Thursday, April 30, 2009

BV article on Bill Hammond :)

Alumnus gives back - Features:
"'I had not really been connected with the university,' Hammond, who works as an insurance consultant in Dallas, said. 'I figured if they were going to come 2,000 miles the least I could do would be to drive 200 miles.'

Hammond admitted he had reservations at first.

'I was not sure the work was something I could do,' he said. 'I didn't know if students would relate to a 65-year-old man.'

....Despite his fears, Hammond had such a positive experience he decided to attend another BonaResponds trip in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike."
and then later:
""He shows the ability to do good works doesn't end when you leave Bona's,".... "They call it 'commencement' for a reason. It's a beginning."

The lesson is especially important for those about to graduate, Mahar said.

"Seniors always tell me they feel sad when it's the last time they get to do something," he said. "They realize they can come back to BonaResponds. It helps them keep contact with friends, the university and doing good."

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Bob's Woods


Much of the trail created with the HODR donated saws.
Originally uploaded by FinanceProfessor.
One of this past week's projects was working on Bob's Woods. This set of pictures shows some of the work (over the past couple of years) that volunteers have put into this project.

It is named after the late Father Bob Stewart who died in 2001 of cancer at the age of 51.

The area is mainly from by the softball fields to over near Gargoyle Park to the east. This weekend we also began work on the West side of campus which while smaller, will also make a more convenient place for a short hike, ride, or escape from the stress of the day. The West side is NOT open yet. Stay tuned.

Also be sure to see this link describing Bob's Woods in more detail including some video of the opening back in October of 2007.

Thank you for Olean Street clean up

Was just sent the following which was also sent to the local paper (Olean Times Herald) from Mimi

April 28, 2009

I want to thank BonaResponds for helping me on Sunday, April 26. A few weeks ago I emailed [BonaResponds] at St. Bonaventure to ask [for a few volunteers] to help me pick up all the trash along the Dugan and Windfall Roads. I have voluntarily maintained these roads for several years and would welcome any help for the initial spring cleanup as it’s a huge job.

I was overwhelmed when 15 students pulled up in three vehicles and jumped out of their cars ready to help me. Together we filled 18, 42- gallon trash bags! The volunteers were cheerful and worked right along with me. What a godsend.

A huge “Thank You” to Jim Mahar for arranging for the volunteers. I am very grateful. The volunteers were:

Bill Hammond Kristen Burke

Alicia D’Alessandro Corey Fahy

Andy Scroger Steve Gearhart

Andrew Serrato Ariel White

Patrick O’Connell Zak Domes

Dan Eichenauer Jarrad Enslow

Jason Leroy Jack Fuller

Michelle Canfield

....


Thank you very much.

Mimi Smith

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

More photos from Jen of Local Service Weekend


Local Service Weekend
Originally uploaded by Nif.
Jen uploaded some pictures from Sunday. I still have quite a few, but have not gotten to it.

Hopefully today!

Monday, April 27, 2009

A thank you from this weekend's service work

I received the following email that really brightened my day. I hope it does your's too :)

"I cannot begin to tell you what a joy it was to have the assistance of the Bona Responds team yesterday! So much has been written about the team and its efforts to meet the needs in various communities, but I have never witnessed the program first hand. Your volunteers reported with smiles on their faces and an enthusiasm that was contagious. We had a mix of parents, community members, and staff members who worked along side your team.

All of your responders were very engaged. They took the initiative and truly worked the entire time they were here. I am sure that your team did what would have take our workers countless hours, even days to accomplish on their own. I was so impressed with one responder who asked a crew leader for the "toughest, dirtiest, worst job that no one else will want" and was so excited to get it.

In just hours, your team helped our crew to complete the following:

stain an entire wooden play ground (back yard)
construct a new piece of playground equipment ( needed post holes, concrete, leveling, etc.) (backyard)
rake the lawn and flower beds/pick up debris (side and back yard)
stain landscape timbers (front yard)l
cut, stain, and install new landscape timbers for a monument (front yard)
complete the prep work for the installation of a new sidewalk to the playground (front yard)
stain and install landscape timbers around the playground - raising it 1 level (front yard)
wash front windows on the main level, and walls in the gym
various prep work for walls to be painted on the second floor
tape and paint and stairwells to the second floor

The workers on our grounds received a great deal of attention as people drove/walled by. I was thrilled that one of our neighbors walked over to check things out. In doing so, she was greeted by your groups' kindness. She praised their efforts and thanked everyone for making our school a better place, making her neighborhood look better, and for caring our community in general. She even walked back home, got her broom and rake, and joined in the work. It was her pleasure to buy the crew a pizza as a way to say thanks!

