Laura's dad's article from Olean Times Herald

I waited to post it since I did not want to reduce OTH sales, but it is so good that I had to share and it is not on their website...so...

" By the time you read this, we will be back in the United States getting ready for church on Sunday, but my wife and I have spent the past two weeks in Central America.  We have been visiting our daughter who is a Peace Corps volunteer in the nation of Belize (on the Caribbean coast bordering Mexico and Guatemala.  For those of you who grew up prior to the 1980’s (when Belize became independent) you probably learned about it in Geography or Social Studies class as British Honduras. 

It is the smallest country in Central America (about the size of Vermont) and it has the approximate population of Buffalo.  It is also the only nation in Central America where English is not only commonly spoken, it is the national language.  That is one of the factors that makes Belize a popular tourist destination for Americans (although we found tourists here from many countries across the globe during our journey).

            The people of Belize are extraordinarily friendly and welcoming.  When I got sunburned our first day here, several people who were strangers to us went out of their way to offer helpful advice on how to treat it.  Word also spread quickly throughout the community where we stayed that I am a Pastor.  In the course of a friendly conversation I was asked one time how I made a living and from that time forward as I walked down the street various merchants would greet me by saying, “Good Morning Pastor!” or “Good afternoon Pastor!”  One wanted me to know that he is a believer and another even asked me for a Bible.

As you might expect, the religious beliefs here are somewhat diverse due to the history of Mayan and Garifuna cultures, but Catholic and Evangelical Protestant Christianity predominate.  The school where my daughter has focused most of her attention in the small village of Barranco in very rural southern Belize is a Roman Catholic school.  Classes on the Christian faith are taught every day there and in one classroom a permanent display of art work depicting key stories from the Old and New Testaments hung on the wall.

There were several things that we experienced here that reminded us of things we take for granted in our lives stateside.  Dietary choices are much more limited here, and many things that are part of our common diets (like beef and cheese) are prohibitively expensive.  The roads outside the more urban areas are not paved and extremely rough.  Traffic enforcement comes primarily through speed bumps when the roads are paved and law enforcement (including the court system) is widely criticized.  Nevertheless, the upcoming election has captivated the country.  Groups of campaign volunteers were commonly seen on the streets and we heard several animated political conversations during our time here.

Our daughter (Laura) grew up in Baptist churches before attending St. Bonaventure University (graduating in 2009) where she was deeply impressed by the Franciscan values she learned there.  Her strong involvement in “BonaResponds” played a key role in her decision to join the Peace Corps.  Of course the Peace Corps is a government organization so her involvement here has not been religious but I suspect the religious values she picked up along the way have a lot to do with her motives for serving here. 

In a world where Americans are commonly thought of as “ugly”, selfish and arrogant she has made a strong positive impression on her community and has helped make one rural school a better place to learn by improving the library and suggesting more modern educational techniques.  The 14 days we spent here were certainly an education for us as well! 

Fortunately none of us have to leave the country to make a difference.  Check out BonaResponds.org to learn even more about how volunteers from our community are changing lives all the time."

Jim's Thanks and BonaResponds' updates:

Here is the link to the whole thing:


First let me say this is part BonaResponds' update/newsletter and part Jim's observations on various things that have BonaResponds ties:


Jim's Musings:

I feel remarkably fortunate to have as many family, friends and acquaintances who have asked about, prayed for, and sent emails, cards, and even flowers to my mom.  She would love to thank you each personally but right now it is too much.

How is she?  She is doing better! :)   Her strength is improving (indeed I had her lifting and even doing modified push-ups today!) and she is eating like a champion (must be the cooking!) Her lung capacity is getting better but not as fast as we'd like, but as she would teach (she is a Latin Teacher)" Rome was not built in a day".  Her mantra has not changed one bit: "Pray, Fight, Win!" and win she will!


And I will add for her: Thank you to each and every one of you.  Your support means more than you will ever know.

Along those lines, a few observations:

1. My mom’s cancer made me even more sure that BonaResponds is important, indeed more important than we can easily measure.  Intuitively at first and by almost constant empirical reminders since, I am reminded that the most important thing that Bona Responds does is not the physical work, not the ramp building, not the storm clean up, or even rebuilding.  The most important thing that the volunteers do is to bring hope and a reminder that people care.  I have no way of valuing that, but going through this has made me more convinced than ever that BonaResponds plays a very important role.

