Signup form for this Saturday's Service Day

While we will accept you even if you do not register in advance, it really makes life easier if you do sign up.

Here is what was sent to the Notice-Board.


BonaResponds this weekend!

BonaResponds will be working this Saturday. We have work to finish in Friendship and in Machias. Friendship work will be painting, varnishing, and putting in the final flooring. There is also work for a few volunteers in Machias on Saturday (maybe more on Sunday).

We will leave from the Murphy Parking lot at 10:00AM. We will be back before dark. Food will be provided. Dress for inside and outside work.

Additionally, we will be making an announcement on Winter Break by Monday of next week. Frequent volunteers will get priority in going on the trip which will likely be limited.

For more information (and to keep current about Sunday) please see our website (http://BonaResponds.org) and follow us on Twitter http://Twitter.com/BonaResponds

BonaResponds and storm Pictures (August 9, 2009)

East Olean near East View
Originally uploaded by FinanceProfessor.

Here are some pictures of the first round of storms that hit WNY on August 9, 2009.

From Friendship and Olean/Allegany.

BonaResponds will continue helping with the clean-up (priority given to elderly, handicapped so if you know of anyone who fits that description, let BonaResponds know).

Likewise, if you would like to volunteer to help, email BonaResponds@sbu.edu

The most important thing BonaResponds often brings...

The most important thing that BonaResponds often brings to a disaster is not a chain saw, shovel, or wrecking bar. It is hope.

Of sure we cut trees. We gut homes. We haul debris. We help rebuild. But put all of that aside. Often just being there is the most important thing we do. It reminds those affected by the disaster that others care, that they will recover, that they have a reason to go on.

That hope is needed in Friendship. I spoke with Donna again this week and she said that Ed is getting down due to his health issues. So much so that he does not want to have the surgery that is needed. In a phrase, he is giving up.

She thought (and I agree) that us being around would pick up his mood. Ed did not get hit by Katrina, nor Ike, nor a flood, tornado, or ice storm. But his health issues are no less a cause of suffering.

So even though we had already agreed to send some volunteers to the Mountain this Saturday, we will also be sending some to help Ed and Donna.

What does this mean to you? We need more volunteers. Come volunteer and bring a friend.

With next Saturday being Buffalo Day, and then later next month (April 24-26) being our 3 day Local Service Weekend, I know we ask for volunteers a great deal. But this one is needed and I think we can really make a big impact, even if in only one person.


We will leave Murphy at about 9:30 AM.

(and a side note to Steve, if you come, I will buy you some more Hannah Montana stuff)

Varnishing takes focus

Varnishing takes focus
Originally uploaded by c_jackling.

Carrie uploaded the pictures from the work in Friendship that occurred this past Saturday. Here Caitlyn varnishes in the bedroom.

The rest of the pictures are available here.

Great day of work on Saturday

Saturday was a good day for BonaResponds but a better day for those that we helped! All told we had thirty three volunteers working at three sites. Much work got done at them all.

• In Conewango NY (North of Randolph) we helped remove over a decade's worth of debris and garbage (for instance maybe 500 styrofoam coffee cups). He had been living out of his car since the house does not have heat. It was/is a story that is worth repeating: imagine living in house that is utterly full of garbage. Much of the stuff is good, but just piles and piles of newspapers, bags, and everything else. Rats, mice, and even a raccoon shared the house with this eighty year old. And he had no heat, virtually no electric, and no running water since the pipes had frozen. Just a sad tragic story that in many ways is this year's Gerry who we met on the "big trip" in the spring of 2006. The house is still a mess when we left, but tons of stuff was removed and at least he can now get the help he so desperately needs. Here are pictures:

• In Allegany, a crew worked on drywalling and painting. They got one full room done and much of another. They also painted a bedroom and got the house closer to ready for the 69 and 91 year old fire victims who had lost their house. Here is a link to pictures from this site:

• In Friendship more of the woodwork was finished at Ed and Donna's house. The house by the way is coming along! Here are a few pictures from it. More will be forthcoming!

Desperate need for volunteers this Saturday

Before you say yes or no, I want you to try and imagine these three situations. Then, let me know if you can help.