Please know that I feel that your work is a true ministry. I was touched by your generosity with your time and talents, and grateful that our district would be the receiver of the benefits of your labor.

On behalf of the entire IJN community - THANK YOU - for giving, not just to our school district and neighborhood, but to so many others around the area.

With sincere appreciation,

Linda"

Sunday, April 26, 2009

v stubborn tree...didnt hit house! :)

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Jen uploaded some pcitures from the Friday


Gargoyle Road
Originally uploaded by Nif.
Here is here whole set...it also has some pictures from Buffalo

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Uploaded some pictures of today's work


I uploaded some pictures of the work today. We had over forty volunteers, which was not as many as I had hoped, but not bad. Work was in Allegany, Olean, and at Mt. Irenaeus .

Here the the crew from FiveStar Bank in Allegany is pictures painiting the pump house across from campus.

It should be noted most of them worked until noon, then came out and were the last ones to the BBQ. Way to work!

Here is the set of pictures--more will be added soon.

BonaResponds | Volunteer ~ Get Involved ~ Donate

BonaResponds | Volunteer ~ Get Involved ~ Donate: "A full weekend of local service projects!! Come out and make a difference in the community. There will be a variety of job sites - on campus, local community agencies, parks, and more. All work days begin with a meeting at Murphy Auditorium on campus. Lunch will be provided Saturday and Sunday. There will be barbecues on both Saturday and Sunday after the work day - location to be announced soon!

Sign up for the local service weekend below.
Print out the BonaResponds waiver form here.
Please bring the waiver form with you to Murphy.

Join Us!

Friday, April 24th - 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM
Saturday, April 25th - 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Sunday, April 26th - 11:00 AM to 4:30 PM

Here are just some of the work sites... join us!

* Allegheny River Trail
* House in Friendship
* Cattaraugus County SPCA
* Olean Schools
* City of Olean
* Bob's Woods



* Mt. Herman
* Mt. Irenaeus
* St. Bonaventure Campus
* House in Hinsdale
* Street Clean-Up
* Pfeiffer Nature Center

and more!"

HODR has new Arkansas pictures up

Check out the great work HODR is doing in Mena Arkansas!

Friday, April 24, 2009

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Thursday, April 23, 2009

BV article on BonaResponds

Bona's spirit of service continues - Features:
"... the group's popularity results from volunteers' ability to see the difference they make.

'These are jobs that generally do not get done if not for us doing them, whether it's putting people back on their feet after a storm or replacing a house that's been burnt down,' he said....
and later:
"I didn't know anything about construction," [Rob Ryer] said. "Now I can build anything. It's an amazing learning experience."

Ryer said the group makes a meaningful impact....

Steve Gearhart..."There is something about volunteer work that makes you feel good about yourself,"
and then my favorite quote...
"Give it a try," he [Mahar] said. "When I was a student, I wouldn't have gone if I thought we would have to sing 'Kumbaya' afterwards."" [What was left out was, you won't have to sing!]
read the whole article Bona's spirit of service continues - Features

Sean Lynch wrote from Singapore

Sean went on our first trip to Biloxi in October 2005 and was instrumental to our success.

He remained an advisor after graduation when he was in NYC and went on more trips as well as coming back to SBU for a local service weekend.

He is now in Singapore working for Moodys. He wrote in response to the newsletter. A few comments were for public consumption:

"My involvement in BonaResponds as a co-founder, volunteer, and now alumnus has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, both personally, and to those I've aided. It's helped me gain a new appreciation for how fortunate I've been in my life, while at the same time allow me to connect to those in need across the US. It's a core competency of our University to live out the Franciscan way of life, and makes us a leader among Universities regionally, nationally, and globally."

And later:

"BonaResponds has also benefited me professionally, by helping me develop my time & people management skills, and at the same time made me a more results oriented person. I can say affirmatively that BonaResponds was the strongest aspect of my resume and the primary reason I was able to land a great career out of St. Bonaventure University."

The Hinsdale House

A continued look at some of the jobs we will be doing this weekend:

The fact that this is a so called "haunted house" matters only because it has led others to bother the current owners, but it does make things more interesting. We will be putting in a fence and likely working on their roof.

