Early April updates

So much happening!

BIG announcement:

BIG NEWS!!!

Next trip: May 15-22 (assuming we get people signed up) back to Dickinson Texas. We'd love to have you along with us!

Other updates:

* Spring into Bonas went very well! Thank you to those who came out and helped!

* The aquaponics program at Portville school is almost ready. Great great work by Natalie and Evan of UrbanBiosphere!

* On April 19 we have 25 high school students coming from Olean High School to Campus to see what a day in college is like. If you are on campus and can help, we would LOVE the help!

* BonaResponds/Positive agreed to buy approximately 500 coffee trees in Les Cayes. $150 a year will be given back to an agriculture fund once the trees start producing.

* 20 fishermen ended their three days of training on loans for nets. Tomorrow they will clean up the beaches by where they fish. Next week they will be able to go back to their jobs for the first time in 18 months (since Matthew). EXCELLENT work by Jean Emmanuel Verdier and his crew!

* Harvests in Sierra Leone went great. Bangura Alimamy Tejan is doing a great job over there and we hope to be long-term partners.

* I think we are now over 115 microloans (mainly through Tout Moun Se Moun and PositiveRipples ) in Les Cayes and Leogane Haiti have all been paid off :)

* FINALLY getting updates from Bishop Nelson Sampson Boegbah and his crew in Liberia. This has been our most difficult program this year. The need is so great there, but we need a better system. A work in progress :) :) The Ebola orphans cannot be forgotten. PERIOD!

* Refunds for Praebibo should finally have gone out this week. Sorry for the delay.

* We are looking for a used van/truck. Possibly Explorer? Any suggestions/donations would be great!

* The Trails have taken a beating due to the winter storms. We have been out numerous times already but there is much work to be done.

* Two great videos focusing on BonaResponds/@Chris Branche came out this week for Spring Into Bonas:

--By Gabe: https://www.dropbox.com/s/69xi2nt8pq0odbp/Bona%20Responds%2C%20Dickinson%2C%202018%20%20short.mp4?dl=0

--By Danny Bush: https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=dLd5wBGRg3s

* Next big things internationally: WE HOPE: water well near Les Cayes Haiti, aquaponics near Leogane Haiti, a Cassava farm in Sierra Leone, another payment for the Ebola Orphans in Liberia, and a shipment of medical and school supplies (maybe some sporting goods too?) to Haiti.

* Coming up locally: many many wheelchair ramps are lined up as soon as the snow leaves.

Thanks everyone!!!

(to donate for the international projects, please donate at https://PostiveRipples.org)

jim

Spring break sign up!!!

It is time to sign up for the BonaResponds trip to Houston

It is not too late to sign up for the Spring Break trip to Houston to help with rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey

We will be there from Feb 23-March 3.

How does it work? 

Step 1: You buy airline tickets (Cleveland -Houston has been cheap)
Step 2:  Pay $50 (non-refundable) to reserve your spot (it will also be used to buy shirts, food, supplies, and tools)   

  sbu.afford.com/paynow?storeid=1618 

• (NOTE: if you can not afford it, there are some scholarships available based on need and the number of previous BonaResponds local work days you have done.)

 Step 3: Forward your flight info to BonaResponds@gmail.com and JMahar@sbu ASAP.  Use Subject line: Houston BR flight Information

Step 4: fill out form at BonaResponds.org (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeEv8d4t2MTy_PI8-tb_jX7t13XUYMH9hX1b4TWM5JRS4_TuQ/viewform)

BonaResponds Harvey Trip docs.google.com

Step 5: look for upcoming meetings and announcements on details of the trip to be coming soon! We will likely have a meeting next Tuesday to answer questions and help with flight booking. 

Note:   depending on fundraising, we HOPE to be able to reimburse SBU students, Faculty, and Staff some of the airline costs.  This will happen AFTER the trip and will be contingent on funding and service in Houston. 

1. Yes, this is open to everyone!  A great way to meet up with family and friends you don't get to see all the time!
2. Food and shelter are provided.
3. You should have a good pair of work boots. 
4. You can come for part of the time.  
5. You can (as many alumni are doing) get a hotel nearby, but it really is more fun to stay in the church hall.
6. You will need a sleeping bag.
7. We will arrange ground transportation.  (Pickups will be much more common at the Hobby airport, so please try to fly in there.  If you fly into George Bush Intl airport, you should be prepared to wait for a ride--of course Uber is a choice--I was told it costs $70)--our pickup and drop off is free---NOTE: we must have times by Feb 9 for this option).
8. Most important things to bring?  A good attitude and a willingness to make a difference!   

It will be the best spring break trip you can make.  It will be work, but it will also be fun and you will not only make new friends but make the world a bit better too! 

Texas Trip FAQ's

I shared these on FB.  Thought they might be helpful here too:

Book your flights!

We hope to see many of you there! We will be working in and around Dickinson Texas (Feb 23-March 3).

FAQ:

* Yes, you can come for part of the time.

