Care patrol

Ethel Bonura, 81, is a petite woman swimming in a neon yellow and orange vest.

She holds a big, red stop sign firmly in her hand as she marches across the street.

But don’t let her small stature fool you, she isn’t afraid to speak up when a child or car isn’t following the rules.

This Winter Springs resident is more than your average school crossing guard. She acts as a watchdog for Tuscawilla residents, ensuring their children get to and from school safely.

“I had five of my own, so I like to be around kids,” Bonura said. “You get to know them … and then you can’t wait to go back to see them the next time.”

Bonura took the job to keep herself occupied after her late husband retired. It was only meant to last a few years, but 25 years later, Bonura is still helping children safely across the street.

Many people know ‘Ms. Ethel’, as the children call her. She’s formed relationships with parents, local leaders and even many police officers in Winter Springs.

Winter Springs Chief of Police Kevin Brunelle has worked alongside Bonura for 23 years, and he fondly remembers the first time they met.

“I remember her telling me that she was going to show me how to properly take care of her children,” Brunelle said. “And I got to be honest with you, she most certainly did show me how to properly take care of them; she showed me how to be caring and how to understand what their thought process was.”

This school year, Bonura was moved from the her old post that she patrolled for six years at Trotwood Boulevard and Trotwood Park to Trotwood Boulevard and Tuscawilla Road. Parents who pick up their children from Bonura’s old location all say one thing: they want her back at their crosswalk.

“Ethel is a treasure to the area,” Winter Springs resident Lori Mayter, 41, said.

Mayter said Bonura takes the time to get to know the parents and children, and that she’s personally invested in the community.

Bonura has a strategy for befriending the children she crosses every day.

“I talk to them like they talk,” Bonura said. “I can talk to them about anything they have to talk about.”

It is this type of conversation that Bonura has extended to children who live in the same neighborhood as she does. For instance, when Bonura was a pool monitor over the summer, she helped the children at the pool who had problems remembering the capitals of each state.

“I told them to remember what the state puts out, and you’ll remember what the capital is,” Bonura said. “I said, what are they going to do with all those potatoes from Idaho?”

Bonura doesn’t stop there with her lending hand. She gives her address as the drop off center for donated toys for the Guardian ad Litem program, and she knits hats for premature babies at Florida Hospital.

It is this type of community service that has given Bonura recognition in her community. On Sept. 13, she was given a special proclamation for her service to Winter Springs by Mayor John Bush. Chief Brunelle also gave Bonura a commemorative coin that honors residents in the community.

Brunelle said the coin is a way to say thank you for all her hard work and the advice she’s given him over the years.

“If somebody needs something, you pitch in, and if they need help, you give them help,” Bonura said. “Who remembers what it was, what organization it was that needed it, it just needed it — you just do what needs to be done.”