Kelly (who is our contact here) sent the following:
"...the infamous haunted house located in Hinsdale, NY, which was depicted on The Discovery Channel's series, "A Haunting" - Dark Forest. This is also the same house in which Father Alphonsus Trabold (1925 - 2005) of St. Bonaventure performed an exorcism in 1974. The present occupants [NAMES DELETED]are an elderly couple in their 80s on a fixed income, and their home is in need of extensive repair, especially the roof, siding and back porch."

....Following are a couple of links which will familiarize you with the story of this intriguing house and the history surrounding it.

A short synopsis by Father Al from SBU.

....Another YouTube short video with interviews of a former owner... who I've also interviewed, Father Al, and Mason Winfield:

Please let them know I brought this to your attention. We're going to attempt to put a perimeter fence at the end of their property to keep the curious from trespassing on their land. Last summer...many people came up unannounced and uninvited as late as 3am knocking on their door. Neither Flo nor Joe are in good enough health to be disturbed at such odd hours."


As an aside, I remember Fr. Treibolt from around campus. I had no idea who he was, but I remember him walking all over campus and in the area that is now "Bob's Woods". Great guy. Never knew his name.

This weekend! come volunteer see BonaResponds.org


The Spring 2009 BonaResponds Local Service Weekend is almost here! about 20 jobs sites in and around the area. From Allegany to Friendship, Portville to Randolph. And from Mount Ireanous to Olean, from campus to Carrolton we have work!

Want to know the work? Putting in a new fence, cleaning up debris, cutting downed trees, helping with a roof, painting an elementary school, helping out at the SPCA, trail work at the Pfeiffer Nature Center, helping at a local church, several street clean ups, painting fire hydrants and street signs, and much much more.

Why volunteer? You can make a positive difference in the world, you can meet new friends, you can get LAP hours, you can learn new skills. You can have fun! Note, that while we are helping others, it is far from a sacrifice: ask the volunteers, they will tell you. You get out as much if not more than you put in!

This is our first local three day event. So we need many volunteers.

Friday we still need volunteers from 4 to 7.
Saturday we have positions all day from 10:30 to 4:30
and Sunday from 11-5:00.

We will be having a free BBQ after Sat and Sunday's work days for all volunteers.

Lunch will be provided.

Please come dressed to work. Ideally you have work gloves. If you want to work on a tree team, trail team, or construction crew I recommend jeans. And the weather is supposed to be nice, so don't forget sunblock.

And a special note to people with cars. We still need drivers! And if anyone wants to help cook for the BBQ it would be greatly appreciated!

Also bring cameras, we love pictures! Will be putting together a slide show/video to play for Sunday's closing ceremonies.

To find out more and to volunteer please see our website:


Remember BonaResponds is open to everyone. And while we would love you to sign up, we would even more like you to volunteer. So if for some reason you do not sign up now, still please do come. (but signing up does make our lives much easier :) ) So sign up now! Please?

BonaResponds' Newsletter

The following was mailed to all on our mailing list. Since many of you are not on that list, I will post it as well:


Hi everyone!
Lots of news!
By far the most pressing news is that The Spring 2009 BonaResponds Local Service Weekend is almost here! We have about 20 jobs sites lined up in and around the area. From Allegany to Friendship, Portville to Randolph. And from Mount Ireanous to Olean, from campus to Carrolton, we have work!
It is our first ever three day service weekend (in the past we had two day and one day events), so we need many more volunteers than in the past.
Want to volunteer without knowing anyone, then by all means please do so! See the help page on our website: http://bonaresponds.org/help.html
That said, it seems like some of you may want to know a bit more about the work. So here are some of the jobs: Putting in a new fence, cleaning up debris, cutting downed trees, helping with a roof, painting an elementary school, helping out at the SPCA, trail work at the Pfeiffer Nature Center, helping at a local church, several street clean ups, painting fire hydrants and street signs, moving an 85 year old woman, and much much more.
In addition this year we will be working with Liberty Partners to bring 35 at risk high school students to campus from the Olean area. They will spend the day in part seeing what college is like (a college experience component) and in part being outside. This latter part is modeled after the No Child Left Inside (NCLI.org) nationwide program.

