An Indirect Thank You from a Catskills resident and a valuation lesson

BonaResponds Volunteers helping in Margaretville

I received the following (only SLIGHTLY edited) from another SBU professor today:

"I was recently speaking at an American Legion Post downstate in Delhi, New York.  After the dinner and speeches were done a woman came up to me and asked if it was true that I worked at St. Bonaventure and I said yes. She immediately started to cry and wound up just holding me.  I asked her what was the matter and she said that we have no idea how much the help from the BonaResponds students meant to her family and their area recently ravaged by the floods. She went on about that for awhile with several folks listening since they saw her crying, when I left their Post about a hour later she came up and thanked me again and wanted to make sure the folks back at Bonas knew how much that meant. "

I have no idea who the woman was.  No clue. I do not even know if we worked on her home or not.  It could be any of many that were helped on that trip, or a family member, or even just a neighbor who was worried about someone we helped.  I have no idea.

I do know that many many times we have no idea of the residual impact of our work.  (think butterfly in Africa).  We can measure the dollar value of a job, but it fails to measure the true impact.  I know that since graduation in May BonaResponds has provided about $300,000 in services to people.  I report that to the BonaResponds board regularly.  But the true value of this can not be completely measured in US dollars, Haitian Gourdes, or Ghanaian Cedi.  To get the true value you can start with the currency but must also add in hugs, smiles, reduced anxiety, and tears of joy. And as a finance professor who teaches valuation, I just do not know how to value those, so I guess they are priceless :).

Nervous? Yeah me too. Come volunteer anyway

I get nervous before every trip. Some more so than others. This one is worse than almost any I can remember (at least since the last time I took the group to New Orleans on the day off--still nervous about that one 4 years later, but that is another story).

"Nervous about what?" you say. Everything I say: from someone getting injured to being too poorly organized, from there being too much work to there being too little; from not getting enough done and being in over our heads (literally sometimes!), to not living up to expectations (my own or worse those we have come to help.)

Every trip is like this to varying degrees. I remember being scared going into Biloxi after Katrina on our first trip; scared I would not be able to do anything to help. Scared I was too weak, too inexperienced in disaster response volunteering. Scared I would embarrass myself or those with me.

On subsequent trips to the Gulf I worried I picked the wrong place ('who in the world is Randy?' 'What is Randy's Rangers?', 'could we do more elsewhere?'), whether we could cut the trees they wanted removed, whether we would be as good at putting drywall up as taking it down. 9 trips to the Gulf and was afraid at the start of every one.

I remember vividly when cleaning up a flood in Gowanda NY worrying whether we would be able to satisfy the town leaders who had called references on us before agreeing to allow us in. In Iowa the worry was whether the drive was too long for the amount of work we could accomplish. In Springfield Massachusetts whether we would be able to make an impact on our first short trip after being told repeatedly they had volunteers and had it covered. In Haiti whether I would be able to do any good, and whether I would let down those I so wanted to impress and win over or whether the different culture and environment would be too much. In Tuscaloosa, Alabama whether I would live up to the expectations of my "finance friends" several of whom who wanted answers to simple questions that I had no idea of (like a few days before the trip: "how many are coming"..lol).

But in most of those we had at least the veil of the towns people not knowing of us in advance. If we failed it would have been that "group of Yankees", "lazy Americans", "some college volunteers", or "those New Yorkers". That veil is pierced here. "The Valley" is too close to Bonaventure. Caitlin's parents, Erin's Mom and Dad, my former students, too many alums, to close to home. We are known, our record is known, and that raises expectations; we can't let them down. That makes me nervous.

Indeed in many ways I feel I personally have already let them down: we have a small turn out. Too few volunteers. Why? Who knows, but I know I attribute it to poor marketing by me. While I am not sure if it is too little marketing (potential volunteers did not know the enormity of the destruction) or too much (and like the boy who cried wolf, my cries fall on deaf ears), it was my fault. I let them down. People will not get back into their houses because I failed them.

Moreover, while every single person we help is important, it can be easier to work on a home of someone you do not know. Why? Because you are tearing apart the house and it is uncomfortable in the best of times. But if you do not know the family well, you have a mental shelter, however fragile, to retreat to--it is someone's else and will likely never see that person again.

But this time is different. Our first house tomorrow will be on a house of a current SBU student who is with us on this trip. Yes you read that correctly. I had no idea when we chose the locale, but a volunteer who traveled here with us will be working on his own home. I am sure it will be stressful for him and his family. Even more than on every other home I have worked on, I hope we can help. I hope we can help enough to make a real difference.

I hope we live up to the expectations of city officials who have waived some driving restrictions for us so that we can get to more homes tomorrow. How I am afraid I will have to say no to many of those who have asked our help. Not because I want to, but simply because we are limited by a lack of volunteers or by my poor organization that leads to inefficiencies.

I am writing this not to sound like a bumbling coward, but to let those people who are afraid to volunteer, know that being afraid is not a good excuse. For if it were, nearly every BonaResponds project would never have gotten off the ground, and untold thousands of people would be a bit worse off right now.

So face your fears, come out and volunteer. You can do it. You are not too old, too young,too fat, or too skinny. Not too busy or too inexperienced. You will not embarrass yourself, you will not mess things up. I have those covered for you. Come and help. You will be glad you did, but you know who will be even more glad you came to help? The people you helped.

While the Earthquake was a year ago, the disaster continues

                                Image via Wikipedia

You have seen the news.  Today is the one year anniversary of the earthquake that hit Haiti with such catastrophic results.   If you have somehow missed the news, here is some from the BBC's coverage

BBC News - Haitians remember their earthquake dead a year on:

"Haitians are preparing to mark the anniversary of the earthquake that devastated their country and left some 250,000 of their fellow citizens dead....

There will also be a minute's silence at 4.53pm (2153 GMT) - the exact moment when the 7.0 magnitude quake hit."

Wow.  It has been one year.  It seems both like yesterday, and a long long long time ago.

When the quake hit, BonaResponds was painting a church guest house in Atlanta.  I learned the news via a CNNBreaking news tweet.  At our "all hands" meeting that night we immediately decided to help.  We did not know, and never would have guessed,  the trials that the next year would bring to Haiti but instantly we knew the need for help was great.

As time went on, we saw the immensity of the need in the news and also from first hand reports that came from those we knew who were early responders to the mushrooming disaster.  Twitter, Facebook, and many phone calls to Haiti clearly showed help was needed.  And yet, like everything else it seems when dealing with a disaster of this size, helping is not easy.   Indeed it was a very very long road to help, with University, monetary, and isolationist roadblocks along the way.

