminar or blog, a lesson in an online video, at a training camp in Rhode Island; Adelaide, Australia; Sao Paolo, Brazil; or beyond? As a leaguemate, team coach, or just a person who enriched and enabled the revival of roller derby that so many continue to enjoy today, her legacy can still be seen all around. 


Did Bonnie Beck touch your life as a friend, mentor, or ally outside the Derby world? If you feel any of that has touched you, please consider a small return on investment.  She has given love, healing, support, and inspiration to so many, and now it is her turn.

Everything we collect here will go directly to Bonnie for food and shelter. If you know Bonnie, you already know that if we are able to exceed our goal, she will use your money to help more people, even before she is done helping herself. That's just the kind of truly amazing person she still is. Please help how you can, and help others find out by sharing this.

With my deepest appreciation for your time and generosity,
Greg Beck