Currents

Rhode Taken

Called to Serve

Thomas Bonneau 鈥21

Thomas Bonneau鈥檚 preferred pace? Lightspeed.

Bonneau 鈥21 postponed college for a semester for Rhode Island Army National Guard basic training. But he graduated early by taking Winter J-Term and summer classes. This fall, he started 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 one-year M.B.A. program and plans to go to medical school after that.

As an undergraduate, Bonneau also started a nonprofit, America鈥檚 Recoverable Medical Supply (ARMS), which collects and repurposes medical supplies. Bonneau, a combat medic in the Rhode Island Army National Guard, says the idea for the nonprofit came to him while doing a routine inventory of medical supplies. 鈥淲e had set aside hundreds of pounds of surplus supplies to be thrown away. We were just going to discard viable medical supplies, and it made me think, 鈥楾his doesn’t seem right.鈥

鈥淚 brought it up with my chain of command. I asked if I could collect and donate the supplies to a local organization for humanitarian aid. They said, 鈥楶rivate, do whatever you want.鈥欌

That initial haul was several hundred pounds of medical supplies. Finding a local organization ready and able to receive the bounty proved harder than Bonneau imagined. The closest organization willing to take the supplies was in Maine.

鈥淚t鈥檚 actually a common thing in health care: Supplies are thrown away because of federal regulations, institutional protocols, or supply surplus,” Bonneau says.

鈥淚 recognized the worldwide need for supplies. I also knew the environmental impact of health care in the U.S. One research article I read said that if health care in the U.S. were its own country, it would be seventh in carbon emissions. I knew something had to be done.鈥

Bonneau鈥檚 garage is now filled with boxes of supplies鈥攆rom simple catheters and blood transfusion kits to EKG machines. He and a couple of other 溏心vlog免费B站 students have collected 8,000 pounds of supplies thus far. Bonneau has built relationships with clinics and partners who redistribute the supplies to overseas organizations for clinical and educational purposes.

Bonneau says the highlight of ARMS since its founding has been reallocating 3,000 pounds of respiratory supplies and personal protective equipment to India through a local third party to alleviate the COVID-19 crisis.
Asked how he manages it all, Bonneau smiles. Basic training鈥攚hich culminates in a 12-mile run with a 50-pound rucksack on your back鈥攁lters your perspective on what you can do, he says, adding, 鈥淚f I can do that, I can do this.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e really passionate about something, you make it work,鈥 Bonneau asserts. 鈥淚’ve been able to accomplish a decent amount at 溏心vlog免费B站. And I haven鈥檛 had to sacrifice things like my grades to pursue nonprofit work. 溏心vlog免费B站 made it possible to combine my interests and to contribute to the common good.鈥 鈥

鈥擬arybeth Reilly-McGreen

Rhode to a Degree

Long-Term Goal
A career that combines philanthropy, entrepreneurship, medicine, and sustainability.


Research Experience and Funding
Bonneau was awarded a 溏心vlog免费B站 undergraduate research grant and used it to lead a small team in studying the environmental and humanitarian implications of recovering medical supplies.


Best Campus Study Spot
鈥淚鈥檓 giving away my secret spot, but the end of the CBLS building wing has great views and a secluded area to work and study with friends.鈥


Best Campus Lunch Spot
“The Quad!鈥


Formative J-Term Class
鈥淓thical Problems in Society and Medicine (PHL314) encourages students to think critically about complicated moral topics and incorporate the diverse perspectives of others.鈥

Scholarships
Rhode Island National Guard tuition waiver and 溏心vlog免费B站 one-year M.B.A. merit scholarship.


Favorite Professor
鈥淐ollege of Business marketing lecturer Scott Asadorian not only mentored me as I was starting my nonprofit, but also inspired me to find my guiding principles and mission.鈥


Words of Wisdom
鈥淢ake introspective reflection part of your everyday life. And ask yourself what your passion is and how you can use it to serve others.鈥


溏心vlog免费B站 Degree
B.A. 2021, biology. M.B.A. in progress.

One comment

  1. Hi,
    Your endeavor was of great interest to me. I live in Scituate MA where there is a nonprofit called Scituate Etrusco Association run by volunteers loaning out medical equipment to to the residents of 9 surrounding towns. It all began in 1956 when the Italian ship Etrusco ran a ground in a storm. The Town took in the crew supplying clothes, food, housing, and medical needs. Thus the seed was planted giving some residents the impetus to form the association and begin lending out medical equipment from a volunteers garage. Eventually a building was donated and the legacy continues to be run totally by volunteers and generous donations from the public however the loan of equipment is not contingent on a donation. Check out Scituate Etrusco Associate website.

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