2. While the physical work that BonaResponds does may be less important than the hope it brings, the work is still often critically important.  Something that is almost an afterthought can make a huge difference in the quality of life for others.  A personal example?  The hand rail that we put up at my mom's made getting upstairs much easier in the first week when she really needed it.  It was hugely important to her.  It took us about 10 minutes to install.  Never confuse value with time or money spent.  They are often very different.


3. "Walk a mile in my shoes" should be stressed more.  I will work on it for future BonaResponds' events.  I do not know how yet, but getting volunteers (and myself as well) to see the project through the eyes of those being helped will make even seemingly unimportant jobs, difference makers.



Other observations:


* Jobs are lining up nicely for International Service Day (March 31)...I heard today from Rob Ryer who is planning an event in Baltimore.  In recent days I have also heard from Bill Hammond in Dallas, Laura McDowell in Belize, and Carrie Jackling in Burkino Faso.  There will be events in Chicago, DC, Rochester, Buffalo, Seattle, Orange County California, Alabama, New Jersey, Ireland, and many many other places.  Plan on being involved.  Even a small project will help make the world a better place.  (jobs in Olean include working at the Olean-Bradford Area YMCA, the  SPCA, and the MentalHealth CattaraugusCounty.  And maybe more.  Stay tuned.  The big group of us will be working with Kim and Villa Volunteers in Buffalo.

more

Here is the link to the whole thing:

Wednesday of Spring Break 2012

Great and productive day here in Greenville, South Carolina!

Work began bright and early again at 7:30 on St. Anthony of Padua's Convent House. Xavier and Gilbert finished up scraping paint off the beautiful staircase. This will really add a lot to the beauty of the interior. Jack worked with Gowanda Jim extensively on dry-walling and mudding the second floor. With one more coat of mud tomorrow and sanding, most of the second floor should be ready for paint Friday. Phil worked exclusively with Dave from SC on installing electrical sockets and light fixtures today.

The group worked until 3:30 this afternoon. Then they got cleaned up and headed to Eastminster Presbyterian Church (http://www.eastminster.com/) in Simpsonville for dinner. This wonderful church hosted our volunteers last Spring Break. Their space includes a gym and full size kitchen. It was wonderful spending time with the people of the church tonight! They put on a spread of assorted Mexican cuisine as we shared stories of BonaResponds. After the dinner we joined the church members for a wonderful vespers gathering which included scripture readings, video, and song. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable evening! This congregation has been so open to our organization and we look forward to keeping in touch with them in the future!

More updates to follow tomorrow! There is still a lot of work to complete!

Spring Break 2012

Greetings from Greenville South Carolina!

BonaResponds is at it again here in SC helping out St. Anthony of Padua's Parish and School. We have been here before Winter Break 2010 and Spring Break 2011.

Work is in full swing down here already. We arrived after a 15 hour drive Saturday (arriving Sunday morning around 11am). St. Anthony's held a ground breaking ceremony on Sunday afternoon for their brand new and much deserved elementary school. Pretty much as soon as we got out of the van we got to work setting up 400 hundred chairs for the ceremony.

The new school will include a full size gym. Currently the children have no gym and are restricted to playing in the field adjacent to the school. On rainy days the kids have to remain in doors. But with the new school there will be guaranteed physical activity daily.

The ceremony included speeches by local dignitaries, clergy, and Father Pat Tuttle. Fr. Pat is a Franciscan friar who spent a couple years at St. Bonaventure about 10 years ago. He is very full of life and the children and community adore him. He specifically thanked BonaResponds in his speech for clearing over 100 trees on the site of the school last Spring.

After the ground breaking, there was a gathering at the school cafeteria for the community. It was astounding how many people came up and told us their connection to Bonaventure or Olean. After the get-together was ended we had a pow-wow with Fr. Pat to outline jobs for the week.

Monday morning we got to work bright and early at the school. We cleared branches hanging over the children's garden. The chainsaw was roaring and the saws were buzzing! After about three hours we had a 6 foot pile made. This garden received an award for best elementary school grown garden from Clemeson University last year. Surely with the branches cleared the garden will blossom even more this year!

