Katie McKee Bonter
Donation protected
Many of you may have known Katie McKee Bonter. Katie passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, August 25th.
Some of you may have known Katie in a professional capacity. Professionally, Katie was an advocate and a warrior. Professionally, Katie was responsible for opening Red Project’s drop in space at 1168 Madison in Grand Rapids. Her mark will always be branded on the space in the warm and welcoming environment she created for people who use drugs, 40 hours a week. Katie was always looking for new ways to serve the community, to help people who had often been pushed to the margins of society protect their health, realize the value they had and take pride in their lives. Katie never took no for an answer. She pioneered safer smoking and snorting supplies at Red Project. Katie was a mentor to many- you may not have liked what she said, or how she said it, but you often saw the truth in it. Katie was bold, she was breath taking, and she had a big heart. When Red Project started a post overdose wellness visit program, Katie was the first one to staff it. She worked the mobile unit. She was a needle and naloxone queen. Katie’s work professionally saved lives. There are people alive today because Katie lived. More than this though, Katie cared about how people lived. She went above and beyond to create a space, wherever she was, that was warm and accepting and where people could feel at home.
Some of you may have known Katie from the community. Outside of work, Katie did not stop. Katie was consistently and constantly drawing from her own experience, and her own pain, to help other people. Although not a huge fan of AA and NA, Katie was a fixture for many in the Grand Rapids recovery community. For years, she chaired a Refuge Recovery group, week in, week out. She believed in making the treatment options fit the individual, rather than force the individual into a path that was not going to fit them. In many ways, she was ahead of her time and outside of her place in Grand Rapids. But this did not stop her- she kept working to make the world a better place in her work but also outside of it. As at work, in the community she was a mentor to many. More recently she had been working to start a Harm Reduction Works meeting- again, trying to provide options that fit the individual. Outside of work, she did this for free. Katie gave of herself freely, and if you had her, she gave all of herself.
In the past few months, Katie was devoting more time to her family. To many of us who knew Katie, in her last few months Katie seemed happier and more at peace than we had seen her in a long time. Recently married, Katie is leaving people behind. Her husband, Derek Bonter, her children Morrison (9) and Indya (13), her family by blood, and her family by bond. There are many of us who loved Katie and will be missing her, but none more so than her family.
None of us expect to die in an unexpected way. There is anger, there is pain, there are tears, and hugs, and smiles at memories, and there is support, but there are also expenses. We are posting this GoFundMe today, to help Katie’s family with those expenses. The expenses of a funeral, and cremation, but also the expenses her children will need to survive- to be where they need to be and with who they need to be- together on a healthy path. All funds raised will go directly to the family, to Cindy, to be used in support of the family Katie is leaving behind.
We appreciate your contributions, and the time and memories you shared with Katie while she was here.
Some of you may have known Katie in a professional capacity. Professionally, Katie was an advocate and a warrior. Professionally, Katie was responsible for opening Red Project’s drop in space at 1168 Madison in Grand Rapids. Her mark will always be branded on the space in the warm and welcoming environment she created for people who use drugs, 40 hours a week. Katie was always looking for new ways to serve the community, to help people who had often been pushed to the margins of society protect their health, realize the value they had and take pride in their lives. Katie never took no for an answer. She pioneered safer smoking and snorting supplies at Red Project. Katie was a mentor to many- you may not have liked what she said, or how she said it, but you often saw the truth in it. Katie was bold, she was breath taking, and she had a big heart. When Red Project started a post overdose wellness visit program, Katie was the first one to staff it. She worked the mobile unit. She was a needle and naloxone queen. Katie’s work professionally saved lives. There are people alive today because Katie lived. More than this though, Katie cared about how people lived. She went above and beyond to create a space, wherever she was, that was warm and accepting and where people could feel at home.
Some of you may have known Katie from the community. Outside of work, Katie did not stop. Katie was consistently and constantly drawing from her own experience, and her own pain, to help other people. Although not a huge fan of AA and NA, Katie was a fixture for many in the Grand Rapids recovery community. For years, she chaired a Refuge Recovery group, week in, week out. She believed in making the treatment options fit the individual, rather than force the individual into a path that was not going to fit them. In many ways, she was ahead of her time and outside of her place in Grand Rapids. But this did not stop her- she kept working to make the world a better place in her work but also outside of it. As at work, in the community she was a mentor to many. More recently she had been working to start a Harm Reduction Works meeting- again, trying to provide options that fit the individual. Outside of work, she did this for free. Katie gave of herself freely, and if you had her, she gave all of herself.
In the past few months, Katie was devoting more time to her family. To many of us who knew Katie, in her last few months Katie seemed happier and more at peace than we had seen her in a long time. Recently married, Katie is leaving people behind. Her husband, Derek Bonter, her children Morrison (9) and Indya (13), her family by blood, and her family by bond. There are many of us who loved Katie and will be missing her, but none more so than her family.
None of us expect to die in an unexpected way. There is anger, there is pain, there are tears, and hugs, and smiles at memories, and there is support, but there are also expenses. We are posting this GoFundMe today, to help Katie’s family with those expenses. The expenses of a funeral, and cremation, but also the expenses her children will need to survive- to be where they need to be and with who they need to be- together on a healthy path. All funds raised will go directly to the family, to Cindy, to be used in support of the family Katie is leaving behind.
We appreciate your contributions, and the time and memories you shared with Katie while she was here.
Co-organizers (2)
Steve Alsum
Organizer
Grand Rapids, MI
Cindra Spaans
Beneficiary
Megan Rocha-Adams
Co-organizer