Upon returning to SBU we were told by the University that we could not go as a BonaResponds Spring Break trip because it was too dangerous.  Later we were told by others that shipping would make sending supplies too expensive, then later that customs would make it impossible, and throughout the year we heard many complaints that we should ignore Haiti and help in the United States first.

But where there is a will there is a way, so plans were changed.  Several BonaResponds leaders made non BonaResponds' trips to Haiti with Hands (fromerly HODR).  BonaResponds  sent medical equipment, tents, tarps, 113184 meals, and school supplies (over 30 pallets so far)  Oh and don't forget the approximate 400 soccer balls since having fun is important too!

How was this all possible?  Because of you. You donated. You volunteered your time.  You helped.   So speaking for Haiti, THANK YOU.

But unfortunately that is all past tense.  It's great.  But it's done.  It's history.  And yet, today, as you read this, upwards of a million Haitians are still living in tents.  Hundreds of thousands of Haitians students can not afford to go to school anymore.  And millions more struggle to get clean water, food, and other basic necessities.

And by and large the world has moved on.  Oh sure today we will see ceremonies marking the one year anniversary, but overall, Haiti is again out of the minds of millions.  Today, I want you all to help put Haiti back into our minds.

First, I ask you to take a moment of silence with the rest of the world at 4:53 eastern (2153 GMT) to remember the approximate quarter of million people who died in the disaster.  But please go further than that.  One moment of silent prayer or reflection is not enough for a disaster this large.  It demands several moments. 

So please also take a moment when you walk into your house.  Remember those Haitians (about 1 million) still without a house.

Take a moment when you turn on your tap and water instantly appears.  Remember those Haitians who must carry their water miles to and from clean water sources.

When you flush your toilet, remember those who are still using pit toilets, or having to flush only once a day to conserve water.  

As you prepare to come back to school, or go to work, imagine your life totally upended.  Family members no longer here, plans scrapped.  That is reality for millions of Haitians.

Thinking about Haiti is a great step, but it is not enough.  We have to help.  So let's get involved. 
 
This is not supposed to be a negative depressing article.  Indeed, what I will take away from the last year is that we can make it better.  Haiti has many problems from politics to sanitation, from bureaucratic NGOs to lack of raw materials, from high illiteracy to cholera.  No one can fix all of the problems, but we can solve some of the problems. 

So Help Haiti.  Let's make it better.  BonaResponds is still collecting school supplies.  Drop off pens, pencils, calculators.   If we can get people involved to raise the $21,000 we'd love to do another foodpacking event on campus this fall. We are helping with the newly formed HaitiScholarships and the Leogane Rotary club is an effort to get students back into Haitian Schools.  We would love to do more, but we need you.  Haiti needs you.  You do not need to have any tie to SBU.  You do have to have a desire to help. 

Haiti has many problems. We cannot help everyone. But because a problem is big does not mean we can't do something. To those that we help, we may just make the difference they need.

Get involved. Help.

Related articles

• Haiti earthquake one year on: Only five per cent of rubble cleared (dailymail.co.uk)
• Haitian-Americans mark 1st year since earthquake - The Associated Press (news.google.com)
• Haiti earthquake: One year on (bbc.co.uk)
• Plight of Haiti's elderly after quake (bbc.co.uk)
• Obama marks anniversary of Haiti earthquake (sfgate.com)
• Bill Clinton's Lasting Legacy May Be Haiti's Earthquake Recovery Effort (politicsdaily.com)
• Haiti a year later: Every glimmer of hope balanced by a tale of despair (theglobeandmail.com)
• Haiti's Quake, One Year Later: It's the Rubble, Stupid! (time.com)
• Jean blasts Haiti aid delays - CBC.ca (news.google.com)
• Haiti earthquake one year on: Dead remembered by millions (dailymail.co.uk)

Brianna's reflection from Harlingen Texas

Brianna is 9 years old and helped delivery groceries to poor families in Harlingen Texas.

Here is her reflection (ok, her mom MIGHT have helped some ;) )

"I learned that helping people in need is really a good opportunity. And if you're small you can still really make a big difference for people in need. The best part of the day on Saturday was when we took the food to the families.

I would like to help more people in need in the future. Even if I see someone needing me to help carry their groceries or if someone's car breaks down, I can help them push it out of the way (which I did one time in the McDonald's parking lot with my sister!). Thank you for this opportunity."

Here are pictures of the work they did in Harlingen.

Thanks Kris, Wende, and Brianna!!

Larry's International Service Day Reflection

First a suggestion - Douglas Brinkley’s excellent book, The Great Deluge, Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, should be mandatory for everyone providing disaster relief services. It would also be interesting reading for anyone interested in the true story of relief efforts after the hurricane that hit the Gulf Coast in August of 2005. More about this later.

INTERNATIONAL SERVICE DAY
MARCH 27, 2010
Reflection
By
Larry L. Orsini

I had International Service Day, March 27, 2010, marked on my calendar for a long time, but I decided to take a different approach as to what I would do to participate. In lieu of planning a service day, which is usual for me, this time I decided to kind of let the spirit of volunteerism take over.

Larry
Originally uploaded by FinanceProfessor.

In preparation for the day my wife, Bonnie, and I visited some of the areas that were most effected. In New Orleans’ lower ninth ward many houses still remain much as they were after the hurricane, but there has been amazing progress and many of the houses have been repaired. In the northeast section of the city, commonly referred to as New Orleans East (NOE) major sections have yet to be repaired and the word on the street is that many residents of these areas have left permanently. A woman living in an apartment near us owns a house in NOE. She is single and perhaps in her 50s. Using grant moneys she has had her home repaired and is trying to decide whether or not to move back. A major factor is that all of the people she used to know are gone and also with so many houses sitting apparently abandoned she questions its safety.

The situation with our neighbor seems to be fairly typical. An additional factor is that the city has decided to tear down entire neighborhoods and some who have repaired their houses may have to move again. I met a contractor who had contracted to tear down and remove 7000 houses and this was just one of many contractors.

We also visited the musician’s village and the housing area that is being constructed under the program promoted by Brad Pitt. One thing we have learned in relief work is that each person is important and the focus must be on helping people one person at a time. However, as worthy of praise and deserving of every complement that these two projects have received, they are tiny when viewed in the context of what remains to be done in the areas that surround them.

