Our efforts in Haiti

Basic idea:

We want to help improve the Haitian Economy/standard of living through education.  Clearly this is much too big of job for any group.  We will work with many other groups and use a multifaceted approach taking small steps to get there eventually by building incrementally off of what we have and what is in place.

Multi Prong approach

1. We will continue to send school supplies to schools in Haiti.  The main areas are Leogane, Port-au-Prince, and Gonnaives.  (via BonaResponds existing program that has now shipped over 60 pallets since January 2010)
2. Scholarships- via HaitiScholarships which is a BonaResponds spinoff.  HaitiScholarships funds scholarships in Haiti for going to school in Haiti.  The average cost is $300 for a year of school.  Awareness and fund raising are the keys to success here.
3. Tutoring and supporting existing or start up programs-through both donations of supplies and online tutoring, we will encourage and support vocational schools, after school, and summer programs. 
1. Port au Prince
2. Leogane
3. Gonaives
4. Online school program--This will begin as soon as possible but will be a continual work in progress.  PeopleSchool.org  focus on business classes, vocational--example carpentry, nursing, etc.  (see people’s school, voyager academy files)
5.  Ideally we work on a microfinance program (a 5th prong).  This may be done via BonaSimm or other groups.  The goal would be to provide capital to allow graduates and others the opportunity to start their own businesses.  

Video from food packing event

I must not have posted this to the blog.  Today when I was giving a presentation I went to look for it and it was not here...so here it is now!  Thanks to Mike for doing a GREAT job on the video!

Packaging the Food for Hatti Children from Michael Kintner on Vimeo.

Great video of us packing 113,184 meals!

Coverage of our event:
AmazingAerialPhotos.com's Michael Kintner made a really cool video of the day. Here is it.




WIVB Channel 4  and WGRZ each have some pictures but no video online.




We will post pictures later in the day (time to run now, and then go work for a bit (remember we are meeting at 10:30 behind Murphy).

Update on Saturday's food packing

On Saturday over 400 volunteers (closer to 500!) will be packing meals from 9AM to 6:30 PM in the Reilly Center. It should be a very interesting event to watch. We will have music playing and everyone should be having a great time. We will also be selling clothes that were donated for a "garage sale" that are an absolute screaming deal at $2 or less for often times never worn clothes, "Jesus is a Saint Fan" t-Shirts, and More!

Please stop and think about the size of that. 100,000 meals.

This is part of the FoodForHaitiNow project that was started back in the weeks after the January Earthquake in Haiti. The project has been a group effort of BonaResponds, Villa Volunteers, Daemen College, Olean Theater Workshop, Park and Shop, and Cuba-Rushford, Allegany, Olean school students. It also has been a testament to how SBU can pull together. A giant thank you in advance to the Maintenance staff, the Athletic Dept, Security, the PR dept, Hickey Dining Hall personnel, and many many others who have been amazingly helpful and patient with countless changes of plans. But the biggest thank you goes to the volunteers. Without your commitment this could not get off the ground. So please honor that commitment and attend at your agreed upon time. 100,000 people are depending on you!

Also we will be having a bake sale in conjunction with the Olean Area Islamic Center to help relief efforts in Pakistan. So bring some spare change and enjoy as you watch people pack food that will be going to schools, orphanages, and tent villages.
For more information on this even, please see http://BonaResponds.org or http:FoodforHaitinow.org.

If you would like to volunteer, we could use some people still on the 4:30-6:30 shifts as well as for take down 6:30-8:00 on Sat, and set up 5:00 PM today at the back of the RC.

BonaResponds General interest meeting

There will be a BonaResponds General Interest meeting at 8pm in the Murphy Auditorium on the St. Bonaventure Campus.

Agenda will include:

1. What is BonaResponds
2. Who are leaders
3. Saturday's Food Packing Event
4. Update on Haiti events
5. Local events
6. Other ways to help (Pakistan?)
7. Fall Break Discussion

It will also be covered on "Cover-it-live" if you can not attend.

September 11th Food Packing Day Information

On Saturday September 11th we will be hosting a large food packing event on the campus of St. Bonaventure.  It is open to any volunteer.

 We will be having 4 shifts of about 100 people each on the floor of the Reilly Center on the campus of St. Bonaventure University.   It will be fun with music playing, you and your friends (both new and old) working for a great cause.
The shifts are at 9, 11:30, 2:00, and 4:30 and include a short orientation.
here are a few starting points:

 

FoodForHaitiNow is a group of schools, clubs, and church  groups that have come together to help.  Led by BonaResponds and Villa Volunteers, the group has had numerous fund raisers and collections since the January earthquake. 

