Having worked for Gifford for over 25 years, Bonnie has been on the ground floor of the development of all our senior services. She was part of the team that took over management of Tranquility Nursing Home, working as activities director, until it transitioned to Gifford Elder Care. And when the nursing home relocated to our main hospital campus and became Menig Extended Care, she launched the activities program for the newly created Adult Day Program. She continued on in this position through the program’s move to its own dedicated space at the Bethel Health Center.

It’s from Adult Day that Bonnie joined independent living. The timing was right and she was ready for a change. And as she was no stranger to building a program from day one, she was up for the challenge.

Bonnie has always enjoyed planning events, from small birthday parties to large craft fairs. She loves making sure event details are planned and executed to a “t”. In fact, when she worked at Gifford Adult Day, Bonnie spearheaded their annual holiday craft fair fundraiser, a two-day event held each November at Gifford Medical Center.

At Morgan Orchards she spends her days organizing all the daily activities and scheduling events such as our Third Thursday lectures and Health Talks. She also makes sure to spend time with residents, visiting with them or helping with any concerns or problems that they might have. And at times, you might see her giving tours to visitors.

“I enjoy getting to know our residents,” Bonnie says of working at Morgan Orchards. “They have some very interesting lives, talents, and backgrounds. And I enjoy working with the rest of the staff. They’re very friendly and helpful, both to each other and to residents.”

One thing Bonnie wants to emphasize is that she’s here to help residents live an active and engaging life at Morgan Orchards. If someone has an event idea or an ongoing program they’d like to get started, Bonnie is here to help.

“My goal is to help make Strode Independent Living a great place to live. Every day I’m exploring opportunities to develop activities and programs that enrich our residents’ lives,” shares Bonnie.

Fun fact, in her free time Bonnie is an artist/craftsperson herself. She works with acrylics on canvas and has tried numerous crafts over the years.