We then visited the Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian areas of Mississippi. These areas present an entirely different perspective on what has been accomplished. On the one hand the repairs are almost beyond belief, with an amazing new bridge going over St. Louis Bay and many new houses replacing those that were destroyed. On the other hand there are many areas where only concrete pads remain where houses stood prior to the storm. It should be remembered that this area suffered the eye of the hurricane and houses were not just damaged or flooded as they were in New Orleans. In Mississippi the hurricane took out virtually everything in its path, including the former St. Louis Bay Bridge.

I have a special note for all of those BonaRespond students, faculty and community volunteers who gave of themselves with such distinction by returning over and over again to help with relief efforts. Bonnie and I visited the spot where Randy’s Rangers had the camp for volunteers. For those unfamiliar with this, BonaResponds volunteers not only helped to gut and repair homes they also helped to construct a camp for future volunteers. They built a laundry, a tool building, laid piping for drainage and generally made it better for volunteers coming after them.

To all of the BonaResponders I have good and bad news. The bad news is that the camp is all gone and to see just bare ground and a few piles of debris where we once worked, laughed, froze and built was a sad emotional experience for Bonnie and me.

However, the great good news is that the camp is gone and is no longer needed. Yes there will be volunteers coming to this area for years, but the urgency of temporary housing for them has now passed.

And so with all of the above I was sure that some opportunity would just come along for me to volunteer for International Service Day. But the week before March 27th was suddenly here and I still didn’t know what I was going to do. I called Habitat for Humanity and was told that with all of the students on spring break they had all of the volunteers they needed.

It was at this point that divine intervention, serendipity, call it what you will stepped in. We are staying on Royal Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans and each day for the last week we noticed a young woman working by herself repairing some windows and doors on a building across the street. She had an old beat-up white van and wore a tee-shirt that said “Antoinette’s General Contracting and Repairs.”

Her story is an interesting one. She started working for Habitat for Humanity as a volunteer and then as an employee. While doing so she remodeled her apartment and her landlord upon seeing the quality of her work hired her to do repairs and remodeling. She lost her job when her employer moved and faced with no way to support herself she decided to start doing repairs and remodeling on her own. Antoinette turned out to be one of the most courageous persons that I ever met.

I offered to help her for a day if she could use me. She agreed to accept my offer, but not for few days as she had a job that would take a day or two before she could get back to working on the doors and windows, the job that I thought I would work on. I asked if I could help with the other job as I really wanted to work on the Saturday of International Service day. She stated emphatically that “nobody in their right mind” would want to work on the other job. Obviously this left an opening for me!

I told her about BonaResponds and how we always told those in charge to give us the jobs that nobody else would do. So, reluctantly she agreed to pick me up to go to work on Saturday morning.

We went to a “shotgun” house in the Faubourg Marigny area of New Orleans. For those that do not know of this type of house, it is a long, narrow, one story structure with a door at the front and back. It is called “shotgun” because it is said that one can shoot a gun through the front door and out the back without hitting anything in the house. This area of the Faubourg Marigny had not flooded in hurricane Katrina, but Antoinette had agreed to clean out under the house and then remove all of the insulation from the attic, so that it could be replaced with better insulation. She had already crawled under the house, cleaned out all of the debris and had started in the attic. Being more than fearful of snakes I was glad that I did not have to get under the house. I asked if she was afraid under there and she replied that it was the spiders that really scared her.

We put on contamination suits, masks and goggles and climbed up into the attic through a small hole in the bathroom ceiling.

And now back to Brinkley’s book. The author describes in vivid detail what the people in New Orleans endured for days while those in positions of authority acted with unbelievable incompetence. People died because those that should have known what to do passed the buck for days. I had heard all of these stories before, but when I was in that attic on Saturday I too finally “got it.”

The attic in this house, like thousands of other New Orleans homes of identical design, was sixteen to twenty feet across and probably fifty feet long. The peak is about four feet high, so it is impossible to stand up. There is no floor so one has to balance on the two inch wide floor joists. A step between the floor joists results in falling through the ceiling into the room below.

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day with the temperature at about 75 degrees.

Antoinette confessed to being somewhat claustrophobic. She said that she had to constantly focus on the fact that the walls were not actually closing in on her. She would pull up the old insulation and stepping on the floor joists she would bring it part way down the attic. I would then take it and stuff it down the hole into the bathroom below. At one point I filled up the bathroom and the hole was plugged so that I could not see it anymore. Antoinette was at the far end of the attic with the flashlight and I was in total darkness. It was at this point that I thought of those who had been trapped in their attics during the hurricane. Many could not break through their roofs to escape and those that did spent days there. Imagine being trapped in the attic not knowing if anyone will find you. I KNEW that I could get out. Day after day went by and many died because they just gave up hope. I KNEW that this would end in a few hours. The air was stifling and I had difficulty breathing. On the days after Katrina, the temperature was in the nineties. I KNEW that I could breathe as long as I did not panic. In addition, I KNEW that this was a good thing that we were doing and all was right in my world. Even with all of this knowledge, for just an instant I experience just a tiny bit of what the poor forgotten people of New Orleans must have felt. I cleared out the hole to the bathroom and we continued until the job was done.

This was not a typical volunteer day. Antoinette is not without a job, but she does not have health care as it is too expensive. If she gets hurt, it will be on her to pay for it. She needs to work very long hours and at least six days a week to make a living. But I thank God for having met her and having the opportunity to work with her just for this one day. On her business card it says, “You will still like me after the job is done.” I do and I will remember her courage and good humor every time I think of New Orleans.

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A response to an emailer who said we should not help

Editorial Time: This is in response to an email I received today from a professor at our university who felt that volunteers are not needed in Haiti.

While I can thank you for taking time out of your busy day to share you your insight, I must respectfully disagree on much of it.

Yes the UN is paying people. And yes the Haitian people desperately need jobs, but after those points I must largely disagree.

After almost every disaster to which have responded there has been some agency (FEMA, MEMA etc) paying locals to "help." For instance, in Galveston the rate was $18 an hour, in Enterprise $14 etc. In all of these cases this rate was well over the [predisaster] market clearing rate. But the problem is that the survivors are often too stressed to help, and do not have the time since they have family issues and injuries to care for on top of their normal day to day living.

So while I do agree that they need jobs, I respectfully disagree on the need for volunteers as well. The already weak system is overloaded. We would not be replacing, but working with Haitians thus speeding the process. Instead of living in a refugee camp or in crowded conditions with family, we will be speeding up the process.We will be getting them into homes sooner.

