This weekend! Flood response, Buffalo, and local activities. We really need volunteers! (and drivers)

Never satisfied with just "busy" BonaResponds has opted to make a huge impact this weekend on multiple fronts in multiple areas. So here goes:

1. Flood relief--as you know, thousands of homes were flooded from the one-two punch of Irene and Lee.  We are going back to help this weekend.  After much deliberation, we decided to go to Athens PA.  This will allow us to help in Owego, Athens, Sayre, and Towanda.  We will be staying in the local school. (This was made possible by Erin Sullivan who is a former student of mine at SBU).  Watch the video:

Sign up for the trip here.

If you can drive, we'd love it. If you bring 4 people and drive, we will pay your gas. It is just over 2 hours from SBU as well as Rochester. It is about 50 minutes from Binghamton. (which was our second choice to go to. But from reports of people on the ground, Binghamton had more volunteers already, so we opted to take the road less traveled).

Bring sleeping bags, clothes you don't mind getting dirty, a good attitude and a willingness to help others!. I will give a more complete list in a subsequent blog entry.


2. Buffalo. Prior to the floods we had a day planned for Buffalo. While we have scaled it back dramatically, there are two jobs that we'd really like to still do. The Bob Lanier Center has had a few recent break-ins and vandalism. They have asked us to paint graffiti and help restore the community center. This is a SATURDAY only job.

Also in Buffalo there is a ramp project that is pretty important. It is for a girl who lives at Baker Victory Services but can not go home to see here mom anymore since there is no ramp. It is a job that is screaming to be done. I realize many of you are tired of ramps, but please remember that to the person getting the ramp, it is the most important thing you can do and they are appreciative. This is from Sabrina, the person who contacted me about the job last month:

".my resident has profound intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, and a trachea. The only thing she has to look forward to is visiting her mother. Unfortunately, mom's house is not wheelchair accessible, and she is unable to afford a ramp (had a stroke shortly after giving birth). This will change a family's life for a very long time."

Sabrina has several skilled people lined up to help, but we need a leader there to coordinate the work (and get lumber etc). 


3.   In Olean, Future pro-bowler Jen Thomas will be heading a small team on Saturday to help the SPCA with their fund raiser (and likely walk some dogs too ;) )


Ok, hang on...going to be an awesome ride! You will be making a huge impact no matter where you choose.  So come on out and help!

Multiple fronts of attack this weekend. If you want to volunteer, we have a job for you!

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.

Villa Maria is in, How about you!?

From VillaVolunteers:

Hello all!!
On Saturday, September 11, we will be working with BonaResponds at the Food For Haiti Now Food Packaging Day. On that day, we will be packing 100,000 meals that will be shipped to Haiti. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!!!

We will be getting a bus to transport volunteers from Villa to St. Bonaventure University. Times are not definite yet, but early planning looks like leaving Villa at 9:30am and returning approximately 6:00 pm.

For current Villa students, faculty, staff- there will be a sign up sheet posted outside Campus Ministry next week. For anyone else, just email me at kkotz@villa.edu if you can join us.

Watch for more messages and information about this and other Villa Volunteers projects!!!

Crutches drive press release

The FoodForHaitiNow Crutches Drive

On Saturday March 13, 2010 Sixteen BonaResponds volunteers got together in the back room of the Park and Shop grocery store on Front Street in Olean to pack over 10 pallets full of supplies for the survivors of the January 12 earthquake in Haiti.

The day was the result of over a month of collecting supplies and even making crutches.

"It was a tremendous success" said FoodForHaitiNow (and BonaResponds) leader Jim Mahar. "We had planned on four or five pallets" but the tremendous generosity of the area really shone through. When it was all said and done we had ten pallets plus about four other boxes that will be shipped separately.

The day's shipment totaled 281 pairs of crutches, 109 walkers, 14 tents, 7 sleeping pads, 4 knee braces, and 7 boxes of Medical Supplies. These were collected by BonaResponds, Christian Youth Corp, Villa Maria, Cuba-Rushford Elementary, Ellicotville Boces, Daeman College, JustRespond, and the Cornerstone Church.

"We have all come together to make a positive impact" said Christian Youth Corps leader Pete Andrews who also stressed that the group will still be collecting crutches. "We will have another shipment coming up near the end of the month. We can take crutches, wheelchairs, and tents. That is another item they really need."

FoodforHaitiNow.org is a group of organizations led by BonaResponds that have come together to help in the aftermath of the devastating January earthquake. "It started as BonaResponds and VillaVolunteers (a volunteer group from Villa Maria in Buffalo), but it is open to

everyone. The situation there is much worse than any one group can solve. They need all the help they can get. We want to eventually feed over over 200,000 people, but in the meantime, we will be doing much to help Haiti. Today's shipments are just another step. We did the bootdrive earlier, had a car wash, some fund raisers in Buffalo, and many other things already. But we are just getting started!" explained Emily Deragon a BonaResponds student leader.

This is the first of many events that the group has planned to assist the recovery in Haiti. In two weeks they will be hosting a concert by Miriam Jones an English singer on a US tour. She is playing to raise money to help in Haiti at 7:30 on March 26th at St. Bonaventure. Alsoon April 10th there will be a 5k in Buffalo's Delaware Park that is being organized by Carrie Jackling a former BonaResponds student leader.

"There will likely be something happening every weekend from now through the end of the semester. We hope to have another car wash, a sleep out, bracelet sales, t-shirt sales, and other things" said Phil Penepent, another BonaResponds student leader who helped in Haiti on a non Bonaventure approved trip over spring break. "Having been to Haiti over spring break with HODR (Hands On Disaster Response), I have seen first hand the need there and anything we can do to help is extremely worthwhile."

