BR-Livestrong Notice-Board announcement

the first ever BonaResponds-Livestrong Bake Sale and Work Day!

Looking for some baked goods? Looking to help Cancer patients/suriviors? Do both at once this weekend!

BonaReponds is teaming up with Livestrong (Lance Armstrong's group) to host a bake sale to raise money for the Livestrong Foundation. The Bake Sale will be in The RC from 11 to 2:00 on Friday. (depending how much food we get we also plan on having it at Olean High School on Saturday and any remaining product will be sold at the Allegany Park and Shop).

Baked good pledges have been going slowly (not surprising since most students do not have easy access to an oven etc), so this would be a GREAT time for faculty and staff to "step up" and donate some cookies, pies, etc.

Baked goods can be dropped off to Jenifer Spencer (Upstairs in Murphy) or Taken to the Allegany Park and Shop.


Additionally, in true BonaResponds tradition, we will also be organizing work days to correspond with the Bake Sale. Work begins at 3:00 on FRIDAY--come after your last class) and then begins again at 10:00 on Saturday. We will focus on the homes of a few cancer patients but also work on building a wheel chair ramp for a former University employee with MS, and help the Red Cross in Jamestown. We'd love extra help!

Sign up for this weekend (or our Fall Break trip to WNY) at
http://bonaresponds.org/help.html

A former (and Current) BR volunteer from Olean High school

Great job!

From the Olean Times Herald:

"Kaitlyn has organized a benefit called Carnival for a Cure that will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Oct. 3 on the front lawn of Olean High School. Kaitlyn is working with Roswell Park's Team Cure and all proceeds will benefit Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

'Ever since my grandmother got sick I've wanted to do something like this to let people know what they can do to help fight cancer and prevent it,' Kaitlyn said."

If we have enough baked goods left over from Friday's Livestrong Day BakeSale, we will be selling there as well.

Will also encourage all volunteers to swing by if they have a chance.

Kaitlyn and her family deserve many props for this!! Great job!! You make us proud to know you also have volunteered with us. Thanks and we look forward to working with you in the future!

Want to be interviewed about a BonaResponds memory?

I was asked to post this, but confess it sounds sort of cool. IF you do it, tape a copy yourself and we can post it here too!


Will You Tell YOUR SBU Story?

Do you have a story or a great memory about SBU? Would you be willing to be interviewed by a student from the Class of 2013? This year’s All Bonaventure Reads book is Listening Is an Act of Love, a compilation of stories from NPR’s StoryCorps project. In UNIV 101 this fall, all freshmen are required to interview someone “connected” to SBU – a (current or former) faculty, staff or administration member , an alum, someone whose life has been touched by SBU or someone from the community with an SBU connection, an SBU parent…. Really anyone with an SBU connection. We are building an archive of SBU Stories.

We want to give our freshmen the opportunity to hear about SBU from many voices -- and we hope yours will be one of them! Your story can be about how your experiences at SBU helped to impact your career, or you could just talk about your favorite memories as a Bonnie.

Are you willing to be interviewed by an SBU freshman? If so, please sign up at http://pt3.sbu.edu/sbustories and we will make your name available to our students!

Please share this sign-up link with others who have a story to tell.

Thanks for helping the Class of 2013…and thanks for being a part of the SBU oral history project!

Southerners survey damage after floods - USATODAY.com

Southerners survey damage after floods - USATODAY.com:

"More than 1,000 homes were estimated to be flooded out and more than 30,000 residents across the state were without electrical power, said Dena Brummer, spokeswoman for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency."

Also some from the NY Times.

For those of you tracking the flooding in Georgia

We have made many calls and had contact with people in the region but we are far from making a decision yet.

Atlanta News, Sports, Atlanta Weather, Business News | ajc.com:

Their Minute by Minute page is probably best bet:

"In Cobb, the Emergency Management Agency is beginning damage assessments to include the number of structures flooded and the extent of damage to Cobb County facilities, according to director of communications Robert Quigley. He said the process will take several weeks "

Long-term effort in Gowanda taking shape - ObserverToday.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Dunkirk | The Observer

Long-term effort in Gowanda taking shape - ObserverToday.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Dunkirk | The Observer:

"BonaResponds, a volunteer group based in St. Bonaventure University, was one of the first to reach Gowanda following the floods and saw the potential for a devoted organizational entity. They contacted one of the larger organizations after which they had modeled their own efforts: Hands On Disaster Response (HODR) out of Massachusetts.