Also I suggest that you do not give the volunteers enough credit when you call them unskilled. While they are not professionals, some of them are quite skilled and will definitely help getting Haitians back into homes, or indeed in some cases into homes for the first time.

My largest disagreement however comes to the idea that the trips are "feel good" trips. This exact argument was made prior to the big-post Katrina trip by another SBU professor. Namely that it could be most cost effective to pay for people down there. He was wrong then, and I believe you will be proved wrong after our trip as well.

There are several problems with your interpretation. First, it is a static analysis. It assumes that the volunteers would donate the same amount regardless of whether they go or not. This is unlikely the case. As any psychology, marketing, and even behavioral finance study shows that once you let someone have "equity", that is take ownership, their behaviors change.

Let me put numbers to this. In our analysis of this particular trip, because no SBU endorsement has been forthcoming, we have assumed that no BonaResponds money will be allowed to be used to to help subsidize the cost ( in the past we have tried to pay about 20% of the cost for students since they are in the worst position to pay). So let's assume zero subsidy and a cost (a conservative figure) for airfare and food of $500. I would like to ask you how many people (let alone students with very limited incomes) will give that much to help? Which is to say we have expanded the pool of available funds (dynamic vs static analysis).

Additionally, just to let you know, BonaResponds is not funded by the university. We do not even get money from SGA. So any donation you make to SBU would not be going to pay for any of our trips. Indeed Sr. Margaret is so careful about this that a few years ago when demand for a trip was so high that we needed additional transportation and had gone over our proposed budget, I asked for $1500 of Univ funding, we were turned down.....

I have always maintained when a trip does not make economic sense, we should not do it. After each trip we document how much value we add to the process. I am very confident that at the end of the trip we will again have positive value added. I might add that as a finance professor I am heartened that others are considering the economics of the trip as well as the economics of how others donate their time and money. It is an encouraging sign.

But before we give over importance to the economics, we can not ignore the non pecuniary benefits. I can give you many many many names of those we have helped and I will bet with almost no exception, economics will be the last thing they talk about. They will tell you they had lost hope, they had given up, they felt no one cared. It is the one absolute I have experienced after every trip we have done from Biloxi to Buffalo, Gowanda to Greenville, Newton County (MO) to New Orleans.

Volunteers being there is important. It shows the Haitians that people care. Our going gives them hope.

As much as the work that our volunteers perform, merely being there gives the survivors a shot in the arm. It was that way after every disaster we have been to. The people say they were ready to give up, that the world had forgotten them. I kid you not that was even stated in Buffalo only 2 days after the storm. We change that. It is the most important thing we do. More than building. More than taking down. More than cleaning up. We will give confidence and hope. Confidence and hope that would be lost forever if we wait. I do not want to turn this into a mushy soap box, but I would be very surprised that our going would not safe lives.

That said, I should remind you that we will likely be going just as US citizens. And that under no circumstance is anyone "sending us". We are being called to go. I invite you to come with us and see for yourself the difference a volunteer can make.

Sincerely,

Jim

Rob's perspective on the trip

Rob is a student leader of BonaResponds. Few people understand what it means to volunteer better than he does. He is a motivator, an incredibly hard worker, and a friend. Here is how he summed up what the trip meant to him and how he is going to deal with that feeling of sadness that affects most volunteers after the trip is over:

"It’s one in the morning. I just turned off my cell phone, plugged in my iPod, turned on my flat screen TV, cranked up the heat to remove the night chill, opened the fridge for a quick snack, grabbed a bottle of water, and opened my laptop to check my favorite websites. But as I lay here in my bed, wrapped in a blanket, in a house, as my family sleeps, a feeling like none other has come over me, and I realize that the world I was living in for the past ten days has all gone away. I have slipped back into the world we have all become to know and live in all too well.

For the past ten days, I have been on a BonaResponds trip. What is BonaResponds? What kind of world have I been living in? What feeling do I possess which has inspired me to write this down? These questions are all easily answered by me and anyone who was on our most recent BonaResponds trip to Atlanta, Georgia and Greenville, South Carolina. In fact, this feeling can be described by any individual who has ever attended a BonaResponds Trip. It is a feeling that comes over you when you realize that tomorrow you will probably not make a difference in someone’s life. Tomorrow, you will most likely take for granted the objects you possess. Tomorrow, you will most likely slip back into the comfortable world you were living in before this kind of trip. Anyone who has been on a BonaResponds trip in the past knows exactly what I mean and how I feel. It is almost as if you are in a completely different world.

For a BonaResponds trip is like none other; it is an opportunity to help. This world that I speak so highly of is full of friendship, care, respect, gratitude, hope, understanding, and listening. The list can go on and on describing a world in which laughter fills the air, love fills the soul, and the want to help others is so prevalent in the air around you that it is an inspiration to help, especially to those who cross your path. BonaResponds opens the very doors to this ideal world. I have been there as many others have as well; it is without a doubt a group that will leave an impact on your life.

But as I lay here, I realize that tomorrow I will no longer be a part of that world. This is the feeling I feel so strongly in my heart - a feeling that tomorrow I will slip back into the world that so many of us have come to take for granted. A world in which we live our life without realizing the life we have. Ten minutes before writing this letter, I was in that world. I thought nothing of it to raise the temperature of my beautiful home, eat a snack only because it looked good, plug in and view electronic items that are a luxury to have, and lay in a home with an amazing, healthy, loving family that is sleeping with ease.

Ten minutes before writing this letter I was the same person I am now. I was the same person I was as I helped those in need for the past ten days, and ten minutes after completing my thoughts I will be the same person. So what changes within me? How can I slip back and forth from each world? How do I continue to live in that world where I so desperately wish to be? The answer is simple: nothing changes. Only the opportunity to help is increased and given to me in an easier form to achieve. Someone tells me who I can help, what I can do, and where to do it. “It” is given to me in the morning; I complete “it” in the day, and reflect upon “it” at night. So, if “it” is the opportunity to help, why will tomorrow be different? It doesn’t have to be.

I can help someone tomorrow, I can impact a life tomorrow, I can make a difference tomorrow, and so can you. I may not receive a name, an address, and a job list, but I will receive the ability to help and the desire to help. And if you live your life with the ability and want to help, you will find a way to help; I promise you. We all possess the want to help, love, care, understand, listen, and appreciate. We just have to put ourselves in a position to find it and use it. BonaResponds gives us that opportunity day in and day out, but it does not have to stop when the trip ends.