Then we lendws a helping hand with the convent behind the church. Three sisters and one in-training live at this house. In the beginnings of the parish, this house also served as the first school. Five gentlemen from the church have been working on the house for the past month. Repairs include anywhere from drywall to electrical to window work. Each of our volunteers have done their fair share of all of those mentioned activities the past two days!

We meld well with the older gentlemen working on the house. They have a lot to teach us and enjoy our company. Stu, the "foreman", proclaimed our group is a "god-send". He told us we blow any other college group that has come to help them out of the water (as our reputation goes!)

Today (Tuesday) we had a little picnic lunch behind the friary. Phil grilled up some delicious chicken. The menu also included mac salad, potato salad, and of course CHEETOS! Everyone enjoyed the meal very much.

Tonight we visited Greenville's finest BBQ joint: Henry's Smokehouse. A must visit if you are ever in Greenville!

Afterwards we met up with Fr. Pat, Fr. Dave, and one of the school's interns. We talked about the mission of St. Anthony's and then took a ride in Fr. Pat's "hoopty bus". Full size bus with a rockin' sound system! Fr. Pat took us out for frozen yogurt at Yogurt Mountian. It was awesome!

Well it is getting late and we have a 7:30 start at the site. More updates tomorrow!

For trip updates throughout the day check out Phil's twitter: @phillybp

Make a fast commerical for BonaResponds

I'd say we'd give you a prize for the best one, but we probably won't since we want all of our money to go to helping people, but we will say thank you!  And we will send you stickers and a BonaResponds wrist band! 


Rules: less than a minutes, no practice, no editing.  Should take less than 2 minutes total (and that includes emailing the video to BonaResponds@gmail.com!)


Phil went first:

A thank you from Jody

A few weekends ago we helped Jody over in Ellicottville.  He sent us the following:

Dear Folks:

 

 I would like to take this opportunity to extend a very heartfelt "Thank You" to Jim Mahar and his crew members for the dedicated work they performed in building the stair and deck safety railings in my facility.....

 

I have battled severe Crohn's disease since 1985(my small intestine was resected in 1990), and have had two strokes. I do not "mobile" well.

 

 My thoughts and prayers will continually follow this fine group of people who put their time into helping those who are aging and cannot normally function on a daily basis.

 

  "THANK YOU BONARESPONDS"

 

 

 Here are the pictures!

Radio Interview about International Service Day

Today's interview (Jim was interviewed by Casey Hill of WVTT) about our March 31st International Service Day.


Listen here (Html5)

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International Service Day Letter

I wrote this for a friend but after writing it I got thinking, I have lots of friends and I would like to have you all involved, so I will post it for you all....I hope you get involved. Big job or small job, you will have fun and make the world a better place! (March 31 is a Saturday)


I have a favor....(and feel free to say no)....as you may or may not know each year BonaResponds does an international service day on the last Saturday in March. We ask people around the globe to help others and then share what they did. We are putting the responses (pictures, audio, video, and words) together into a reflection page showing people around the world doing good deeds.

The purpose is multifaceted:

1. To help those who need the help.
2. To show that "people are people" where ever they are and not some group of radicals deserving of hate and criticism that is all too often shown in the media.
3. To show that problems are not insurmountable. Together we can solve them. Alone they are too big for any of us.
4. That there are many many people wanting to do good and help others but that too often their actions are unknown and we each feel like we our own efforts are meaningless (hence the importance of sharing the good deeds after the work is done and not just doing them).
5. To remind everyone that we all have some skills that can be used to help others.
6. To have fun.

Currently we have some big projects lined up (Dallas, Chicago, Buffalo, Haiti, Orange County California) and many many small ones (San Diego, England, Pakistan, MAYBE Afghanistan, Ghana, Uganda, Belize, Burkina Faso, Seattle, I think Australia, I think India, I think Cambodia, etc.)

I was wondering if you could help spread the message and help recruit some of your friends to get involved.

It can be big or small. Some of my favorite jobs in the past have been a couple cleaning up the road by their house, another couple baking a birthday cake for a lonely man in a nursing home, to a former student taking her neighbor shopping.

The ways to share the day will be given out as the date approaches (Saturday March 31).

And it really does not need to be a major undertaking but we'd love to have you involved.


thanks for any and all assistance...

jim

there is a sign-up form at http://BonaResponds.org/ and much more information will be forthcoming in the coming weeks.