Why volunteer? There are as many reasons as there are volunteers, but a few that may interest you: You can make a positive difference in the world, you can meet new friends, you can get LAP hours, you can learn new skills. You can have fun! Note, that while we are helping others, it is far from a sacrifice: ask the volunteers, they will tell you. You get out as much if not more than you put in!

This is our first local three day event. So we need many volunteers.

Friday we still need volunteers from 4 to 7.
Saturday we have positions all day from 10:30 to 4:30
and Sunday from 11-5:00.

We will be having a free BBQ after Saturday's and Sunday's work days for all volunteers.

Lunch will be provided.

Please come dressed to work. Ideally you have work gloves. If you want to work on a tree team, trail team, or construction crew I recommend jeans. And the weather is supposed to be nice, so don't forget sunblock.

And a special note to people with cars. We still need drivers! And if anyone wants to help cook for the BBQ it would be greatly appreciated!

Also bring cameras, we love pictures! Will be putting together a slide show/video to play for Sunday's closing ceremonies.

To find out more and to volunteer please see the help page on
our website: http://bonaresponds.org/help.html

That is the most pressing news. We really need volunteers. Of all skill levels. From driving to cooking (no Brother Ed this time, so who will do the BBQ?), to roofing, to doing an inventory of new supplies, to working the desk so that late arrivals will know where to go. Lots of work and remember many hands make light work. Volunteer! Change the world!
Other important news:
  1. Randy May from Randy's Rangers will be driving up with a trailer of tools for us. As many of you know he and his wife Debbie worked tirelessly in Pass Christian Mississippi for two years following Katrina. He is stepping down from the Day to Day operations of Randy's Rangers. As such he will be splitting his resources in three areas. A portion will be held in MS for future storms. A portion will be held in NC at another group that had worked with Randy's Rangers in Pass Christian. And finally a large portion will be brought here so that we can have access to the supplies. They will belong to the Rangers, but we can use them. This will dramatically increase our ability to respond to disasters in our area as well as help in our now almost normal local activities.
  2. A group of Chicago area Bonaventure Alumni are starting a BonaResponds-Chicago division. They will be modeled after what we do already. As such they will have various local days in Chicago and hope to take part in our future trips as well. This is really exciting! Thanks to Tom Cullen and his group for being the lead. We'd love to see the same idea take hold in other part of the country.
  3. We have continued to work closely with Hands On Disaster Response (HODR.org) While they are now in deployed in Arkansas and we can not help them this trip, we would encourage anyone who has the ability to do so, to please go work with them. Tell them BonaResponds sent you ;) ! WRT to HODR, three more quick points: 1. This semester their founder and Chairman David Campbell came to SBU and gave two talks to students. Videos of the speeches are available here: http://bonaresponds.blogspot.com/search/label/%22David%20Campbell%22 and http://sbuschoolofbusiness.blogspot.com/2009/03/david-campbells-presentation-to.html 2. They have an anonymous donor who will match any donation. Can't say enough that we are modeled after them and if you could help them out, I am sure some of it will help us too when we work with them next time! 3. Bill Driscoll Jr. who is their domestic operations director, has agreed to be on our board of advisors.
  4. We have a totally redone web site! Jen scraped what we had and the new one came out amazingly good. Be sure to check out the timelines and pictures from all of the past events. see: http://BonaResponds.org
  5. Bill Hammond of Bridge City and Galveston fame will be here this weekend. If you want to meet the nicest guy in the world (he was so voted after each of the last two trips), be sure to come this weekend. He will also be giving a presentation to the school of Business on Risk Management on Monday. (open to all)

All of this and I have barely mentioned our trips to Galveston, Bridge City, our Buffalo Day which was held last week in partnership with Villa Maria, or any of our almost weekly local work days. (You can, however, read about all of these at BonaResponds.org)

Clearly this amount of work could not be done without some amazing volunteer leaders. This year BonaResponds has had a team of them who have been active almost every week. Steve Gearhart, Laura McDowell, Rob Ryer, Jen Mahar, and Pat Power have gone above and beyond what is expected; they have worked through winter's cold and summer's heat and from Buffalo to Texas. Thank you all for the great work!!

Remember BonaResponds is open to everyone. You need not have any tie to the University. You do however need to be willing to work, have fun, and help people make the world better.

thanks!!
jim
PS..While we would love you to sign up before you volunteer, we would love even more that you volunteer. So if for some reason you do not sign up now, still please do come this weekend. (but signing up does make our lives much easier :) ) So sign up now! Please?
PPS. Feel obligated to forward this to others! Come on do it! :)

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Pfeiffer Nature Center

This will kick off a look at some of the jobs we have lined up for this weekend.