Mahar concluded: "Our approach on every BonaResponds event is that everyone has something to contribute. Today was the perfect example of this. Abbott Welding let us use their truck, the Olean Wholesale gave us plastic shrink wrap, Park and Shop allowed us to use their backroom and shipping containers, and of course all of the many people who collected and donated. Everyone was important in this. Without any of them and this does not get done. I can not thank everyone enough. Haiti can not thank them all enough."

If you or your group would like to get involved see BonaResponds.org or FoodforHaitiNow.org.

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!)

Amputations become the defining injury of the earthquake in Haiti - St. Petersburg Times

Amputations become the defining injury of the earthquake in Haiti - St. Petersburg Times:

"This is the signature injury of the catastrophe. In medical tents and operating rooms across the disaster zone, surgeons saw without ceasing. They work in conditions their forebears from battlefields of 150 years ago would find familiar. Without power, sometimes with instruments sterilized in vodka, they struggle to keep pace with the implacable advance of gangrenous rot that has turned treatable injuries into life threatening ones. The wails of the wounded testify to the physical and psychological scars that these amputations will leave on the whole society.

'There is no place in Haiti for people like me,' says Joaz Nancie, 27. 'Without my leg, I am a freak. Cripples are rejected here.'"

It is for this reason that we are teaming with Villa Volunteers and CYC to run a crutches drive. If you have a pair of crutches that is not being used? or a walker that is no longer needed? We'd love to help it get to Haiti.


We have several contacts in Haiti who have repeatedly said they need crutches more than anything right now, so please help.

Great class or club project!!

You can drop off crutches (in relatively good condition) at 231 Murphy Building (west side of SBU campus), at the Allegany Park and Shop, or at Villa Maria. Or call 716-375-2111 to arrange a pickup in the Olean/Allegany area.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Haiti 'faces amputee generation' (telegraph.co.uk)
• Haiti: When Post-Op Infections Lead to Amputation (blogs.wsj.com)
• Why limbs have to be amputated (cbc.ca)
• American Podiatric Medical Association Podiatrists Perform Life-Saving Amputations in Haiti (prweb.com)

The Next Big Thing: help us feed 280,000 in Haiti?

For our next "Big thing" we want to feed 280,000 people in Haiti.

Stop and think about that. It is over a quarter of a million people or it is 70,000 (roughly the size of a crowd at Wilson Stadium for a Bills game) for four meals.

To feed that many people we need your help in several ways.

First monetarily. We need to raise $60,000 above and beyond what Friday's bootdrive raises. That is more than we have ever raised before. We can not do it alone. Just can not. Impossible alone, but do-able with your help.

Secondly, we will need volunteers to help put the meals together and to pack them for shipment. The tentative date for this is March 27th as part of our International Service Day.

We are going to model our program after one that sent the the same number to the slums in Kenya earlier this year from volunteers in Minnesota.

Their estimates are that we will need to raise $60,000 and need to get about 400-600 volunteers. I have no doubt we can do it. NONE. Indeed, I am tempted to say let's play two and serve a half million, but money is too tight to say that, YET ;)

Think of this as a chance to literally keep people alive. 280,000 meals. For people who have lost everything, this will be enormous. Indeed, it may be live saving.

Ok, now some details. We have not cleared this with anyone at SBU and the rules have been made very well known that they have to clear everything we do that involved money, so for now we will be running it through the Rangers (formerly Randy's Rangers) or Villa Maria or maybe even starting a new 501-3c. (yeah don't ask)

That said, whoever "we" are, we'd love your help. Your school, your church, your team, your work place. We will need MUCH help in raising this much money. Want to get involved? Email us at BonaResponds@SBU.edu.

Reflections on Local day from Kim and Villa Maria

Kim led a group of Villa Maria volunteers down to our local service day this past Saturday. Here is what they had to say about the day:

"Thanks again for inviting us to join you for the local service day on
October 4. The Villa group had a great day, and came back with good
memories, sore muscles, and one extra passenger
(more on that below!) A few thoughts/stories to share.

One of our students, Julia, chose to work at West Clarksville.
When we all got together before mass, I asked her why she decided to go
there, and she shared that her family had a house fire one month before
Mark. She sustained burns to her hands, and her family lost nearly
everything. Julie said that working at Mark's house was as helpful to her
as it was to him.

*Three members of our group (Pat, Lauren, and Alison) went to the
SPCA, and loved the experience. One student, Pat, brought home a
four-legged souvenir- a Shih-tzu!

* Two of our students, Jamila and Angelina, went into the Olean
streets to paint signs. They really enjoyed the day, meeting new people,
and working outdoors on a beautiful day.

* Five of us (Jessica, Laurie, Lloyd, Don, and I) worked in Bob's
woods. Loved being outdoors, and we got a lot done- filling holes, clearing
trails, digging out tree stumps. In the afternoon, we trail blazed a new
trail.considered Lloyd's idea that perhaps some BR goat volunteers would be
helpful, but the job of cleaning up after them might make their help a bit
less inviting! Jen was a great leader, and we had fun!

I've already had some of our group express a desire to come there
again to help. If you have any other local days planned, even at just a few
sites, let me know. We may come down with a small group to help..


Again THANK YOU from all of us. for the invitation, the hospitality,
and letting us join the BonaResponds family. We are looking forward to the
spring Buffalo Service day. Plan on using Villa for a meeting place before
and after the work day."