BonaResponds Update for Spring Semester

SOOOO many things going on this semester.  Seriously do not even know where to start.

Boring first:  SHORT meeting on Wednesday at 5:20 in Murphy to lay out the semester.  It will be short as classes start at 6:00pm and I HATE MEETINGS!

More exciting:

1. International Service Day (a day of good deeds around the world!)  on March 31.  This is going to be big.  We have people all over the place signed up.  All you need to do is help.  No tie to SBU needed (but it is a great excuse to get together with Bona Alums).  Big groups in Buffalo, Dallas, Chicago, Orange County California, Olean NY, and many many many smaller groups.  From Pakistan to Seattle and retty much everywhere else.  Get involved.  Help a neighbor, share your good deed.  It will be very motivating to all involved to see how much good is being done.  See BonaResponds.org for more or to sign up.    oh and here is a BV article about it: http://www.thebv.org/news/bonaresponds-makes-plans-for-international-service-day-1.2745629#.Txmk4yM2KCY


 (dull disclosure,no idea why Cameroon is listed...I do not know of anything going on there, but hey, maybe :) ).
If you know someone who lives outside the US and could ask them to get involved it would be particularly appreciated!  Or if you know of anyone who lives more than 1 mile from SBU.  Or if ...you get the idea :)

Most of our leaders from SBU will be working in Buffalo that day with Villa Volunteers from Villa Maria (thanks Kim) but we will have an event in Olean as well!

 (BamBam and I need more help on this, so we'd love to get you involved!)

2.  Collections

2a. Collections of school supplies for both Haiti and poor areas in the US continue.  Pens, pencils, notebooks, calculators, lap top computers, hand sanitizers, books (although market is limited as ENglish is not widely spoken in Haiti, some books may be shipped to other countries where we have contacts/former BR volunteers living etc.

 New or used.  We have shipped to many schools and orphanages in Haiti. Our next shipment will be in Early February.  Drop off upstairs in Murphy, at the Allegany Park and Shop, or contact us for a pick up if needed.

2b. Collections of other items.  In addition to school supplies we are also collecting small toys, soccer balls, etc for the schools and orphanages.  

Specific requests for items from Haitian schools include: music items (sheet music, used instruments) for a school on Gonavies Haiti, carpentry and plumbing tools and supplies for a vocational school in Leogane, and additional medical supplies for a medical clinic in Port au Prince and toothbushes (uh new only!) for distribution in Leogane.

 Again most items can be new, or lightly used.

Student contacts: Jess and Jen T.

3. Local work days:  almost every weekend day (as in both Saturday and Sunday) we will be having work jobs locally.  We are literally swamped.  The Department of Aging sends us way more jobs than we can do and we also get many requests from the BonaResponds.org web site as well as word of mouth referrals. So there is a lot of work!

This long long list of jobs can be very frustrating (impossibly long), until you take a step back and consider that like after a disaster, we can not help everyone, but we can make a real impact in those we do help.  Better not perfect.  The difference locally is that if we don't help, they may not get the help.

We generally leave the Murphy parking lot between 10 and 11. Stay tuned for more details on a weekly basis...this weekend it is 10:30 each day. (and most of the work is inside)  (you can come as often as you like.  Ideally we have people volunteer to be student leader--mainly organizing sign-ups and transportation for at least one day a month.  Contact Steve Ross (Banger) for more information.  (and follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/BonaResponds

Look for a coming post on the importance of this local work through the eyes of someone we built a ramp for soon.  I will summarize it as saying a ramp is more than just a porch outside of a door.  It is a way of giving mobility and independence back to a person who might otherwise be home bound.  The more ramps we do, the more I become convinced they may be the most important thing we do. 

BTW we have not been reimbused on several local ramps so if you have money buring a hole in your pocket, we do accept donations :)


4. Earth Week cleanup --traditionally we help with trail clean up this weekend.  Kathy H does a great job of organzing local groups on this effort and we fully expect to continue this.  BUT (and I am excited about thiis) additionally this year I THINK (maybe be saying more than I know), we will be helping to organize a river side clean up as well. So get your canoes and Kayaks ready!

(and a note to local teachers, this would be a GREAT way to get your classes involved as well as to teach about the environment).