The Pfeiffer Nature Center is located in Portville NY. It is a beautiful nature reserve with many miles of trails.

They would like 10-12 volunteers but this is only a partial day of work. You will be picking up branches off of the trail and marking trails.

They have three jobs sites:

The Community Garden leadership is Jim Holcomb & Joe Schueckler
The Eshelman Site leadership is Mike & Judy Patton
The Lillibridge Site leadership is Jeff McMullen

Volunteers should dress for the weather, wear appropriate shoes for being
in the woods, if they have work gloves, it's very helpful to bring them.

http://www.pfeiffernaturecenter.org/


I just spoke with them and the work day will end at 1:00. However, they would like us there as soon as we can, so this crew should go out first.

Ideally, if the volunteers from this crew can continue to work, they will then migrate to another job.

This weekend! come volunteer see BonaResponds.org

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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

HODR deploys to Mena Arkansas

Wish we could help on this one, but class schedule just does not permit. If you would like to volunteer, please go to HODR.org and sign up! They are a great group of people to work with! Highly highly recommended!

BonaResponds Posters


Kasia made two cool posters/fliers for our local service weekend. Please pass this around, print them, post then, hang them up around campus, around town, etc.

THANKS! and Thanks to Kasia as well!!!!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Here is today's notice board announcement

20+ jobs all around the local area. From the SPCA, to local Schools, to private homes, street cleanups, painting, and much more!

Transportation is crucial so if you can drive, you will be doubly welcomed!

Free lunch and BBQ dinner Sat and Sunday.

Come for as long as you like.

Fri: 4-7 (a limited number of jobs will be available before 4, if interested email BonaResponds)
Sat: 10:30 to 5
Sun 11 to 4:30

Meet in Murphy. TO sign up and for more info:
http://bonaresponds.org/help.html

BonaResponds ready for largest service weekend

BonaResponds ready for largest service weekend:
"BonaResponds, St. Bonaventure University’s disaster relief group, is at it again and calling all volunteers for its first three-day Local Service Weekend, April 24-26.


The group is ready to end the semester on a high note, enjoying the spring weather while helping the St. Bonaventure, Olean and Allegany communities before exam time begins.


“The local service days show that we don’t have to travel 2,600 miles to make a difference,” Dr. Jim Mahar, associate professor of finance and founder of BonaResponds, said. “There are plenty of opportunities to change lives around here.”"



The whole article, by Emily Ciralo, is available here.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Leader Meeting this Friday

BonaResponds Leader Meeting...arguably the most important BonaResponds meeting this year. BE THERE IF AT ALL POSSIBLE

Friday 12:30

Murphy 105

Agenda

1. Local Service Weekend
* Friday
* Jobs
* transportation--Major issue again after SBU reneged on previous agreement
* food--where, when, who, etc.
* Hosting of visitors (more of showing them around etc)
* Publicity
* Recruitment
* Evening activities
2. New Web Site
3. Sweatshirts-payment and disbursement plans
4. Discussion of potential summer trip

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

We need a BonaResponds leader meeting

We need a BonaResponds leader meeting this week.

Please email me when you are available. Currently are thinking 1230 Friday.

Agenda will be mainly concerning the upcoming local service weekend as well as to gauge interest in a summer trip.

Much work to do in the upcoming two weeks to prepare for the weekend. Need your help!

New BonaResponds.org website!


Jen has put together a great website for BonaResponds. It has timelines, a history page, Bob's woods, many picture galleries, videos, and MUCH MUCH more. Check it out at BonaResponds.org.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Turning to volunteering during unemployment

www.WHEC.com - Turning to volunteering during unemployment:
"...instead of sitting around moping, he decided to start volunteering at the Red Cross. “It makes sense for business reasons, it makes sense for helping people out, it makes sense for my own esteem to keep my skills up and about instead of all crusty and staying home and worrying all day.”....“I cannot stress how important it is in critical times with the economy where people are losing jobs to volunteer."
Out of work? Want to volunteer? Let BonaResponds know, we will find you work to do :)

Friday, April 10, 2009

The BonaResponds Local Service Weekend- April 24-26

The following is a class assignment from Laura Adams. (Laura will be volunteering with us on the 26th). It has been edited to include some more details)

Lauren Adams

BonaResponds Story

BonaResponds will be hosting its first local three-day service weekend April 24th through 26th. The weekend will be full of work to help the local community.


