Monument Hill Kiwanian of the Year

 

Bonnie Jo Biggs

  

 

The Kiwanian of the Year award is intended to recognize a Club member that has demonstrated outstanding service to the Club and our Tri-Lakes Community. As always seems to be the case, the member selected for this honor, quietly goes about participating in a myriad of tasks that help others. Such is the case with this year's recipient, Bonnie Jo Biggs.

 

Bonnie came into the Club seven years ago when she wanted to help in the Tri-Lakes Cares car raffle fund raiser that was being coordinated through Monument Hill Sertoma 's BINGO/Raffle State of Colorado license which meant she had to become a member of the Club. After the raffle was successfully completed, Bonnie continued her membership in our Club and quickly earned the Gem Award and became involved in a broad range of Club projects.

 

She has been a member of Monday Night Bingo Team A since she joined the Club. Bonnie has served as Vice President of Membership, Vice President of Ways and Means (renamed Fundraising) and was also the Club Scrapbook chairperson in 2006. Her other significant contributions to the Club include chairing the Empty Bowls Dinner fund raising project for Tri-Lakes Cares in 2009 and 2010. She is a long time Salvation Army Red Kettle bell ringer and as strange as it seems, also a bag lady/caller for the Salvation Army bell ringing project.  This means she picked up money every day at a ringing location, made the bank deposit, and every day called the scheduled bell ringers to remind them of their time slot.  She drives for the Senior Meals program that delivers hot meals twice a week to Monument's seniors. Bonnie is the Kiwanis Club Advisor for the K-Kids club at Lewis-Palmer Elementary School.

 

It seems that whenever assistance or service are needed, Bonnie steps forward which includes participation in the December North Pole Crafts and Arts Fair, highway clean-up, Distributive Education Council of America (DECA) judging, peach sales, the D-38 dictionary program for third graders, and the Monument 4th of July parade. She is also the recipient of the coveted Order of the Frog Award where she is only one of two women in our club to achieve such an exalted status.    

  

Award accepted

Bonnie has been involved in a number of other community based activities. She was an active member of the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce serving as a Board Member and then President, leading the chamber through a period of membership growth in 2004. She managed the major fund raiser for the Chamber, the 4th of July Street Fair, for five years. Bonnie has been a long time supporter of Tri-Lakes-Cares volunteering for many years as the operation transitioned from Grannies Attic, the basement in D-38 School's Big Red, to the current location. She also worked to get Hangers, the Tri-Lakes Cares thrift shop that sells gently used clothing and household items, up and running.   She allowed Tri-Lakes Cares to utilize the meeting room at the Lake of the Rockies to be used for Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets and gifts distribution for many years. She was involved in helping to organize the Monument Centennial celebration and the Art Fair at the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts in Palmer Lake. As a long-time member of the Tri-Lakes Woman's Club, she helps manage the kitchen at the annual Antiques and Garden Show and one year, co-chaired both the Antiques and Garden Show and Wine and Roses fund raisers.  Bonnie worked one-on-one with two children at Palmer Lake Elementary school and was involved with the children's reading program at the Monument Branch of the El Paso County library.  

 

Bonnie was an Air Force brat born in San Angelo Texas. She has been married to Ernie Biggs for 49 years and has 4 children, 11 grand Children and 3 great grand Children. Bonnie's hobbies and other interests include reading, creating cards, gardening, sewing, and of course community service!

 

It is with great pride that the Monument Hill Kiwanis Club recognizes Bonnie Jo Biggs as the 2011 Kiwanian of the Year for her outstanding and selfless service to the Monument Hill Kiwanis Club, youth, and the greater community. Please stand as we congratulate this truly outstanding and gracious Club member.

 

Past and present recipients

Read and Presented by President G. B. "Steve" Stephenson on 12.07.2011