5. While we do not yet have a date, the annual No Child Left Inside/"what is college like?" day is also planned.  This is when we bring "at risk" students to campus for small tours and to sit in on a class, tour a dorm room, see the library, etc.  Many of these students come from family's with no "college experience" so this can be a big learning experience for them.  After lunch we take them outside either to hike the trails or to take part in some other form of physical exercise.   (would love to have some student leaders on this!)

ok, I will stop there...even though I didn't even get to talk about the new online course program we are starting for Haiti.  I predict in a year or two it will be the biggest thing we do.  Has HUGE upside as a means of helping people.  Stay tuned.

If you want to get involved in any of these efforts or others, please do not hesitate to ask.  We especially would love you and all your friends and all your enemies and those you barely know and those you do not yet know and your cousin's nephew and anyone else you can think of involved on March 31st.  You do not want to miss it!

thanks everyone!


jim

PS I will try to keep people better informed this semester.  (yeah I got a nasty email last night saying it is impossible to know what is going on since we don't send out many emails--hello twitter!!!  ;)  )

Related articles

• What Were Our Students Up To Last Semester? (HaitiScholarships.org)
• Jimmy Carter: Few houses built for poor Haitians (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Notice Board Announcement

BONARESPONDS WEEKEND WORK DAYS
BonaResponds will be having two work days this weekend: Saturday and Sunday. Work is primarily inside, but not completely, so dress for the cold.
Work includes: installing a new floor in Salamanca, fixing a drop ceiling in Hinsdale, readying 40 computers for shipment to various charities and schools in the Northeast, fixing a wheelchair ramp in Olean, and more. We will be meeting behind Murphy at 10:30 a.m. each day.

Sweet home Alabama - Features - The Bona Venture

Sweet home Alabama - Features - The Bona Venture:

An article on our most recent (the article says "last" but I think the author may want to reword that?) trip to Alabama:

" The summer trip focused on cleaning up debris, while the winter trip focused on the lives of those who survived. During the summer, students volunteered in Tuscaloosa, one of the communities hit the hardest by the tornadoes.

"We went from cutting trees, hauling debris, removing waste, finding belongings and clearing out lots for trailer homes to building wheelchair ramps for those left without suitable means to leave their homes," said Jennifer Thomas, a junior psychology major, about attending both trips.

Here are some pictures of the trip:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.595666518005.2061074.64402614&type=3&l=6f2784f125

At a glance: Haiti - Four Haitian filmmakers explore conditions for children two years after the quake

Image by Bona_Responds via FlickrUNICEF - At a glance: Haiti - Four Haitian filmmakers explore conditions for children two years after the quake:

Need a reminder why we are still working for Haiti long after it has departed the news headlines? Watch this video:

“This film project is all about listening to the Haitian voice and understanding children's lives,” said Thomas Nybo, coordinator of the project. “We issued a call for short-film proposals, either fiction or documentaries, and we chose four filmmakers, three of whom are from Cine Institute” – Haiti’s only film school, located in the Southern city of Jacmel.

The short films feature some of the biggest challenges facing Haiti’s children: losing parents to the earthquake; the plight of a girl working as a restavek, a domestic servant; and the challenges, especially economic, confronting families when they send their children to school.





If you want to help:

1. Donate to help pay shipping of school supplies: BonaResponds.org/donate.html.
2. Donate school supplies (new or used) that will be distribued to schools in Haiti.  So far we have send over 50 pallets of supplies and are looking forward to our next shipment!  Supplies, books, lap top computers, etc. can be dropped off at the Allegany Park and Shop, or 231 Murphy on SBU campus, or with Jenifer Spencer the upstairs business secretary in the Murphy Building on SBU's campus (far west side).
3. Donate new or used light construction equipment for a vocational school in Leogane.  They would love just about anything, but their list is here "Hammers , raboteuse, Saws Braces and Boring Tools Planes Mortise, Tenon and Dovetail, drill, compass saw, smoothing plane, rabootez firmer chisel, brace and bit, screw driver,square, making gauge, hands screw, nails, sawing table.  Pipe wrench, strap wrench, chain pipe wrench, adjustable spud wrench , hack saw, tube cutter, tube flatering tools, pipe threader, Sink Auger,toilet Auger, Plunger, Snake, tape, Plumber's Putty, duct tape, plumbing fixtures."
4. Donate musical instruments, sheet music, and the like to a music school in Gonnaives.  Again, you donate, we will ship  (no pianos ;) )  Must be able to fit in our barrels.
5. Donate to HaitiScholarships.  This is a Spin-off of BonaResponds that helps to pay for Haitians to go to school in Haiti!
6. Get involved with the soon to be launched (sometime this semester) online program we have named Voyager Academy.  It will be an online program" that allows Haitians free access to some of the best teachers and professors we can find in a video format with French and Creole Subtitles.
7. Not sure what to do?  Just get involved!  We have jobs for everyone on this one!!!  From wherever you are!