This is on of many local events that BonaResponds holds each year. Jobs that have done locally include helping to build two houses in Allegany County (Friendship and West Clarksville), painting and cleaning local parks, street clean ups, painting fire hydrants and street signs, helping elderly home owners, renovating after fires, working in local schools and much more.


The local work has become an important component in the BonaResponds objective. According to Jim Mahar, the head of BonaResponds “We got our start after Katrina, and definitely still responds to national disasters, but our local work is a very important part of what we do as well. Just because a story is not on the national news does not mean the people can’t use some help.”


Steve Gearhart, BonaResponds volunteer, appreciates this kind of program being offered at St. Bonaventure. “I think it’s awesome for the school that preaches Franciscan values to have a volunteer organization like BonaResponds,” Gearhart said in a telephone interview.


The April 24-26th local weekend will consist of providing a large group of activities from landscaping, painting, rebuilding and other volunteer services around Allegany, Olean, and the surrounding community. “All the seemingly small things we do really make a difference to so many people,” Mahar said. You just never know the impact but helping a food pantry or other local organization allows many others to get assistance.


Rob Ryer, BonaResponds volunteer, remembers why he got involved with BonaResponds. “When we pulled up to the house and got out of the car and saw the man we were helping, I knew that whatever we were going to do would brighten his day,” Ryer said.


The local weekend begins on Friday morning, when Liberty Partners, a group of about 50 at-risk students from the local area will be visiting St. Bonaventure to experience life on a college campus. BonaResponds volunteers will be assisting the students by giving tours of the campus and introducing them to the college lifestyle.


Gearhart is excited about the new angle BonaResponds is taking in helping the community. “I think it’s good we’re open to trying other things and we’re not just strictly physical volunteer work,” he said. “It’s good to help out however we can.”


The High School students will also participate in a project modeled after the national No Child Left Inside program which is designed to get people outside. There will be activities like hiking, kickball, volleyball and other pick-up sports games. "There is a national obesity problem and many of us do not get out and exercise enough. If Friday's events help spur a better appreciation of what is available, both in college and outside, then it will have been a success. Mahar said.


Also on Friday there will be a clean up on Mt. Hermans and other areas in conjunction with the Olean Hiking Group.

The main workdays of the weekend will be Saturday and Sunday. Each will begin with a short meeting in Murphy where volunteers will be given a simple lunch to take with them as they break up and go to any of 20-25 local work sites.

"It is a full day of work. No matter what site you are at, you will get to make a difference. We will work until about 5:00 and then come back for a all-hands meeting and a BBQ" said Mahar.


BonaResponds is open to any volunteer. Mahar stressed that even if the volunteer can only donate a few hours, they can make a big impact. “Picking up trash, or painting a wall for three hours may not seem like much, but if everyone chips in, an amazing amount of work will get done.


Ryer also knows that any amount of time makes a big difference. “These people have so much to deal with and think about day-to-day, When we are there for even just a few hours, it gives them a chance to move forward with their lives and escape the hardships they must deal with.”


In the past, volunteers for BonaResponds have traveled to ten states (Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, NY, Missouri, Ohio, Texas, Iowa, Alabama and Texas to help pick up and rebuild after natural disasters, according to www.bonaresponds.org. While the trips are a highlight and will always remain an integral part of BonaResponds, “the local service days show that we don’t have to travel 2,600 miles to make a difference,” Mahar said. “There are plenty of opportunities to change lives around here.”

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Article on the Buffalo Service Day

Great article on our Local Service Day from VillaMaria!!

Villa Maria College:
"On Saturday March 28, approximately 120 volunteers from Villa Maria College and BonaResponds worked at 11 different sites in the Buffalo area.

The article goes on to list the work we did.

Friday, April 03, 2009

Short local work day this Saturday

Notice Board Announcement

BonaResponds will have a short work day on Saturday. We will predominantly be working in Friendship but a small team may go to West Clarksville and also help delivery a dryer (MAYBE).

Meet in back of Murphy Saturday 10:00. We will be back before 3:00.

IF you cannot make these, but could spare some time and don't mind working in the cold, let me (BonaResponds@sbu.edu) know, I have another short job that needs done but could wait until our local service weekend (Remember BIG BONARESPONDS local service WEEKEND April 24-26).