David N. Campbell | Encore.org

Sharkheads shop: Katrina example for over 2 years (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

David N. Campbell | Encore.org:



A huge congratulation goes out to David Campbell the founder of AllHands.   Without him and his work at the original Hands on USA BonaResponds would likely have never taken off.

We have worked with them many times, and David has spoken to both my class as BonaResponds leaders.  He also made a key donation to us to allow us to buy chain saws after the Buffalo Snow Storm in October 2006.  Here is some of our past blog entries that involved him: http://bonaresponds.blogspot.com/search?q=campbell


Congratulations David!!



http://www.encore.org/david-n-campbell

"When Campbell wrapped up his work in Thailand in 2005, he returned home to Massachusetts only to have Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the United States eight months later. Using the model he developed in Bang Tao, Campbell was on the ground within a week in Biloxi, MS, eventually rallying over 1,500 people to help.

These transformative experiences, overseas and closer to home, became the foundation for All Hands Volunteers, the nonprofit Campbell launched in 2005 with a simple mission: to provide immediate and sustainable volunteer support — with minimal bureaucratic obstacles — to communities struck by disaster all over the world."

'via Blog this'

David Campbell in US News and World Report

us-news-world-report-article-david-campbell1.jpg

People too often use the word hero, but David is truly one of my heroes. He is the founder of HODR and to this day, much of what BonaResponds does is modeled after them.

It was he who gave BonaResponds a big boost after the 2006 October Surprise Snow Storm in Buffalo by donating three Stihl Chain Saws to us. It was David who came to speak at St. Bonaventure. I can think of few people who I admire more. David, thank you and keep up the great work!

Video of David Campbell's Talk on HODR, Volunteering, and more

Here is the video from David Campbell's first presentation yesterday. VERY good and definitely recommended. He gives the history of HODR, some of the benefits of volunteering, how you should select a job, the importance of trust, and other pieces of life advice.

Great presentations today by David Campbell

David Campbell of HODR gave two great presentations today. One for business classes and one for the general public. Good stuff. Thanks a bunch David!

A video of each will be up (just said 5 hours to go...lol)...but a few highlights of the talk to the general public. I will put up highlights of the business one as well, but it will be a while (have to make a test for tomorrow).

(I am adding some things that came up in other conversations as well)

Started with a history of HODR

Volunteering does three things

1. Helps those in need
2. Gives hope to those who need it. (shows you care)
3. Helps the volunteer to grow and develop new skills and network

*Getting volunteers with specific skills and abilities to use those is important. Everyone wants to gut houses etc, but sometimes marketing, working on a website, filling out forms or working on a grants or a budget is most valuable thing. One way to do this is to work in field for part of day, then part of day in the office.

* when going into a disaster site (and I would add to just about anything) go into it with an open mind and be flexible.

* Giving feedback is important. Volunteers want to see what they did had value and donors want to know the impact of their giving.

* Nightly/daily meetings are important for many reasons. They increase transparency, get everyone on board, allow others to see what got done, address potential problems, and act as a training/orientation for new people. (I would also add they are often my favorite part of the day. So when you get a chance, participate in these!)

* He then discussed how assessment when deciding on whether to deploy or not is done at HODR and why "number of schools damaged/destroyed is such a good measure"

* volunteering broadens your point of view

David then gave some advice:

1. Be skeptical and critical when you read. Don't just take it as truth.
2. Include what is the right thing to do and what you want to do in any job consideration. Do not just look at income.
3. Build a circle of friends that you trust.
   
4. Trust is a valuable asset. Protect it.

He ended with a Q&A session.


Thanks for coming David! As I said, the video will be up soon.

Nice article on HODR

As most of you know, BonaResponds is modeled after Hands On Disaster Response. This is a nice acrticle on them from The Carlisle Mosquito:

"Since the first relief effort in Thailand, the same model was adopted in all of HODR’s operations.... Once a decision is made to help in a national or international disaster, the operations director will be sent onsite to evaluate the situation. He assesses the critical tasks in hand, and estimates resources and the duration needed to complete these tasks. The tasks could be as complex as rebuilding homes and reconstructing dams, or as basic as stuffing backpacks with school supplies for kids. The operations director also secures a home for volunteers to stay in and makes sure there are computers with Internet access, allowing the volunteers to stay connected with their loved ones back home."

David Campbell and Hands On

Here is the video of the presentation mentioned in the Buffalo News article below. (maybe I should say audio as the actual video is awful thanks to my great video skills) but the audio is excellent. Unfortunately the camera's batteries ran out after about 18 minutes. But still well worth listening to.

The Buffalo News: Buffalo/Erie County:

"When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast almost two years ago, they were there to answer the call for help.

When an earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Java on May 27, 2006, they arrived three days later to start the rebuilding process.

And the next time a disaster occurs, they will be there again to pick up the shattered pieces and weather the storm.

These people are the fabric of Hands On Worldwide, a U.S.- based nonprofit organization with Western New York leadership. Its chief executive officer and co-founder is Amherst native David Campbell."

and later:

"Hands On USA was launched less than a year later when the organization sent more than 1,500 volunteers to Biloxi, Miss., after Hurricane Katrina. This group included significant Western New York participation from student and faculty volunteers from St. Bonaventure University and Alfred State College."