So do it. I will tomorrow. I will wake up in the morning and try to help someone. I will volunteer tomorrow. I don’t have to build a house, or clean an entire park, but volunteering is helping others, and I will volunteer tomorrow and help someone tomorrow. It is as simple as that. Should the opportunity arise to help someone tremendously in a way that impacts a life greatly, I will take advantage of it. But if I simply hold the door for a lady, or offer to help carry a grocery bag to her car, or shovel a neighbor’s driveway, I will do it. These acts and many others are considered helping others and helping others is considered volunteering; volunteering is the door to the world of a BonaResponds trip. To volunteer or help is the way to pass through that door and enter that world. It is your choice to enter or not.

After writing my thoughts down to you, these feelings that I am no longer part of the BonaResponds world are gone. I am excited to wake up in the morning, to help someone, to bring joy and a smile to someone, and maybe inspire that someone to help another someone. You never know who you may help. It may make a larger impact in people’s lives than you expect, realize, or will ever know. I promise you one thing though: helping someone will help you.

So, if you have ever been on a BonaResponds trip in the past, or even volunteered with BonaResponds for a day in the past, try to live life tomorrow or even today as if you were part of BonaResponds again. If you have never been a part of BonaResponds, don’t worry. BonaResponds does not possess a secret as to how to help others; BonaResponds just allows the opportunity to help. So, tomorrow, go volunteer, go help, go live your life as if you were on a trip. You will be glad you did.

Rob Ryer"

Mike's "reflection piece"

We have asked many volunteers (indeed anyone can write, just email us), what BonaResponds means to them. Here is one from Mike English, who has volunteered with us countless times both locally and in Iowa. He is now an Americorps volunteer who helps organize BonaResponds as well. (He is a Junior Finance Major)

Reflection by Michael English

My first experience with BonaResponds was during the first semester of my freshmen year during a local day’s event. I had to go to a volunteer service for my freshmen 101 class and decided that this would be the best opportunity to satisfy the requirement for the class. Initially going into the program for the class I had absolutely no expectations to continuing participating with BonaResponds.

During the volunteering I actually enjoyed doing the work that I was doing, not because I was doing something somewhat fun but I became overwhelmed with a feeling of “goodness” that could have made performing the most boring and tedious task enjoyable. I realized that there is a need for people to help others. I honestly cannot describe the feeling that happens after you help a complete stranger in need, all I can say is that I challenge someone to help someone in need and not feel good about helping them at the end of the day.

I feel as though BonaResponds has provided me with a new opportunity to expand myself as a better person in our community. If it were not for the program I don’t think that I would have quite the same outlook on community service, selflessness, and volunteering. What used to be an idea that never crossed my mind has now become a priority to me. I believe that it is programs like BonaResponds that truly make us EXTRAORDIRNARY."

My guilt trip

Note the date This is about My Guilt Trip, the trip of last Tuesday evening.

Tuesday November 17th.

I did not want to go volunteer today. I had plenty of reasons to say no. I was tired from two days in Machias this past weekend. I had too much to do--I wanted to run, to go to the YMCA, to eat dinner, do laundry. Oh and I had things I "had" to do as well: go to the store and make a test.

So when I got an email from Pete Andrews the head of the Christian Youth Corps in Machias asking for any available volunteer to come help get ready for tomorrow's drywallers, I mentally dismissed it with a simple "I can't, I am too busy".

That said, I figured the least I could do was pass the request on to other volunteers who might not be as busy and might be able to go. So I tweeted the request. I did not expect much, if any response: SBU played St. Johns in the first big game of the year, I was giving them almost no notice, and it was a school night the week before Thanksgiving break so there would be many mid-term exams to study for and papers to write. "No, no one will be able to go. I am in good company by not going. They are all busy too. "

But then, something happened. Within an hour I got a call saying that one of the people who had read the tweet wanted to go and could drive. "OK, I will contact Pete and tell him you are coming, but I still can not go. I am too busy" I told her.

Then I got a text, and then another, and then another. More and more people wanted to go. I was feeling more and more guilty. The other volunteers, by their great example were guilting me into going. So I began to think I might go, but my heart was not really into it. I felt guilty about my weak excuses, I felt guilty about not wanting to go. I felt selfish for wanting to do my own thing before responding to this call for help.

In the end, I decided to go, but it was far from an easy decision.

Upon our arrival in Machias we all got to work. The main tasks for the evening were to clean out the upstairs and then help to wire and insulate the basement so that the dry wallers could do their thing starting at 7 AM the next morning.

I warmed to the job but felt somewhat "out of it". The other volunteers clearly had good work and were working with the electricians etc, but my jobs were more of the "what can he do without messing up too much" variety.

So I swept up and located tools for the other volunteers. But as I did I occasionally suffered from cognitive dissonance and found myself thinking more and more that I should have stayed home. I had work to do, the drive made the trip uneconomical. If I had wanted to do BonaResponds work, I had many projects online that needed doing without the added time spent on the drive. I should have stayed and done them.

As person voted "most likely to mess up on the job", one of my jobs was to make sure the others had tools when they were needed. On one of my tool locator walk-arounds I went outside looking for Pete, when suddenly "the boys" came around the corner of the house. I am not sure who saw who first, but Wyatt and Dalton waved and the smile on their faces almost matched the smile on mine.

Suddenly the trip, and even the promised late late night of test making was worth it and then some.

The next few hours flew by. the work, which only minutes before has seemed trivial and meaningless was terrific and important. I could not even believe I had not wanted to do this.

So to the BonaResponds volunteers who guilted me into going tonight, thank you. You not only made their house, you made my day.

Foundations-an essay on BonaResponds from Phil

Foundations by Phil Penepent

My first experience with BonaResponds was on Spring Break during my freshman year (Spring 2008). I went with a group of nearly 100 volunteers to Pearlington Mississippi and assisted in building new houses for Hurricane Katrina Victims. On our way we stopped in Pass Christian to drop off a dozen of our people for the week.

Everyone got off the bus at the base camp there to take a look around. I began wandering and ended up across the street. What I found was an eerie sight at first: a whole foundation, no house attached, with the words “don’t demolish, will rebuild” spray painted to the front. That foundation wasn’t the only one I saw that week that still didn’t have a house on top of it in Mississippi. While I worked on rebuilding houses I reflected on that first foundation I saw. Those unmovable foundations made me realize that if you build a strong enough foundation in life, nothing will be able to rock it and you can always rebuild.