The basic idea of the day is that volunteers will be taking giant bales of rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables, and flavoring that can weigh up to 2000 pounds each, and processing them into smaller bags that can be used.

The work is not hard (volunteers can be as young as Kindergarten with an accompanying adult).  We also need photographers!

On the FoodforHairtiNow website you can sign up for shifts and see videos of past food packing events that FeedMyStarvingChildren have put on which will allow you to get a better idea of what volunteers will be doing.

You can also find more information about Feed My Starving Children and the food on their website.


 How can you help?

1. Volunteer!  We need about 400 volunteers.  This is going to be no small feat.  We'd love to have your class, club, etc get involved.  The shifts are short (you can be done by 11:00!) and fun.  
2. Donate.  We are still short of our goal.  The food itself will cost over $17,000 plus we have to rent tables, forklifts, etc.  So we are still in need of more funds.  
3. Lend us a forklift or sound system.
4. Tell others.  Word of mouth advertising is the best kind of promotion there is!  So tell a friend, tell your pastor, your family, tweet it, blog it, hang flyers,  share it on Facebook, or just scream it at the top of your lungs (ok, people may look at you funny on the last one, but it is worth it ;) )

FAQ

1. Where?  We will be working on the floor of the Reilly Center (the large circled building on the map below).

 

         2. Who?  Anyone over the age of kindergarten can volunteer. if they are accompanied by an adult.

·                 Kindergarten – 3rd grade: 1 student to 1 adult

·                 3-6 grade: 3 students to 1 adult

·                 7-9 grade: 4 students to 1 adult

·              10-12 grade: 5 students to 1 adult

3. When is it?

      Saturday September 11, 2010

4.  When and how long are the shifts?

        9-11, 11:30-1:30, 2:00 -4:00,  4:30 to 7:00

We will also need volunteers to set up on the Friday before and to then take down and clean up  after the event!

        5. Can you volunteer for more than one shift?
   
              Yes.

              In fact we will be needing leaders to do just that so that there is continuity throughout the day.


       6.  Can I get my (Class, Club, Team, Business) involved?

YES!!  Absolutely.  It will be more fun in fact if you do, and it is a great way to build team cohesion.

It is also a GREAT way for students to step outside of Western NY/Northwestern PA and see that their actions can help others all around the world.




If you are a teacher and want more information, do not hesitate to ask.



     
       7. If I bring my class, can we park a bus on campus?

             Yes!  We already discussed this with campus officials. 




       8.  If we want to volunteer for multiple shifts will there be any food for us to eat?

Sure.  We can have simple sandwiches and some fruit etc for you.  (if any pizza place etc wants to donate, just let us know!)


        9.  Is it too late to donate to this?

Absolutely NOT.  We are still short several thousand dollars.  In the event that we do not reach the necessary amount, BonaResponds will have to make a donation which will could impact future work that we do.  So we really do not want to do tat.  We will be having some fundraisers in advance (August 28th at the Living Waters Church on West State St being the next) but money is going to be tight.

You can donate by sending a check to BonaResponds, PO Box BY, St. Bonaventure NY 14778 (please include a note in the envelope that you want the money to go to this) or you can donate online through the FeedmyStarvingChildren Website,

Olean Theater Workshop Variety Show: Make Joyful Noise

The Olean Theater Workshop proudly presents “Make a Joyful Noise”, a benefit to help feed the children of Haiti, at The Washington Street Theatre located at corner of Sixth and Washington Streets in Olean, NY. There will be three performances, Friday April 30 at 7:00 PM, Saturday, May 1 at 2:00 PM and Sunday, May 2 at at 7:00 PM.

Hear 29 local youths raise their voices in songs from musicals and movies to help raise awareness and funds for Haiti. The two act presentation will feature twenty five thrilling Broadway show tunes and favorite old time hits.

All proceeds will be donated to” Food for Haiti Now” through BonaResponds. It cost 17 cents to send a meal to Haiti. Therefore, the suggested donation for t the benefit show will be $5 which will send approximately 30 meals to Haiti. The goal for the benefit is to raise $850 which will provide 5000 meals.

