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90-year-old Jupiter woman raising money for charities through her art

'I wouldn't call myself an artist. I just like to draw.'
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Posted at 9:39 PM, Apr 28, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-29 08:52:32-04

JUPITER, Fla. — The Twitter hashtag #belikebonnie is gaining attention during this coronavirus isolation.

"Bonnie" is Bonnie Bowen, a 90-year-old Jupiter woman who's tapped into her creative side while staying at home.

"I wouldn't call myself an artist. I just like to draw," Bowen said.

She said inspiration can come from simple things, like people walking dogs to a tandem bike.

"Just little things like that make me smile and I want to put it down on paper," she added.

Watch the video with some of Bowen's work bellow:

Bowen works on drawings every day. She started posting her work on Facebook and has had thousands of people comment and follow her because of her work.

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"It's fun to see that people like it. It's very rewarding," she said.

Rewarding is an understatement. Bowen's daughter, Betsy, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, always wanted to put her mom's work on T-shirts. So, they did. Soon Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine noticed her art.

"One of his executives saw one of her drawings and contacted her and he eventually called my mother in Florida and told her how much he loved her art," Betsy said.

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Betsy and her mother decided to take things a bit further by raising money for charities.

"We decided to give $5 of every T-shirt sold to the American Red Cross. So, they just gave them $5,000," Betsy said.

Bowen said drawing is her creative outlet. So how long will she continue?

"Probably forever," she said. "I'm 90 now, so hopefully I'll be doing it for the next few years anyway."

The mother-daughter team has raised an additional $3,000 by selling greeting cards. That money will go to a local charity in Ohio.