Fulton's dedication honored with WOW award

Where would Bonner County be without the army of remarkable women who move here to “retire” and instead find themselves embarking on a second career volunteering their time and talent to enrich our community? 

Sherry Fulton is one of those remarkable women. The Women Honoring Women Committee is presenting Sherry with a Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of her two decades of service to Bonner County.

More than a dozen people submitted letters nominating Sherry as a Woman of Wisdom. Without exception, they attested to her commitment to shaping and steering the Community Assistance League from a smaller organization to a community powerhouse of 200 members which has donated over $2 million to Bonner County in grants and scholarships. 

“Sherry’s decades-long commitment to CAL stands as a powerful testament to her leadership and collaborative spirit. Serving in various roles — team leader, secretary, grant committee chair and president — Sherry played a key role in securing a lasting endowment to sustain CAL’s philanthropic work for generations to come.”

Sherry and her husband, Bill, discovered Sandpoint on a cross-country motorcycle adventure. They relocated here from the Bay Area in 2002, and within a year Sherry was a regular volunteer at the animal shelter and a member of CAL's board of directors. 

Sherry’s first career was as an innovative and inspiring educator. Born in Southern California, Sherry studied sociology and history at UC Santa Barbara. Her first teaching job was at a Massachusetts girls prep school. She followed that with a stint as a buyer and a store manager for the Casual Corner women’s retail store chain. It was there that she first learned the skills that would prove instrumental years later in the development of CAL’s flagship Bizarre Bazaar retail operation. 

In 1974, Sherry met and married Bill Fulton. The couple spent two years on the Spanish Island of Majorca where Sherry taught English as a second language. After their return to the United States, Sherry accepted a position with I. Magnin, a luxury California department store chain. In 1984, Sherry returned to her true love — teaching. She and a co-teacher created an award-winning American studies curriculum that integrated history and literature. Sherry delighted in dressing up in period costumes and regaling her students with historical tales.

Today, Sherry stays busy overseeing CAL’s senior gift giving program, ensuring that homebound seniors receive a Christmas gift. She is an avid traveler, choosing to visit exotic and unusual destinations where she feeds her love of learning by immersing herself in the culture and history of each place she visits. The many people who know and love Sherry will tell you that her greatest gift is her ability to be a true friend: a friend who knows when to listen, when to step in and help, how to make you feel valued and how to make you laugh! 

WHW invites community members to join them us in recognizing Sherry Fulton as a 2025 Woman of Wisdom. 

A gala brunch honoring Sherry and her fellow recipients will take place at 11 a.m. June 14 at the Marigold Bistro in the Umqua Bank Building, 414 Church St., Sandpoint. Tickets must be purchased in advance as seating is limited. 

Contact Diane Stockton at 208-290-6362 or [email protected] to reserve your place at the celebration.