This lesson has become a driving force for me back here at Bonas. I do whatever it takes to get the most out of the education I receive in order to build a solid foundation for the rest of my life. I am lucky to have taken away a lesson like this and be able to make it into a mission statement for this unique period in my life.

A solid foundation for me has meant achievement in the classroom, studying abroad in Italy last semester, obtaining valuable internships, and being actively involved in my community.

In retrospect, that barren foundation had a big effect on me so far. I had not even begun volunteering with BR at that point and I was already learning life lessons. By being involved I have recognized that BonaResponds is part of my extraordinary story and I continue to take an active role in the organization. BR allowed me to break out of my shell as a freshman while making some very close friends. Since my first Gulf Coast trip I have become a leader on numerous local service days in Buffalo, Olean, Friendship, and Salamanca. I really enjoy recruiting people to volunteer with us and talking about my experiences!

Gowanda Essay: Thanks for being here

October 9: Remember back 6 weeks ago I said I would be writing a series of reflective essays about our work in Gowanda? Well, between school starting, other BonaResponds events, a finance club trip to NYC, and some family things, I got side tracked. But I would like to share at least of the thoughts with you, so I will write them up as time permits.


Gowanda August 23, 2009

BonaResponds has traveled the country to help people recover after natural disasters. After these disasters we have helped people by gutting houses, cutting downed trees, putting on new roofs, building sheds, drywalling, painting, and even occasionally helping people move back into their refurbished homes. The interesting thing is, that almost without exception, those we are helping tell us, generally fighting back tears, that our just being there was as important as the work we actually accomplished. That our presence gave them hope and the energy energy necessary to fight the next round of battles in the long road to recovery.

This message has been drilled into volunteers on every trip: talking to the survivors, listening to their stories, and just being there is important. As the leader of BonaResponds, I understood the importance, but I confess I never truly believed it. Oh sure, I knew psychology mattered and talking helped, but the real real reason for us being there, the way we really helped, was the dirty, physical work. Or so I believed.

Today that view was forever changed. I was on the other side of receiving help. I had over-committed BonaResponds. Expecting more volunteers that we got, I committed to several jobs around town, but the first (and largest) was mucking out an enormous basement down on Main St.

After about 2 hours of struggling with the eight inches of mud that blanketed the three giant rooms, it became apparent that we were not going to be able to finish the job, let alone the others that were waiting.

And then, almost miraculously, help arrived in the form of the Community Gang #103 from the Collins Correctional Facility. And a funny thing happened, as the crew lifted buckets of mud, they also lifted out spirits. As they pushed wheel barrows, they pushed us to do more.

Sooner than could have been imagined, the job was done. As we all shared a meal on the front porch, we thanked the work crew for all the help. I hope they realize we were thanking them for more than just the physical effort. We were thanking them for being there and for giving us the energy to continue on to the next job.

Leadership by example

This is the first of a series of somewhat reflective pieces on the work in Gowanda. They are not so much about the actual work, but the lessons learned and the good that came out of the storm.


As leader of BonaResponds I have seen many too many natural disasters--From Katrina to Ike, from the Buffalo Ice Storm to Tornadoes and floods across much of the Eastern half of the US. In responding to these disasters, I have learned so much. I have learned to push my limits, I have to learned that the world is full of people who are willing to help when the need arises. This learning process does not end, so at the risk of sounding too much life a university professor (I teach finance at St. Bonaventure University as my day job), this is the first of a series of semi-reflective pieces that will center on Gowanda, but go much further than that. I hope you enjoy.

We all know leadership is more than a title. Management gurus and books preach that you have to lead by example. The first of our lessons will deal with that and it is an example that speaks volumes without saying a word.

1. Leadership by example:

The first lesson has on Philadelphia Street. Philadelphia Street (Route 62) was one of the worst hit areas in Gowanda. Water rushed down the hill and flooded most of the basements. We got this job by asking some neighbors who said that the elderly woman who lived there could use some help emptying out years of memories (to say nothing of water and mud) from here basement.

When we arrived, much of the work in the front two rooms had already been done by family, neighbors, and Mike and Wendy two volunteers from Springville. But that is not to say there was no work. There were still many damaged personal items and a washer and dryer to remove and take to the curb. Additionally there was still some water in the furnace room and the rooms had to be washed down..

For efficiency reasons and because of the stairway (basements are a pain) we decided to do an assembly line/bucket brigade where the items would be handed up to the outside.

With the line there are places where you want to be and where you don't want to be. For instance, standing outside in the sun and fresh air is much preferred to standing on the steps, or worse at the very start of the line. It is at the start where you are still standing in water, where you you to pick up each of the the wet dirty items, and weigh the costs of salvage vs the memories lost before deciding to throw the item out or set it aside to save.

In this position, at the very front of the line was Sr. Margaret Carney, the president of St. Bonaventure University. The single person on campus who has more time demands than anyone else. The person whose time is more valuable than anyone else. The person who had to be in Pittsburgh PA later than evening. She had set aside all of the excuses and came with BonaResponds to help. She was there without press releases, without cameras (well except ours), and without any hint of being above the work. Working side by side with students, flood victims, and volunteers off the streets. She was there to help.

Bob's Poem

One day in March I met a group, they came from Olean,

St. Bonaventure was their home, their motto, “Yes We Can”.

They were a young and lively group, just doing a good deed,

The purpose of their trip was clear, some people were in need.

Some students slept in sleeping bags, a few slept on the floor,

And even though the work was hard, they said, “We can do more”.

“Bona Responds” was on the ground, both boys and girls alike,

The hurricane we all recall, its name was simply Ike.

A lot of people needed help, and help was hard to get,

And so the students came to help, people they never met.

When Ike left town it left a mess, with water everywhere,

In every house and every room, it even fouled the air.

They cleaned up trash along the road, for more than several miles,

The natives thanked them one and all, with words and food and smiles.

They tore down homes whose days were done, fixed up many others,

A privilege to know them all, future dads and mothers.

The kids went home late in the week, they wanted no applause,

When asked, “Why did you give so much”?, they answered “just because”.

And so a toast to all involved, “Galveston’s Adventure”,

The team who came to render aid, from St. Bonaventure.

Bob McGrath

Class of 1950

The proud winner of the “Bad A” paper plate award

Galveston, Texas 2009

If you read only one post today, make it this one!

This semester as the result of a generous donation from Tony Annuziado, we do have some money to help fund student trips.

I won't disclose the name of the student who is getting some of his/her trip paid from through Tony's donation, but I will share with you the essay that was written to qualify.

