WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO
- The Bravery Foundation is a Canadian CRA registered charity located in Kelowna, BC
- We provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine and support displaced Ukrainians, refugees and volunteers serving in Ukraine
My name is Bonnie Penner and I've lived in the Okanagan since the age of two. I raised my children in Kelowna and call this amazing community home. I married my husband in 1987 at a small church just off of Lawrence Avenue. I love my community, always have and always will!
I am a firm believer in freedom with deep convictions that community is built through connection and contribution. I'm purpose driven, action orientated and transparent. As an educator, activist and formulator, I started my business Organically Clean in 2010 at the Kelowna Farmers' Market which I rebranded in 2013 to Zero Xeno. I created my non-profit society, the Bravery Foundation, in March of 2022, in response to the unjust war in Ukraine. The Bravery Foundation received 'Charitable at Law' designation on July 1, 2022, and is now a registered Canadian charity.
It is my belief, purposeful embracement of struggle creates trust, reveals Vision and produces passion with unstoppable drive. In other words, the autonomous decision to accept life's difficulties is how one humbly surrenders so trust is a natural outcome.
Even though past experiences have taught me that embracing struggle is key to unlocking the doorway of trust, it hasn't been easy. It is however what has created new realities in my life that once seemed impossible.
Years ago when homeschooling my four boys we learned the value of struggle and its connection with trust. As one of our projects, we decided to hatch baby chicks in a homemade incubator in our living room. All the books and articles we read warned us to NOT help them as they struggled out of their shell. They told us the chicks needed to fight to hatch and if they didn’t, they would die. What they neglected to tell us was the reason why this was true.
Each day we carefully turned the eggs, kept the humidity and temperature just right. We candled them and watched as the little chicks formed inside their shells. Finally hatching day arrived and we observed with great anticipation as they piped out. After hours of anxiously waiting, we couldn’t resist peeling away some of their shells. They seemed so helpless as they fought to be free.
Sadly, we learned the hard way that the yolk sack, which later becomes the chick’s intestines, remains outside their body prior to hatching. The purpose of the yolk sack is to nourish the little one through their struggle. It is the last bit of energy required to successfully hatch. We tried wrapping small cloths and tape around our prematurely hatched chicks. We were desperate to keep their intestines from flopping around with the hope it would provide enough artificial struggle so their inners would retract to where they belonged. Mournfully, we watched as they died one by one. This experience was awful. Especially after we discovered our lack of trust is what led us to do things we thought were helpful. Thankfully we learned from our mistake, and later successfully hatched not only little chicks but ducklings too!
I believe if one was to analyze why Ukrainians, by the millions, are fighting for their homeland, I suspect the same core Truth of struggle, free choice and trust would be found. Ukrainians are UNSTOPPABLE, not because the war is unjust, which it is, but because they’re choosing to humbly exercise their free will to embrace struggle.
Their Vision for FREEDOM is deeply embedded and their passion so strong, it’s clear they will continue to be driven to do whatever it takes to WIN! Ukrainian’s are my new hero’s as is anyone who willingly embraces struggle!
“Struggle causes one to look beyond the possible, so the impossible becomes possible!”
TOGETHER we are stronger!
I am a firm believer in freedom with deep convictions that community is built through connection and contribution. I'm purpose driven, action orientated and transparent. As an educator, activist and formulator, I started my business Organically Clean in 2010 at the Kelowna Farmers' Market which I rebranded in 2013 to Zero Xeno. I created my non-profit society, the Bravery Foundation, in March of 2022, in response to the unjust war in Ukraine. The Bravery Foundation received 'Charitable at Law' designation on July 1, 2022, and is now a registered Canadian charity.
It is my belief, purposeful embracement of struggle creates trust, reveals Vision and produces passion with unstoppable drive. In other words, the autonomous decision to accept life's difficulties is how one humbly surrenders so trust is a natural outcome.
Even though past experiences have taught me that embracing struggle is key to unlocking the doorway of trust, it hasn't been easy. It is however what has created new realities in my life that once seemed impossible.
Years ago when homeschooling my four boys we learned the value of struggle and its connection with trust. As one of our projects, we decided to hatch baby chicks in a homemade incubator in our living room. All the books and articles we read warned us to NOT help them as they struggled out of their shell. They told us the chicks needed to fight to hatch and if they didn’t, they would die. What they neglected to tell us was the reason why this was true.
Each day we carefully turned the eggs, kept the humidity and temperature just right. We candled them and watched as the little chicks formed inside their shells. Finally hatching day arrived and we observed with great anticipation as they piped out. After hours of anxiously waiting, we couldn’t resist peeling away some of their shells. They seemed so helpless as they fought to be free.
Sadly, we learned the hard way that the yolk sack, which later becomes the chick’s intestines, remains outside their body prior to hatching. The purpose of the yolk sack is to nourish the little one through their struggle. It is the last bit of energy required to successfully hatch. We tried wrapping small cloths and tape around our prematurely hatched chicks. We were desperate to keep their intestines from flopping around with the hope it would provide enough artificial struggle so their inners would retract to where they belonged. Mournfully, we watched as they died one by one. This experience was awful. Especially after we discovered our lack of trust is what led us to do things we thought were helpful. Thankfully we learned from our mistake, and later successfully hatched not only little chicks but ducklings too!
I believe if one was to analyze why Ukrainians, by the millions, are fighting for their homeland, I suspect the same core Truth of struggle, free choice and trust would be found. Ukrainians are UNSTOPPABLE, not because the war is unjust, which it is, but because they’re choosing to humbly exercise their free will to embrace struggle.
Their Vision for FREEDOM is deeply embedded and their passion so strong, it’s clear they will continue to be driven to do whatever it takes to WIN! Ukrainian’s are my new hero’s as is anyone who willingly embraces struggle!
“Struggle causes one to look beyond the possible, so the impossible becomes possible!”
TOGETHER we are stronger!
