The Margaret Mahar Scholarship Winner is:

We want to congratulate Greg Faughnan on being the 2013-2014 Margaret Mahar Scholarship winner.  Greg's work this past year has been outstanding. From the first trip to Arcade to work on a horse farm to the many trips to the NYC area after Sandy, to his work on countless wheelchair ramps and street cleanups, Greg has personified what it means to be a BonaResponds leader.  Greg, lead on! and Congratulations! :)

Here is a part of his winning essay:

"It is difficult for me to say that I deserve the Margaret Mahar Service Scholarship because I received so much from the time I have spent volunteering BonaResponds. It has taught me that I do have the ability to change the world...one ramp at a time or one hurricane help day at a time. 

It has been so rewarding to see the gratitude on the Sandy victims faces when we take a little time to help clean our after the storm or help them to start to rebuild. I have spent time almost every weekend this school year volunteering with BonaResponds when I wasn't doing my MERT chief duties or volunteering as an EMT with Allegany. 

I have gained so much from my time with BonaResponds. Of course I have become more proficient in techniques necessary for the wide variety of jobs we do including decking, gutting houses, and using a circular saw (I had never touched a chain saw before BonaResponds and now I feel pretty confident with one). 

[BonaResponds] has been so inspirational to me, teaching me how to lead and I can effectively lead a group of volunteers through a job site that may be unsafe and establish clear goals for the team. 

 Most importantly I have learned what I do matters and that I do have the ability to change the world. Some times it is the little things in life that we take the time to do that are the most important. I hope you will consider me for this scholarship as I intend to continue my work with BonaResponds and hopefully continue to grow, leading other students, alumni and professors to spend some of their precious time to help others and have a positive impact in our community and our world."