Do me a favor. Read it. You will know what your donations go to: It does not go to overhead, it goes directly to helping others. Here is the essay with almost zero changes:

"I started high school at about the same time my mom was forced to quit college. She had to take care of my younger brother, and this took up most of her time, so she couldn’t work either. As a result of this, I had to begin working in the ninth grade in order to pay for the things I needed and wanted. Since I was working a full time job and going to school, I seldom had free time, and therefore didn’t get to do any volunteer work in high school. Now that I’m in college, my situation has changed. I now have the time, but I no longer have the money. I want to go on the BonaResponds trip because I want to do now what I didn’t get the chance to do in high school. I want to help people, and give back to the community, even if it’s not my own.

I deserve sponsorship for this trip because making someone else’s life better makes me happy. I take satisfaction in knowing that I made a positive difference in society.

I also deserve sponsorship because I know what it’s like to have life throw an unanticipated curve at you. Sometimes a minor adjustment such as finding employment, like in my situation, is all that’s necessary in order to solve the problem. However, this isn’t always the case for everyone, and I know that a lot of times people need the help of others to pick themselves up. I’d like to be one of those people that help others in their journey to start over and become stronger. I would be disappointed if all of my helpfulness and good will don’t get put to good use simply because of a matter of money."

I hate asking for money. We really do not need much. I would rather have a volunteer for a day that a $100 donation (I am confident you can return more than $12.50 an hour ;) ). But it does take some money to help people travel etc. And this is our way of saying thank you to the donors who made this trip possible for a student who would otherwise not be able to help.

What volunteering has meant to Patrick

Patrick Brutus sent the following along.

This says very well why you should get involved with BonaResponds.

"Since I began to attend St. Bonaventure, volunteering has become an important part of my life. One of my most moving and memorable experiences was my first trip to Mississippi, March 2006. It helped me realize the extraordinary difference I could make in the world. It also opened my eyes to the needs of people, as such needs are not found in my community. To this day, some people are oblivious to the great catastrophe caused by Hurricane Katrina. In the beginning, everyone would hear about the crisis on every news channel all day long; but once the media stopped covering Hurricane Katrina, most Americans thought that everything had been restored and things were on the verge of being normal. Unfortunately, this was not the case because even today families are struggling to reassemble their lives.

Since my freshman year, I have been involved with BonaResponds. I have done local volunteer services in our community. I have been to Buffalo relief trips about 4-5 times. I have been to the Gulf three times, every year on my Spring break. I plan on going down to Texas this year for Spring break to help rebuild homes from the disaster caused by Hurricane Ike. Each service was significant in its own way.

Nonetheless, my first time working with BonaResponds was in March 2006, when St. Bonaventure sent 300 Students to the Gulf to help families with repairs. Hands-on experience helped raise awareness for many students about the on-going suffering and burden that individuals and families continued to endure. However, this experience was not significant merely because of the houses we restored or the streets we cleaned; the meaningfulness of this experience came from receiving hugs and kisses from strangers. This experience gave volunteering a new meaning. We were hope to many people. I remember vividly one lady who cried as she was thanking us, and with her teary eyes she called us her heroes. We do not go to the gulf to build houses, we go to reestablish homes. Experiences like this are indescribable because words would do them no justice. This is what makes volunteering such an important aspect of my life."

Bill's BonaResponds Reflection Letter

What a great and heartfelt letter. In this letter you see why all of the volunteers liked him so much!

Bill's BonaResponds Reflection Letter:

"....Could I help, how can I help, will I fit in with these 20 year old students, will they accept a 65 year old as part of the team? As you read on the answers to those questions were a resounding YES!! So off I went by myself wondering what this experience had in store for me. I packed everything I thought I would need to survive five days in a disaster area, clothes, sleeping bag, air mattress, eating utensils, water filter and some tools. We were to be working with the Church of Christ – Disaster Relief Team out of Florida who had been on site with six permanent members since the day after hurricane Ike hit in September 2008. They had a totally self sufficient compound set up in the Bridge City Community Center with sleeping bags, air mattresses, showers, hot meals, all the tools and people from the Church Of Christ to cook and make sure all of our needs were met. As it turned out all we needed were our toiletries and our clothes, everything else was provided.

Since I arrived two days into the project in the middle of the afternoon, I signed in and was directed to one of the Bona Responds job sites. I was given a warm welcome by everyone on the team which I would later find out was the “Loosers” team but we were proud of it. You see the other half of the group decided to call themselves the “Cool” team even though there was always some doubt about the validity of their name. Everyone was very glad to have me there and put me right to work ripping up the hard wood floors of our house. Let me tell you these kids were hard workers, there were no slackers in this group. There were actually more girls than guys and they gave the guys a run for being the toughest workers.

When you are working and living with a group 24/7 you really get to know them and let me tell you these kids were unbelievable. I was nowhere near as mature at their age and it gave me a new respect for the youth of today and the leaders of tomorrow. They worked hard and played hard and were great fun to be with and there was never a dull moment. The energy level was intense and even though I couldn’t always keep up, that didn’t matter, they were just happy to have a new team member.

By the time I had to leave after 5 days the Bona Responds Team had gutted 9 houses and still had four more days to go so I think the total probably went close to 15 houses ready for the next step of rebuilding...."

Read the whole thing on our Reflection and Essay page.

And if you were on the trip (or any previous trip) we'd love to have your reflection piece to include.

The most important thing we did today...

The details: It was a good day. We worked on two fence jobs today. Each was well to the east of Neosha. Pictures are available here.

The first job was very big and several groups (HODR, Americorps, Rural Compassion) worked together on it under Ed from Rural Compassion's leadership. Essentially it was restringing barbed wire fencing for a zillion miles. (ok, maybe a tad less ;))

We finished this one mid afternoon (did I mention it was a bit less than a zillion miles?) and so with our last couple of hours went to a second job almost as an afterthought. And yet, as so often happens, this added job, this job that almost didn't get touched today, became our largest contribution.

It was at the Tonklins' (not their real name). Physically we did not get all that much done (although the fence is now able to hold cows and we moved many downed branches), but we accomplished something more important: we helped someone cope.

I remember when we first went to Biloxi in October 2005, Darius and others stressed the importance of being present to listen to the victims who wanted to tell their story; who needed to tell their story. In December of that year I met Dr. Bob Titlzer who's street teams lived that mantra faithfully and who to this day personified the idea.

