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Meet Bonnie – Superstar LUM Volunteer


Bonnie Gillman Shares Her Time & Talent with LUM

Bonnie Gillman grew up in Amo, Indiana, located in Hendricks County. She is a retired nonprofit administrator who is enjoying retirement with her husband of 33 years, Keith. They were both active with the Presbyterian church: she as a deacon and both as ministers with the Stephen Ministry. Bonnie earned her bachelor’s degree later in her career from DePaul University (Chicago) and Professional Project Planning certification from the University of Chicago. Bonnie & Keith’s work took them from Hendricks County to Indianapolis to Chicago. After a career working with mental health & addiction focused nonprofits, Bonnie retired in 2017 from the Gateway Foundation, a national nonprofit that treats drug & alcohol addiction at 16 rehab centers, as their information services director reporting to the vice president.

Bonnie has four adult children (two daughters & two sons) who live in Chicago, Indianapolis, Florida & Lafayette. She and her husband decided to relocate to Lafayette when Keith retired in 2019 to be close to their six grandchildren (three girls & three boys). As soon as she was settled, Bonnie searched for a meaningful service opportunity and found Lafayette Urban Ministry. She stated that,

“LUM offered me a chance to serve while learning more about my new community. I soon learned that LUM does amazing things to help local families in need.”

Through her faith and family, Bonnie has learned that,

“everyone finds themselves in need from time to time and often finds it difficult to ask for help.”

What she enjoys about LUM is that,

“the staff are dedicated to helping with love and without judgement.”

As a volunteer afternoon receptionist, Bonnie knows that she is contributing to making the community better. She not only connects individuals with the appropriate LUM service, but also witnesses individuals who give both time and money to support those programs. She was recently moved by the kindness and generosity of a local landlord. LUM gave financial assistance to this landlord’s tenant to pay rent. When the landlord found out, he returned the money to LUM, forgave the tenant’s debt, and told Bonnie that he didn’t need the money that badly. It is stories like these that keep Bonnie motivated to stay engaged at Lafayette Urban Ministry.

Bonnie wants to encourage anyone who is looking for a meaningful volunteer service opportunity to check out LUM. She shared that,

“LUM is a very good place to volunteer. The people are nice and inspire me with their passion. They give you a chance to play a small part in something much bigger.”

Bonnie and Keith consider themselves “foodies” and enjoy traveling to different cities to learn about the culture and find great places to enjoy the food. Their goal is to eventually visit each of the 50 US states and five (permanent, nonmilitary) territories. Their favorite pastime though is spending time with their grandchildren and hosting family celebrations.

LUM is grateful for each and every volunteer, but is especially thankful that Bonnie chose LUM. Her experience, talent and delightful personality have added so much to the quality of the service LUM offers to children, families, and individuals experiencing homelessness. Please join us in thanking her for her many hours of service to our community through LUM. If you wish to be like Bonnie and volunteer with LUM, please go to LUMserve.org/volunteer, email volunteer@LUMserve.org or call 765-423-2691.

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