1. I just got off the phone with the Cattaragus Department of the Aging. They have an 80 year old man who is in some trouble: his heat no longer works (it is winter) but his house is a such a mess (he is living in squalor and barely has any electric) that a new heater can not be installed. They asked if BonaResponds would be able to help clean out his living quarters and help get him heat.

A few phone calls later and we have a donated walk-in dumpster (thanks SDS!) and are in the midst of working out the details as to how we can help THIS Saturday (I would have pushed it back but he has no heat!). We can use probably 10-12 volunteers here. Transportation may be an issue since it is a 50 minute drive, but BonaResponds will reimburse gas money and provide a simple lunch. We will also try to have at least a van.

Dress warmly. Not only is there no heat, but we will be making any many trips out to the dumpster.

2. A few weeks ago there was a fire locally. It totally destroyed the home shared by a 69 year old and her 91 year old mom. Fortunately they had been planning on moving and had already purchased another home that needs some work done. Here is a part of an email I received about it:

" My mother and grandmother thank you all as well. An update.. They lost everything.
Literally got out with their clothes, no shoes, on their backs. Thankfully the dog survived and just when we were ready to tell my grandmother that her cat was gone, someone called to say they found her in the inferno, wrapped her in a blanket, gave her oxygen and took her to the vet. Only medicine, my mom's purse and the safe made it out.

Help? here is the answer to that question.. what they need more than anything is a home that is safe and comfortable. My Mom is 69 and Myrt is 91.. we're trying to paste together a small army to help us finish the 4th Street house that she closed on last week.

With many hands it will only take a couple of weeks (if that). Painting, Kitchen, a bath area for Myrt, light sanding on the beautiful floors, spackle, a very small amount of drywall, very small amounts of tile work on the floors.... I will just send out an email to this list when we'll be at the house so that if anyone is free we would more than appreciate some helping hands. You have all been so generous with your offers and there is no way we can possibly repay your kindness.. we will be forever grateful."

I spoke with her again yesterday and they have 3 or four rooms that need to be drywalled plus painting etc. They can use 10 people as well. Preferably with some experience.

3. Last, but not least, Ed and Donna in Friendship. They need some help painting and varnishing the boards that will go from the floor to the drywall in the remaining rooms. (Ed thinks 4-5 volunteers would be sufficient.)


If you do the math we need about 25 volunteers for this weekend. I realize it is short notice, but fires and emergency calls can not be planned. I realize it is Alumni weekend, but bring them along.

So there is a clear need for volunteers this weekend! With the alumni back, lets make the work day Saturday this time. Meet at 9:45 behind Murphy.


Also given the likely need to turn people away for this year's spring break trip due to the availability of housing, these local days are a good way to be sure you get a spot!

Local Days-BonaResponds - a set on Flickr

Fall 2008-Spring 2009 Local Days-BonaResponds - a set on Flickr--
Uploaded about 30 pictures of the work this past weekend in Friendship.

BonaResponds in Friendship - From BV

From the BV (the student paper at SBU): BonaResponds in Friendship - Features:

"With the economy in its run-down condition, many people are struggling to make ends meet. Most families can make it themselves, but some are in dire need of outside help. BonaResponds, an on-campus volunteer organization, has been providing this help. They have been building a house in the town of Friendship, N.Y., for homeowners Ed and Donna.....Steven Gearhart, a junior physics major, had nothing but plaudits for his experiences working on the Vandurens' house.

"It was fun. It's not that hard of work, but it's still work," said Gearhart. "You have fun there with the group and … you don't come away exhausted."

Another student who worked on the house, Michael English, a sophomore finance major, said he enjoyed working on Ed and Donna's house.

"They're really good people," English said. "They deserve every bit of help they can get. I felt more than happy to volunteer for them."

and later:

"They are just the nicest people, but they are stuck in a position that, to them, is a catastrophe every bit as large as Katrina was," said Mahar. "But it didn't affect thousands, it affected two … It's the same, it just didn't make the front page of the news. It was a very quiet story that is repeated thousands of times across the country that isn't big enough to fit on an y radar scope, but that doesn't mean they don't need the help."

