Ambassador Spotlight - Linda Bonner

Name of Business or Organization
Heard-Craig Center for the Arts 
 
Your location:
205 W. Hunt Street, McKinney 75069
At the corner of Church and Hunt in downtown McKinney
 
Tell us about your business. 
The Heard-Craig Center for the Arts is an art and history museum as well as an events center with a beautiful outdoor garden venue and Carriage House for private events.  The Heard-Craig was built in 1900 and we give tours highlighting the original architecture, furnishings and décor while sharing stories of the family, the home and the community.
 
How you have benefited from being an Ambassador?
I joined primarily to get more exposure for the Heard-Craig with the community and new Chamber members and have found the ambassadors to be friendly, positive and inspiring! I’m really enjoying the personal and professional connections that I’m building and love helping new businesses feel welcome and get connected.
 
Tell us about your involvement in the Community. 
In addition to my work at the Heard-Craig I enjoy mentoring and guiding other families that have a child or loved one with intellectual and development disabilities.  I’m a Peer Parent Mentor with Texas Parent to Parent, a non-profit that provides support to families that have a member with special needs.  I volunteer with My Possibilities, a day program for adults with IDD in Plano. 

What are your hobbies?
I’m an artist and enjoy creating mixed-media and fiber arts.  My specialty is miniature art and I’m an approved artist and have 6 art products that are sold through Art-O-Mat.   (Heard-Craig Center owns an Art-O-Mat).  I also enjoy sewing and have an Etsy shop with my sister where we sell a variety of handmade items.  I also teach adult art classes at Jump Into Art Studio in downtown McKinney.
 
Tell us a bit about yourself and your family.
I was born and raised in Michigan and got to Texas in 1987.  My Texas journey started in Midland and I moved to McKinney in 1995.  I have a BS in Computer Information Systems from North Carolina Wesleyan and I’m a graduate of Leadership McKinney class of 2020.  I have 3 grown children and my oldest, Kevin, who has Down Syndrome, lives with me.  He’s an amazing young man and works for Hugs Café. My other son is a professional musician with the Alabama Symphony and my daughter is a CPA with Baker Tilly.