Our Crutches in Haiti? I think so!

As we get ready to send our next shipment of crutches and other supplies (remember we are also sending used computers--they will be fixed up, all memory swapped out etc, tents, school supplies, and soccer balls in addition to collecting money for food), Pete of CYC found this picture of what looks like some of the crutches we donated last time getting to Haiti.

"The Portlight Relief Team unloads crutches shipped from Portlight's warehouse in Atlanta to a staging area at University Quisqeya, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The relief team consists of ten Haitians being coordinated by Haitian-American Richard Lumarque, Portlight's on-site coordinator in Haiti. The relief team has been working full-time over the past week doing aid work."

Wow. What a find!

It is about 3/4 of the way down this Wunderblog site that does weather and other things.

Notice Board Announcement for Thurs

BonaResponds This weekend and Next!

So many good things, so little time.

1. This Saturday (weather pending) BonaResponds will team up with the Living Waters Church with a car Wash and Garage Sale (mainly a $2 clothing sale--Over 1000 items of clothes with most of it donated from local schools and even SBU students so much of it is in good shape). Saturday 10-4 (rain date Sunday 12-4) If the weather is too bad, on Saturday we will go to Bradford and help build a wheelchair ramp for a man who recently lost his leg in a work accident.

2. This next two weeks signals a transition for BonaResponds. Our emphasis will move from collecting walkers and crutches) to collecting tents, and school supplies/computers. As many of you know BonaResponds has adopted an orphanage! Ok, so the word adopts is too strong, really what we are doing is supplying them with school supplies (notebooks, pencils, pens, crayons, backbacks). This is a tremendous opportunity to help. The notebooks do not need to be new (but we as that there be a substantial amount of unused paper!).

3. New this week! We are working with various groups (most notably Robert Obas and the New Haiti Project) to collect, repair, and ship new and used computers to schools, Churches, and orphanages i n Haiti. this has the potential to make a HUGE impact to the people of Haiti for a long time. The computers must have processor speed of AT LEAST 1.4ghz and can not be older than 5-6 years old. We will ship to Massachusetts where a group will clean, fix, and ship. These supplies can be dropped off at the garage sale/Car wash or email us at BonaResponds@Gmail.com to arrange a pick-up.

4. And finally, next weekend is going to be awesome. From a camp-out (tent collection!!) and bonfire, to over 20 jobs in and around Olean/Bradford. We need Many volunteers!! Actually Many Many volunteers!! Seriously if you have thought about volunteering but for whatever reason have held off, next weekend is going to be a grand-finale for the semester....see http://bonaresponds.org/lsd.html for more info.

Or to sign up see:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cEExRHZVWTR0dzByQklnODh1cGhPVXc6MA..

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.

Channel 7 WKBW coverage of crutches collection

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.

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• American Podiatric Medical Association Podiatrists Perform Life-Saving Amputations in Haiti (prweb.com)