* Yes, you can bring family and friends

* Yes, you can make a big difference.

* Yes, there will be work.

* Yes, there is still a need. Just because it is not on the news does not mean there is still not a need.

* Yes, you can donate (we are looking to subsidize the cost of the trip for all students if at all possible). Don't want to pay for students, fine :) donate $50 to positiverRpples (PositiveRipples.org and buy 5 sheets of drywall!)

* Yes, we can pick you up at the airport. Hobby pickups will be regular, at George Bush Airport MUCH more infrequent.

* Yes, if you prefer, you can arrange an Uber ride.

* Yes, you can come for only a few days --but the longer the better!

* Yes, if you are there for the entire week, you will have time to relax (the Gulf is about 5 miles from Camp)

* Yes, you can donate supplies? Home Depot cards are perfect as we will be 4 miles from a HomeDepot. Don't want to do that? Buy drywall there and we can arrange pickup/delivery.

* Yes, I am sure you have a million reasons to not go. But you only need one reason to come. You want to help!

* Yes, you will need boots, a sleeping bag, and a good attitude! (other things are helpful too--see website)

* Yes, we are still looking for people to drive vehicles with tools and supplies down and back.

* We will be working with the Mount Olive Baptist Church in Dickinson but we will be helping people in need regardless of faith, color, or anything else.

* No, you do not need to be a student.

* No, kids under 16 should not come without special permission.

* Yes, Food will be provided on site.

* Yes, it is usually warmer in Texas than in Western NY

* Yes, you should come! :)

To come: book tickets and let us know! :)

THE SOONER THE BETTER! :) so we know how many tools/cots/showers/etc we need.

Update on many things :)

I know, I know.  I ask too much. :)  sorry. and these have not been vetted by anyone, so here goes....thanks and sorry in advance:

First a few success stories:  

1. Thank you to everyone who helped SIMM out!  We raised almost double our goal (with some money still coming in), qualified for the $16,250 match (so about $48,000 raised), and brought many "younger" alumni back into the donor universe (which will make advancement and alumni relations very happy).  It was a good project and advancement worked very hard (great job Janet and crew!)  THANK YOU!
2. Pending the dispersal of the funds we (PositiveRipples) transferred last week, we will have Bishop Nelson's Ebola orphans in school!!  HUGE success.  Thank you to everyone, but Joe (and Pat) Coate deserve a special thank you on that!  That area has a LONG ways to go (getting about 50 students through high-school (college?) is a big endeavor, but 3 years in, and they are still going!  :)  Next there will be more sustainable farming programs to raise money for the kids to attend school next year while also learning a life-skill.  (We are largely modeling this on what we already do in Haiti and our newest large garden program in Sierre Leone which is JUST starting but with local variations--for instance we also are planning on planting 1000 rubber trees in Liberia in addition to a garden for food).

THANK YOU!  :) 

Now, the "if you want to get involved" and other updates: 

BonaResponds:

1. PenPal program: we have started a pen pal program (Largely led by Enactus) that will help tie together people from around the world.  (personal commentary-I think too often the world becomes "us" vs "them".  The biggest guiding principle at the foundation of BonaResponds is that we are all the same.  We just need to get to know "our neighbors".   We would love to have you (or your family) or others you know involved.  here is a video on how it will   work:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zg8xiTGIUk&feature=youtu.be

Bonas and Beyond Pen Pal Program Information Video www.youtube.com Signup Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeh6fEEcibuuknva0N4-0mOGF8UZ-r2WoupYE9K83rFZeSJUw/viewform?usp=sf_link



2. Houston spring break trip:   this is a definite go!  Fly down, fly back.  Our scouting trip over fall break went well and I am sure that we can make a big impact.  It is of course way off of everyone's radar so I do not see any way to get 200 people (or the money to buy supplies for 200 people working), but I do hope to take 100 or more.  Here are the words of a volunteer leader there: "- the lack of media coverage has resulted in a rapid decrease in donations and contributions. People will be rebuilding for the next two years. Your help will help individuals and families get a real jump start on recovery. You are needed more now than ever."   We'd love to have you along!  there is a signup form at BonaResponds.org or just ask me :) 
3. EASIEST: Thursday as part of the president's inauguration celebrations, we hope to make over 100 WarmSnugglyBlankets.  We have multiple rooms reserved from 11:30 to 1:00.  We will start in  Swan101-103 and go from there.  The impact of the blankets is one of the biggest surprises to me.   For instance (slightly edited to assure privacy) here is an email I got today: "I just wanted to say that this is a wonderful gift for cancer patients.  You may not know, but my daughter is currently on her fifth and final cycle of chemo...at Roswell....These blankets help her as she is always cold when getting chemo...just wanted you to know how great these blankets are and, hopefully, once she is on the road to recovery from her treatment, we will be able to join BonaResponds in helping to make these blankets."  Come out and help make the blankets.  If nothing else, you can come out and hear me fight back tears as I describe the project.  It happens every single time. (FYI we have given out over 1300 of them now).