Thoughts from today

I wish there were more hours in the day. Every day is full of so many stories that I can not do them justice, but want to at least point out a few of the high points from today.

* Big Picture stuff: One more home gutted. One partial house gutted. No injuries. The homeowners so affected by the storm are just a bit, a tiny bit, but still a bit, better than they were 24 hours ago. So the day was a success.

* Possibly my favorite part of a very good day was talking with the the homeowner at our first house (which we did finish). It will be a long road back, but at least their home is gutted.

* One of the interesting things the homeowner mentioned was the enormity of this. Try to imagine working alone and essentially tearing your own home apart. (I have a hard enough time finding time to paint a single room. Now try throwing out all of your possessions, taking down all the walls, taking up the carpets and floors, and ALMOST rebuilding your entire house. While working. While raising a family. Seriously, take a few seconds and try to imagine it. Wouldn't you want any help you could get? I know I would.

* After lunch we returned to the site we had been working on and we saw an elderly woman struggling to move a pallet in her yard. So Carrie and another volunteer went and helped her to move it into position to help construct a walk way through her swampy front yard.

After the pallet was moved, I got to speak with her. She spoke of the difficulties facing the residents: too little money, too much work to do to recover, and a great deal of uncertainty as to whom will be allowed to rebuild and what houses will need to be raised.

She also talked about how she had lived in the back of an 18 wheel truck body for weeks after the storm and how while thankful for FEMA (she now calls Bridge City FEMA town since so many live in FEMA provided housing), she fears most won't be ready when the government wants their homes back. She is also afraid of another hurricane, but not sure what else she can do.

* As a grocer whose family did have a store flooded (Portville) in the flood of 1972 in the Olean area caused by Hurricane Agnes, it was with special interest that I went to the temporary Market Basket store located in front of where the original store was 4 months ago. Not sure how much it cost to set up, but the store was both very small and quite busy when I was there.

* I really like the set up the Church of Christ Disaster Response has at the comunity center. Much food and good supplies. They are at once organized and flexible. Good job Mark, Shirley, and the rest of the volunteers!

* Talked to Michelle today. We will be getting shirts before we leave! Very exciting. The shirts were donated but as I am not sure if she wants us to share that, I will leave her last name out of it until we have permission to use it.

* Also talked with Bill Driscoll and Donna. The work contined to go well. I am not sure if or when it will run, but the Wellsville newspaper is interested in doing a story on the work that is on going there.

* uploaded more pictures and videos to flickr.

* I have been asked what this trip is like. All trips are unique and it is way to early to say, but things are going very well. And I know I should not try to classify anything this soon, but I will attempt to:

1. Work seems most like Iowa so far. Gutting and more gutting but at a pace slightly less frantic than the first Biloxi trip. (Maybe more like Biloxi January 2006)
2. Base Camp sort of has the feel of first trip to Biloxi in Oct 2005. Why? maybe because of all the supplies, maybe because there is not an awful lot more to do besides work.
3. Residential area where we have been working reminds me of a larger, richer, Pearlington.

* a reminder that you can follow what is going on with BonaResponds at our twitter account as well.

BonaResponds: a pictorial history

Collection: BonaResponds: Just put together a collection of some of the nearly seven thousand BonaResponds pictures of the various events we have had.

I am not really sure what order they are in, but it is a nice pictorial view of some of what BonaResponds has done since its founding right after Katrina hit in late August of 2005 through the current work in Friendship. Take a look!

Progress update from Friendship

Hallway almost drywalled
Originally uploaded by FinanceProfessor.

Uploaded some pictures from Ed and Donna's over in Friendship.

Things are coming along well. A lack of volunteers has slowed progress, but every day is that much closer to getting them out of their 24 foot camper and into their new house!

The current plan is to have half the house livable before the New Years. Right now we have the drywall hung in the bathroom, the hallway, and the back laundry room. It still has to be mudded etc.

Next will be to do the ceiling in the bedroom. The walls of the bedroom will be boarded/paneled as will the lower half of the hallway. Earlier this week we helped Ed cut some of the boards that will serve as the panels (in order to save money, they purchased lumber that still had to be ripped and then cut into tongue and groove panels. The longer boards for panels have to be cut with another saw but it was too heavy to move given few volunteers this week.

