Bonnie Thompson
When Sallisaw resident Bonnie Thompson retired from her medical career, she quickly realized that sitting idle was not what she had imagined retirement to be like.
When Sallisaw resident Bonnie Thompson retired from her medical career, she quickly realized that sitting idle was not what she had imagined retirement to be like.
Thompson, who practiced in New Mexico, initially envisioned her retirement filled with golf, socializing and patio naps. However, after a year of leisure, she found herself yearning for something more meaningful.
“You can only play golf so many times before it becomes boring,” she quips. According to Thompson, it takes exactly 16 rounds for golf to lose its appeal.
In 2020, she relocated to the Sallisaw area to be closer to her daughter and granddaughters, Adalyn and Bree. As she helped homeschool the girls during the height of the pandemic, Thompson set up a classroom in her dining room, creating a lasting bonding experience.
After COVID-19 restrictions were lifted and the girls returned to in-person learning, Thompson said she began to seek out hobbies, and decided that sewing was one of particular interest.
“I remember my grandma made everything, it always fascinated me,” she said.
Thompson spent a year practicing every day to master the “art of sewing.” She began with a pillowcase, progressed to a blanket, and eventually found herself creating shirts.
“I have always been a curious person and I wanted to take up a new hobby. Sewing seemed challenging enough, so I bought a machine and just started,” she said.
Thompson found a sewing pattern book at Goodwill and a friend gave her a whole box of fabric.
“Before you know it, I had made a couple shirts and they were really good,” Thompson brags. “My granddaughters were my guinea pigs and wore my creations to school. I think they were embarrassed to do so, but the shirts held up all day. So I just kept making them.”
Soon,Thompson found that she had many shirts stacked up and decided she needed to do something to clear the surplus. After donating some shirts to local churches, she mentioned her hobby to an old colleague, who convinced her to make and donate shirts for the charity organization, Americares.
“I had a fellow doctor who went to Guatemala to volunteer with the organization, and she told me of the great need there for children’s clothing. It was perfect,” she said.
Americares, she explains, is a charitable organization similar to Doctors Without Borders, responding to natural disasters, poverty and aiding people living in places without equal access to medicine and medical care. The organization’s website states that they help millions around the world, providing medical aid and resources to those facing poverty or disaster.
At first, Thompson sent over 10 shirts of various standard sizes (small, medium, large). A couple of months later, she sent 20, then 50, and a few months later, she sent 100.
“Word spread like wildfire in our community,” she chuckles. “Neighbors learned of my initiative and soon, people were generously bringing me their surplus fabric. It felt really good to do something for people in need, it filled my time and it gave me a purpose.”
In total, Thompson has now donated over 300 shirts to children in Guatemala through Americares, creating a meaningful partnership that benefits those in need, gives her a purpose, and repurposes surplus fabric, preventing it from going to the landfill. “
“It gives me such joy to know that I, an old lady, can still be useful and make a difference,” Thompson said.
Just Folks is Your TIMES way of honoring the regular people of Sequoyah County, recognizing their unique talents, personalities, jobs, abilities, etc. Your TIMES appreciates the cooperation of each Just Folks and the public’s nominations for this feature. If you know of someone you think might be a good story, contact Amie at 918-775-4433.