The local youths performing in the benefit are Becca Lasky, Miles Marvin, Kaitlin Harvey, Amber Kolodjeski, Kaitlyn Anastasia, Sarah Stephan, Karimah Rahman, Emily Putzke, Nicole Sova, Steve Ahl, Shawn Bihler, Chris Mosher, Michael Liu, Alexis Sova, Emily Smith, Madison Forrest, Kendall Ullman, Tyler Richmond, Nicholas Patrone, Natalie Sova, Mariah Moses, Jazlyn Knapp, Emma Dwailabee, Kaitlyn Patrone, Haley Putzke, Julia Rakus, Rajiv Thandla, Joe Reed, and Karalyn Anastasia. This project was directed by Mckenzie Forrest, and assisted by Laura Roblee, Adam Sorokes and Arden Avery ,all members of the Cattaraugus County Youth Bureau’s AmeriCorps program, in conjunction with the Olean Theater Workshop and the Liberty Partnership Program at Olean High School.

It is not often that a small donation can do so much. Only 17 cents pays for an entire meal, while $4.25 provides 25 meals, $8.50 provides 50 meals, $17 provides 100 meals, $34 provides 200 meals and $50 provides 294 meals. A donation of $100 provides 588 meals, or will feed one child for well over a year and a half.

For further information, please visit us on the web at www.oleanworkshop.org or by phone at 716-373-SHOW (7469). If you can’t make the show please send donation to Olean Theater Workshop, Food For Haiti Now! 702 Washington Street, Olean, NY 14760. Make checks payable to BonaResponds.

This week! BonaResponds Locally and for Haiti

So many things going on this week...wow..


This week will be a great opportunity to help locally and to help in Haiti. Get involved. You won't believe how fun it is, and how much good work you can do. Open to all. Come to one day or all. Your choice, but do come!

Thursday BonaResponds will be teaming up several on campus groups and clubs to have a Bon Fire and Camp out. Ok, we confess, the real reason for the camp out was originally for EarthDay and we really have not done that much work on it yet (we will!), but come on, it is way too good of an opportunity to not help Haiti at the same time! So given we are in teh midst of a Tent drive for Haiti, well, you can guess the rest.

But first the fun! and it will be a great deal on fun! Bon fire, smores, music, etc. And then to make it even better you can then donate your tent and we will ship it to Haiti with AhomeinHait.org.

The camp out will kick-off our annual Spring service weekend where we have over 20 jobs lined up all over the area from Bradford, Portville, Allegany, Olean, and Friendship. The jobs are good (Finishing a wheelchair ramp, painting for a woman (former SBU employee) with MS, helping hang drywall and paint for the new location of the Cornerstone Full Gospel Medical Loan Closet, the SPCA, helping a woman in Portville who was recently released after 6 weeks in the hospital, and more!).

The work begins on Friday when we will be teaming up with the Olean YMCA and the Olean Hiking club for various clean up jobs. Here are the rules: come with an open mind and good attitude. Come with the intent to help. Don't skip class to come. But do come!

Haiti Tent

for more information and to sign up (not required, but it REALLY helps us plan) see
http://BonaResponds.org/lsd.html

Notice Board Announcement for Thurs

Image by FinanceProfessor via Flickr

BonaResponds and FoodForHaitiNow is committed to feeding 200,000 Haitians. This will require the help of many different events! This weekend we have two going on. A T-shirt sale plus a 5k race in Buffalo.

1. T-Shirt Sale to help feed 200,000!

The shirts will no doubt become a "Must-Have T-Shirt". And you can get one! How? Come to the Reilly Center on Thursday and Friday this week from 11-4 to get yourself what will be the must-have Bonaventure t-shirt of the semester. Jesus is in fact a Saint (Bonaventure) fan and you can be part of the action for a mere ten dollar donation. Shirts will also be available during the baseball games this weekend versus Fordham. Don’t miss out on the shirts people will be talking about for years to come!


2. There is also a 5K race in Buffalo's Delaware Park. Teaming with former BonaResponds leader Carrie Jackling, plus VillaVolunteers, Help Create Change, JustRespond, Daemen College, Allegany Central, Cuba-Rushford, and others, BonaResponds will be helping at the Relief Run for Haiti at Delaware Park. We need both runners ($15 for students) plus volunteers. There are a limited number of seats in our van available.

For more on the race please see: http://haitirun.weebly.com/

3. All fundraising and no work makes us miserable, so on Sunday we plan on going to work in Machias. It will likely be the last time for graduating students to get to work with (uh play with?) the "boys". We will be mainly be doing landscape work and cleaning up around the outside. Time will be known soon. Follow us on Twitter for updates @BonaResponds. (http://twitter.com/BonaResponds)

4. Next weekend there will be a major car wash and clothing sale/garage sale at the Living Waters Church (near Verizon on State Street). Money will be going to help FoodForHaitiNow and BonaResponds. We will need volunteers AND dirty cars! For info see FoodForHaitiNow.org and/or contact Rob Ryer for more info.