The living room and kitchen will be done later (after the New Year's). Then over the next six months (depending on money) the second floor will be done. That will be turned into another bed room and a room for storage etc.

Take a look at the pictures, the place is definitely taking shape.

As mentioned last week via Twitter, the family is sleeping in it now and are very excited to be partially out of their old camper. The plumbing is partially working. The laundry in the back is set up and the main plumbing for bathroom is done, but nothing is yet set up (toilet, shower, etc).

I hope we can get more volunteers! You don;t know what you are missing. It really is a great project and Ed and Donna are some of the nicest people I have met. To work with them has been great.

Good day.helped ed, ed, truman,

Had a good day working in Friendship. Helped Ed, Ed, Truman, and Shane. Mainly hanging drywall. Still have a long ways to go. Back laundry room about half done and the bathroom is almost done.

Ed also got most of the boards for lower walls cut and are now drying.

Plan on going back tomorrow afternoon, can you come? email BonaResponds@sbu.edu

Work in Friendship

Good turnout, getting much done in friendship

Heard again from friendship.they would

Heard again from friendship.they would REALLY like some help.can we get five or six vol from 10 to 1 on SUN? EMAIL me if you can.

3 hours can make a big difference!

Details on this Saturday's work day

Friendship and West Clarksville houses will take priority. If we have some people left and the weather is not too bad we'd like to work some on Bob's woods.

If the weather is much better than forecasted and we have time, we'd also like to get some painting done, but confess that it is unlikely.

Meet in Murphy at 10:50. We need transportation (once again no school vans) so if you can drive your own car and take people we would REALLY appreciate it!

Be sure to come dressed to work. It could be wet and cold. Gloves, boots, etc.

BonaResponds local day this Saturday!

BonaResponds Local Day This Saturday

Come work with BonaResponds this Saturday in West Clarksville and Friendship building houses. We want to get the owners into their new homes by winter. Come out and help. 11-4:00. (meet in Murphy 10:45).

We'd also like to do some outside work in Bob's Woods if we get enough volunteers.

We need transportation so if you have your own vehicle and can drive it would be a big help!

A few Thank-You's

BonaResponds Pictures from Friendship
Originally uploaded by FinanceProfessor.

I have been meaning to post some thank-yous...so here are two from Friendship..

First from Donna:

"I just want to say a great big huge thank you to all of you!
Words can not express are greatest appreciation of all your help you done for us ! Are prayers and many blessing to all of you !

Sincerely,
Ed and Donna "

and then from a Niece:

" I also would like to thank you very much for helping my uncle out, you are wonderful for taking the time to help someone in there time of need. Ed and Donna have fallen upon hard times, and are lifted up by people so willing to take time out of their lives to make a difference in someone else's. I can't think of two more deserving of the award, always ready to help someone in need themselves, down but definitely not out, they won't see anyone else that way either. Go St. Bonaventure Go!"

BonaResponds Local Day and upcoming Service Weekend

BonaResponds local Days
Emily and Bridget raising the roof!

BonaResponds had a great day working in West Clarksville and Friendship (both small towns about 40 minutes from campus).

We are helping build two homes. These projects will be part of next local service weekend (This coming Saturday and Sunday) as well. SO if you missed out, come out on Sept 13 and/or 14th.

More pictures of the work in Friendship and West Clarksville are available in this set, and from Jen's Flickr account.

BonaResponds Friendship NY Pictures from Emily D.

BonaResponds Friendship NY Pictures from Emily D.
Originally uploaded by FinanceProfessor.

In anticipation of our local service weekend coming up September 13th and 14th, Emily sent some of her pictures from the last local service day just before the start of school.

These pictures are from a site in Friendship where we are helping to build a house for Donna and Ed who have been living in a small trailer for over a year.

You can here what Ed had to say here.

More pictures and some video from the local day are also available. We have about 80 pictures from that day. If you volunteered and have pictures you would like online, please send them to BonaResponds@sbu.edu.