'Initial reports pointed toward about 400 homes being affected and that got my attention because that's kind of our threshold for going in and physically assessing,' said Bill Driscoll, Jr., operations director for HODR. 'So I arrived in Gowanda that following Tuesday and met up with ... Bona Responds and we toured the area, talked to residents and local officials about what had happened and the efforts that were under way.'

Initially, Driscoll said, the consensus from people he spoke with was that things should quickly return to normal. The organization waited, remaining in contact with BonaResponds for updates on the situation, and later came in when it started to become evident that recovery would take longer than expected.

'It became pretty clear that there was a need for some help coordinating everyone - all the groups that were active in the non-profit and volunteer world - and just trying to harness all the different efforts that were happening in such a way to be a little more effective and a little more efficient,' Driscoll said."

Video from Gowanda by Courtney Young

Only a High School Student, Courtney captures what the aftermath of the storm was like very well:

Sad story in the aftermath of the flooding.

A sad story from the Springville Journal. We are investigating if there is anything we can do. Springville NY:

"The storm on Aug. 9 brought more than flooding and damage to the home and property of Dennis Decot and his wife, Chris, who live on Route 219 in West Valley. Today Chris is in an intensive care unit at Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital where she recently underwent the amputation of her right leg following a bout with Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, more commonly known as MRSA, a bacterium responsible for infections in humans which are difficult to treat."

Spirit of 9/11: USATODAY.com

Spirit of 9/11: Service or security? - USATODAY.com:

"The idea to mark each Sept. 11 with a national day of volunteerism is based in part on a stark image: a corporate lawyer in business clothes running toward the burning World Trade Center.

That was Glenn Winuk, 40, on Sept. 11, 2001. He was an emergency medical technician who had retired three years earlier from active duty with his local volunteer fire department on Long Island....

Winuk's remains were found six months later, along with what was left of his black bag, in the rubble of the South Tower.

To his brother Jay, Glenn Winuk's response seemed to epitomize the spirit of selflessness and compassion ....founded what became myGoodDeed, an organization that linked Sept. 11 and volunteerism. They also began talking to victims' relatives and public officials about an annual service day.

In April, President Obama signed legislation declaring Sept. 11 a National Day of Service and Remembrance"

Come with us this weekend. You can work for any part of the day. We'd

Nice comment from a Gowanda resident!

The Bona Venture:

"I have to say I was truly touched to know that Bonaventure students came and helped the day after the flood and are continuing to help. I saw 2 'BonaResponds' signs out in front of houses when I was walking down the street and my heart was so happy. I am a 2004 graduate of Bona's and am now a Special Education Teacher in the Gowanda Central School District. It makes me tear-up a little...Seeing Bonavenure continuing to help rebuilding and helping fix basements is heartwarming, because many, many, many people are going to need help well into the fall to prepare there home for the winter. I hate seeing houses empty and wish those people could move back in, but when the foundation of your home moved .... Thank You Bonaventure, Thank You Thank You Thank You - Grace"

From a comment left on the BV website!

General Interest and Leader meetings

BonaResponds general interest meeting this Thursday at 8pm in the Dresser Aud (rooms AB). Upcoming events (including this weekend's work in Gowanda, Salamanca, and surrounding Olean area; Livestrong Days, and possible Fall Break trips.

Immediately following the general meeting will be a leader meeting to discuss specific jobs for this weekend.

You do not need to attend the meeting to attend this Weekend. More info and signups available at http://BonaResponds.org

you can sign up here:
http://bonaresponds.org/help.html

This weekend is going to be HUGE!

This Weekend is the originally planned BonaResponds Local Service Weekend. The flooding in Gowanda has changed the make-up of the day substantially, but we will be having possibly our biggest event ever. We will be teaming up with Villa Maria and Alfred State.