Since then I have continually been amazed at just how true that is. It has happened up and down the Gulf Coast on every trip, in Buffalo, in Enterprise, in Bradford, even after local fires. But no where more than here today.

Mr. Tonklin is an elderly farmer. Stop for a moment and conjure up an image of an elderly small time farmer who has survived the good years and the bad years for the past two generations and you probably have him pegged. For instance, he told us he worked 15 straight years without missing a single day of milking the cows twice a day. I could go on, but that probably explains the type of guy Mr Tonklin is better than anything I could write. Not a single day off. 15 years. 'Enough said.

Mr. Tonklin epitomizes self sufficiency. Of doing it himself. His whole life he has been that guy who could do it all without outside reliance. But then the tornado came. And he was overwhelmed. His house was severely damaged, his farm was littered with everything from neighbors' trailers and roofs, to city garbage cans to trees (some ripped from the ground, others sheared off, still others twisted to the ground.

In the days since the tornado, the Tonklins have been helped by many volunteers, neighbors, and family members. Today however, Mr Tonklin had to talk. He had to tell about the storm, about the cows that he lost, and the cows that lived. He had to tell about his roof, his fences, and how his family all made it trough alive. He had to tell us about many things. About how sometimes in the worst of times, good comes from no where. He had to tell us he never would have been able to come back if it weren't for all the help he received. He had to tell us through the tears that it was ok to ask for help. He had to say "Thank you."

So we listened.

It was the most important thing we did all day.

Anthony reflecting on the management of BonaResponds

All well said, and true, but he should get text messaging! ;)

Often words cannot fully describe a person’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This is certainly the case with BonaResponds and to try to describe the last two years of my life as a leader in the group is almost impossible. I don’t mention that I was a leader in the group because I am looking for any special recognition (I will leave that for James…if you have ever been involved in the group then you know who I am writing about). Rather, I mention my leadership role because it was the jobs that I did behind the scenes as a leader in BonaResponds that made the experience so rewarding for me.

First off, working with James Kane, the same James listed above, and Jim Mahar, the founder of the group, is an experience in and of itself. They are both big picture kind of people and I am without question a details person. Jim liked to say, “We’re not building watches,” when I would get too worried about the details. I didn’t really listen to him and kept “building watches” because who else was going to spend four or five hours at a time updating the contact information in our volunteers database. However, to call the jobs I did with them (or more like for them because there was a lot of stuff they just did not want to do) as work is a bit of an exaggeration. Yes, being a leader in the group kept me busy but more than anything, it was a whole lot of fun.

Going to Home Depot with James to buy supplies/tools for BonaResponds projects was always a great time. Somehow, I always knew that we would be in the store for at least an hour even if it should have only taken around ten minutes. I can’t begin to count the number of times that he would stop and show me the hammer that he thought I should buy. Why he thought this information was important to me I really don’t know but he did. James really loves that store and I don’t think he ever left there without buying at least one tool that only he would think is necessary. I could go on and tell more stories at James and Jim’s expense because there are a lot of stories but I will simply say that some of my favorite memories from college involve these two individuals and I will probably stay in contact with them for the rest of my life (but not by text messaging).

Obviously, only three people do not run BonaResponds. There have been many other leaders in the group and they have all had an important role in making BonaResponds what is. Some have been involved in planning and executing almost every event while others have had less crucial roles and helped out when it was possible for them to do so. People help define their own role in the group and that is one of the most exciting things about BonaResponds. I would mention all of these people by name but there are simply too many. They know who they are.

I know that I haven’t mentioned any of the service trips or local service days yet but I think I will have to save that for another day. For now, I just wanted to give an idea of what BonaResponds is like when not on the trips or volunteering in the community. Most people rarely see this side of BonaResponds even if, in my opinion, it is as much fun as the trips themselves. I hope everyone will give BonaResponds a try at least once no matter how big or small of a role a person wants to play. I understand volunteering is not for everyone but in the end you can help a lot of people and maybe make the world a little bit better. There really is no down side to seeing if it something that you want to be involved in. Moreover, for the people that do decide to be leaders I just want to say check your email…frequently.

Anthony Dimario

Carrie writing on BonaResponds

As part of a website upgrade I asked several BonaResponds members to write up a quick piece on what BonaResponds means to them.

Here is Carrie's

"For me and several other members of the St. Bonaventure community, BonaResponds (BR) has evolved from a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to an "everyday" activity. My first involvement with BR came during the Spring semester of 2006. I didn't feel like going home for spring break, but I had nothing planned. Jim Mahar was my Intro. to Corporate Finance professor at the time, and he persuaded me to co-coordinate a little league drive that would collect equipment and monetary donations for and deliver to little leagues devastated by Hurricane Katrina. I'd never visited the Gulf Coast, and this seemed like an amazing opportunity to help out.

I accepted the invitation/challenge, and have never regretted it. Since that first trip, I've returned to the Gulf Coast two more times, helped organize and participate in multiple local service days, volunteered in Buffalo during the "Surprise Snowstorm" several days, and there may be more that I'm forgetting.

BonaResponds has enabled me to meet and build strong relationships with students, faculty, and community members that I never would have otherwise. It offers a break from the ordinary, and adds to the beauty of St. Bonaventure.

The smiles you create, and the thanks you receive are immeasurably phenomenal."

Well said!

Comments on BonaResponds from James

I asked several members of BonaResponds to write a few paragraphs about what BonaResponds means to them. They will be running here and I will link to them on the BonaResponds webpage as well.

We will start off with James Kane's comments. James as most of you know was the student leader for much of the past year and while I can say much bad about him (some of it is even true!), he will be very hard to replace and all of us in BonaResponds will have to step up.

His comments:

"BonaResponds defined my college career. It was through BonaResponds
that I developed many close friends and had several memorable moments,
such as any time Jim Mahar did something foolish.

I wish BonaResponds was around when I was a freshman at St. Bonaventure. BonaResponds provides an opportunity for people to serve communities, whether near or far, at their convenience. People who could only commit one day or an entire semester joined BonaResponds.

BonaResponds is constantly known as the group that did the "hurricane trip." It is known that BonaResponds sent nearly 300 people to the Gulf, which is the 2nd largest collegiate service trip I've ever heard of.

What a lot of people do not realize is, BonaResponds is much more than hurricane relief. They have sponsored several local service days and even responded to Buffalo after the devastating that struck on October 13, 2006.

It was through BonaResponds that I developed skills such as leadership, which define the person that I am today. BonaResponds made me a better person."

Thanks James!