5. Remember our big annual Spring Service Weekend is the week BEFORE Spring Weekend (work first, play the next week). Mark your calendars!


Get involved. We guarantee you will not regret it! You will have a great time and make a big difference!

Race flier (or race Flyer if you prefer)

Haiti Run Flyer

Miriam Jones concert to benefit Haiti

Miriam Jones concert to benefit Haiti: "Fresh, soulful, touching, fun, and beautiful is how several critics describe the music of international singer/songwriter and recording artist Miriam Jones.



The Olean/Allegany community will have a chance to hear this soulful singer as she performs a benefit concert at the St. Bonaventure University Chapel on Friday, March 26, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m."

From SBU/BonaResponds press release

Open letter to Buffalo

I sent the following to past Buffalo volunteers....but it applies to all, so:

I wanted to inform you of a few upcoming BonaResponds events in the Buffalo area. I am sure many of you (most?) are on our mailing list, but I realize the newsletter is often too long and gets ignored. So a "special edition" for those in the Buffalo area.

We are having two events in the upcoming month that we wanted you to know about:

1. On March 27th we will be having a large event out of Villa Maria where volunteers break up and go to various sites. It is our third annual one and it has always been very successful with about 100-120 volunteers (Like all of our events, it is open to all. Also this year it is part of our first ever International Service Day where work will be going on in about 10 countries and 30+ sites in the US. Pretty excited about it actually!
http://bonaresponds.org/nsd.html

Kim and her crew of VillaVolunteers do a GREAT job and her job list this year looks amazingly good. So I hope you can come out for it! A great deal of very good work will get done and you will have fun doing it!

We will be selling t-shirts on an advance order basis ($5 each) so if you want one, please let me know size and QTY). Also we we have bracelets ($3 that feed 15 Haitians each), and raffle tickets to win Sabres Tickets at the event.

While you can just show up and work, signing up in advance makes life MUCH easier!
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGdpd0hzOWZVSXhCeHFwNnRodmFSdHc6MA


2. On April 10th in Delaware Park, we will be having a 5k for Haiti as part of our FoodForHaitiNow.org push to feed 200,000 Haitians. Carrie Jackling is organizing this and it promises to be a big event to help. As a new race, we are worried about turnout. So please help spread the word. The more people we get out for it, the more we can do to help in Haiti! Even if you do not run, consider coming and volunteering or walking it. For more on this organization (basically us and a bunch of other groups from around WNY) see:
http://foodforhaitinow.org/

for the specifics on the race see:
http://haitirun.weebly.com/


I have also attached a sponsor's page in the event you know any business from Buffalo who might like to sponsor it or even if you have always wanted to see your name on a t-shirt! If you do, please email Carrie.


A full calendar of other BonaResponds events is available at http://BonaResponds.org
April 23-25 Spring Service Weekend (in Olean)
May 7-8 Allegany State Park work days with CYC.


Thanks for any and all help you can give. Seriously a forward of this email alone would be great! If you are looking for other ways to get involved, please see the FoodForHaitiNow.org website or just come out to volunteer! Or better start a fundraiser at your your school, your workplace, or with your family, you name it, involved. Haiti needs all of our help! Every dollar pays for 6 meals!


Hope to see you are either (or both!) of the events.

THANKS!!!

jim

Jim Mahar

http://BonaResponds.org
http://Twitter.com/BonaResponds
http://Twitter.com/justrespond
http://Twitter.com/jimmahar
http://FoodForHaitiNow.org



If and when I go to far with emails, I apologize, but the push on this one is very well intentioned. In the past two days (Friday and Saturday) I have been in contact with a tent village worker in Port-au-Prince and a leader of an orphanage just N of Port-au-Prince. In each case they got in touch with us and specifically asked us for assistance in what can largely be seen as life or death issues. Without your help, I must tell them to either go hungry (in the case of the orphanage) or to just wait for crutches/walkers/and tents from someone else (in the case of the tent village). So while I apologize for the email, I trust you would also send one if you knew that the impact of the events is so great! (for perspective, yesterday 16 of our volunteers packed 10 pallets for Haiti with 281 pairs of crutches, over 100 walkers, about 100 canes, 14 tents, and 7 boxes of medical supplies. Little things add up. You can and will make a difference. Thank you!)

Run a 5K to Help 200K!

In Buffalo's Delaware Park on April 10

(we will also need volunteers for this, so even if you can not run, come on out!)

Money goes to FoodForHaitiNow (via BonaResponds) and HODR.

2010 Haiti Relief 5k Application