• What? Two days of good work
• Where? All over! Saturday will focus on Gowanda and Salamanca.
• What type of work? In Gowanda we will be finishing house demolition, mudding out two basements, and hauling debris out of two other homes. We will also have a crew working with the Red Cross in moving, santizing, and restoring the emergency cots that were used in this crisis. In addition we will doing some tree removal and rotor-tilling a couple of the worst hit yards. We will also be working with the Catt. County Emergency Operations Center on compiling disaster statistics necessary for FEMA.
• In Salamanca: we will be painting a house for an 83 year old woman who has had numerous health issues. This job is a special request through the Department of Aging. It was a "pre-flood" job.
  

On Sunday work includes: insulation of a trailer in Hinsdale, putting in "flashing" and insulation below the house we built in Friendship, some "tree" jobs, helping at a few local charities, trail work on the Bob's Woods Trails, and several other jobs depending on the weather and volunteer turnout.


What time? We will leave SBU on 10:00 on Saturday (so be there at 9:40 to fill out paper work) The day will end (in Gowanda) with a BBQ and picnic for all volunteers (so BonaResponds, Alfred State, and Villa Maria plus those from Gowanda) It should be VERY good.

On Sunday, the we will leave at 11:00. At 5:00 there will be a BBQ on campus for all involved on either day.

FAQ:
Is it open to me? Yes. If you are breathing, we can find you work.

Do I have to come to both days? We'd love you to, but no, come for as long (or as little) as you want.

What to wear? On Saturday in particular come dressed for very dirty work (may want to bring a change of clothes). Mudding out basement is dirty work. Also gloves and boots. All participants on Saturday must have had a tetanus shot in the past 5 years.

Can I bring my parents? Yes Friends? Yes. All BonaResponds events are open to everyone!

What if I can't come? Tell your friends to come. If you want to donate for gas or for tools etc, let us know.

We would love a few people to be able to work Sunday evening to help clean up and to cook. It will take some of the burden off of the student leaders.

How many people do you expect? We are expecting about 100 on Saturday and probably about 50 on Sunday.

Is there anything you particularly need? Materials wise: paint brushes and rollers.
Non materially: drivers, transportation, and leaders (especially anyone to take ownership of the paint job!)

Gowanda calls, Bona Responds - Features

Here is the BV article on BonaResponds

Gowanda calls, Bona Responds - Features:

"'That was one of the biggest things we had to do: Dig the mud out of the basement,' Mahar said. 'You have this much mud, and there's no way to get it out except with a bucket, so you put it in a bucket and carry it up the stairs, dump that out and do it over and over and over again. For the first two weeks, we were hauling mud, hauling debris.'"

BonaResponds events for next two weekends

From Notice Board:


BonaResponds events for the next two weekends!

A. This Saturday we have two jobs. 1. Taking apart a house in Gowanda. Looking to save what we can. The house was destroyed by the flood. Must be taken down. 2. Help the Cattaragus County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has asked us to help determine extend of damage in the West Valley area. The results of this will help FEMA make their decision as to whether individual home owners can get disaster assistance. This is not manual labor, but is very important.
We will leave SBU at 9:30 on Satuday.

B. Next weekend is our regularly scheduled Local Service weekend. We will be working with Villa Maria (They plan on bringing down about 50 students! We need to have more than them!!! We will work one day in Gowanda and Salamanca and then one day in Olean/Allegany/Hinsdale/Friendship.

To get these ambitious jobs done, we obviously need many volunteers. The work in Salamanca is weather dependent (Painting a house for a 80 year old through the Dept of Aging) so we will know the exact schedule only after seeing weather forecasts, but rest assured there will be work on each day!

For more information on these or other BonaResponds events see:
http://BonaResponds.org


BonaResponds is open to everyone and we are always looking for volunteers and new leaders. You can volunteer for a part of the day or the full day. Come on out. It is great fun and you really do improve the quality of live for people.


Also follow us on twitter!
http://Twitter.com/BonaResponds

Look for a meeting next week to discuss the Local Service Weekend as well as other coming events.

More Pictures and video from Gowanda

Carrie uploaded quite a few pictures from her two trips with us to Gowanda.

Here is a slideshow of them.