Related articles

• Haiti marks quake anniversary (bbc.co.uk)
• Haiti: Two years after the earthquake, where did the money go? (thetruthiswhere.wordpress.com)
• Haiti earthquake: Two years on, half a million still in tents (mirror.co.uk)
• Two years later, a whiff of hope in Haiti (theglobeandmail.com)
• Haiti still rebuilding after deadly '10 quake (cbsnews.com)
• Two years after quake, 'Haiti still has a long way to go' (ctv.ca)
• Haiti still reeling two years after quake (macleans.ca)

Survey: How can BonaResponds do better?

Survey: How can BonaResponds do better?: BonaResponds has one mission and that is to help people. Using that as our standard 2011 has been a great year. We responded to natural disasters in Alabama, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania. We also responded to financial disasters in Camden NJ and Greensville SC. Locally we worked in Buffalo, Olean, and around Western New York almost every weekend of the year. Our International Service Day in March tied people around the worked together and promised greater success in the coming years. BonaResponds groups are now well established in Chicago and Dallas as well as the main organization headquartered at St. Bonaventure.

Christmas presents in Sayre

  

Back in October we worked on a trailer in Sayre.  It was a really tough job for lots of reasons.  We were under the trailer for 5 hours removing insulation and cleaning up around the area.  But more than that it was a difficult job emotionally.  The family had very little to start with and had had an incredible run of bad luck.   




Months prior to the floods, the mother had been in a serious accident when she was hit by a truck while walking with her children.  Thrown far by the impact, she broke her back and was left in bad shape.  She did survive but was largely bed ridden and the family's time and resources, already very limited were pushed to the breaking point by medical costs, physical rehab, and refitting the trailer to make it more handicap accessible.

Then the flood came. 




Several of the volunteers who worked at the house planned on doing something for the kids for Christmas, and while things did not go as planned, Chelsea and her family came through big time and collected money, donated money, shopped, and delivered gifts!  :)


Here is a picture from the day:

From Chelsea:

"It was amazing, the parents were so incredibly thankful and the kids loved their presents. I ended up having $125 to spend on the family... We got little dress up clothes and things to make jewelery for the girls and the boy got a little indoor nerf basketball hoop set along with a nerf gun. Then we gave the parents some money. It was great "

In Caitlin's words:

"We weren't able to get a picture of the kids opening their gifts but the family was incredibly thankful for the gifts and the help"

Alberto Cairo: There are no scraps of men - YouTube

Alberto Cairo: There are no scraps of men - YouTube:

WOW! Watch this. It is amazing. Maybe my favorite "TED talk" ever. It sums up my view of why we help perfectly.

" Alberto Cairo's clinics in Afghanistan used to close down during active fighting. Now, they stay open. At TEDxRC2 (the RC stands for Red Cross/Red Crescent), Cairo tells the powerful story of why -- and how he found humanity and dignity in the midst of war."

To Alberto Cairo, I do not know you, but I wish I did. You are my new hero.

To every volunteer we have had, watch it. This, better than even Three Cups of Tea, encapsulates why we do what we do. From after disasters, to locally, all jobs are high priority to those affected. It doesn't need to be a category 5 hurricane, or a F5 tornado, a leaking roof can be nearly as bad to those affected.

And finally, to every volunteer who wonders why we do so many wheel chair ramps: this, to a microscopically small small degree, is why wheel chair ramps are needed: wheel chair ramps aren't just an inclined entrance to a house, they are a road to a better life. And when watching, pay particular attention to the reason the son can now go to school. How many "sons" might our ramps set free in a similar manner?