Cool Haitian artist spreading safety measures

very cool.

A report from Haiti on Cholera and rebuilding progress

200 permanent homes.  Really?  Pathetic.  Sad.  How can it be so low?  There is NO EXCUSE for this.

Updates

Heard from Vinnie's sister:

" I'm writing this letter for my brother Vinny St. John. He is so grateful for the new friends he has found in St. Anthony's Church. He enjoys going on Sunday.

Vinny really likes the young people that visit him and have become his friends...Vinny and I are also grateful and truly appreciate the ramp built by the BonaResponds Team and the group of folks from N.Y. as well as the folks from St. Anthony. I don't know how you did it (the ramp) but Thank You for saving my brother. He is no longer 'stuck inside.' You also restored his faith in people and God.

Thank You again for blessing my brother (and his ramp) with your kindness.
Sincerely, Bridget (Vinny's Sister)"

From Jean in Port Allegheny:

"My heartfelt thanks to the BonaResponds group!

A job well done!   I am so touched that you would do this for me.  ... you must be very proud of this group.  And rightfully so.  I will never forget this work."

Also heard from Beverly (Olean):   She had a cancer scare, but is doing better.  She is speaking better but still needs back surgery.  She was excited when she saw a St. Bonaventure University commercial for SIMM.  She said hi to everyone and that the ramp is wonderful and they have it all decorated.

Heard from John at SPCA.  Pizza making starts at 11:30 and will be done by 3:00.

Pizza Sale for SPCA

This weekend one of our events will be to help make pizzas!  (Can't say we don't give you options!)...

Want one?  Let Jim know.

From SPCA:

     PIZZA SALE              Sunday, October 31, 2010

$8.00 per pizza, 13” Cheese or Cheese & Pepperoni

Made fresh – ready for your oven or freezer

Pizzas can be picked up at the Pulaski Club

(1104 N. Union St. in Olean) from 1:30 – 3:00 pm

or delivery available after 3 pm

See a representative of the SPCA to place your order

Proceeds benefit the animals at the SPCA in Cattaraugus County

 

Cholera report from Haiti

Image via WikipediaCholera is an amazingly bad disease that can both spread and kill quickly.  It has killed over 250 people in Haiti and has both the world petrified of the next major disaster in Haiti.  

From AlJeezeerahEnglish:




For more on how to treat and prevent Cholera from Doctors Without Borders--the short answer is top prevent dehydration (it can kill within hours) and get clean water.  The problem of course is that clean water is at a real premium. 

Related articles

• In Haiti, Cholera Adds to Quake Misery (foxnews.com)
• Over 250 die of cholera in Haiti (topinews.com)
• Aid agencies work to contain Haiti cholera outbreak (ctv.ca)
• You: Cholera outbreak threatens Haiti's capital (washingtonpost.com)
• New cholera cases still rising in Haiti (bbc.co.uk)

A letter of thanks from Fr Jud (letter to the editor) CAmden trip

Letter to the editor - (Oct. 22) - Opinion:

"Father, can you build me a wheelchair ramp?'

Vinnie, an occasional parishioner at our church in Camden, St. Anthony of Padua, cornered me at a parish event. In Camden, N.J., one of the poorest and most dangerous cities in the United States, requests for help are frequent and often impassioned. I immediately gave Vinnie some stock responses: 'Have you tried the county office for disabilities?'; 'It's a very busy time, can you ask me again in a few weeks?'; 'Let me see if someone on the staff has any ideas.' I could tell from Vinnie's expression he had heard all this before, so I said, 'Let's pray that the Holy Spirit sends us someone who can build you a ramp.'

Within 48 hours, Professor Jim Mahar messaged me on Facebook: 'Given that the Northeast U.S. has been pretty lucky disaster-wise recently, BonaResponds has no clear-cut 'must help' site for our midterm break (Oct. 8-12) ... so I was wondering if you need any help? Would you like 15-20 volunteers for a long weekend of work? We could bring tools, are very skilled at wheelchair ramps etc...'

Be sure to read the while article! Fr. Jud says lots of nice things about BonaResponds! :)

Short work day this weekend (Saturday)

Meet behind Murphy at 11:00.  (hope to be done by 3 at latest)

Depending on volunteer turnout, jobs will include:

1. Packing school supplies for Haiti
2. Replacing stairs at Carter's house (WW II veteran)
3. Finishing up at Allison's House (painting) 6th St. in Olean
4. Lattice and handrail at Tony's ramp in Salamanca
5. Sign/Trail markers for Bob's Woods
6. Clean up storage area
7. Deliver washer/dryer to SPCA
8. Paint wheel chair ramp in Port Allegany
9. Pick up medical supplies to ship to Vinnie in Camden
10. Make a sign for SPCA

It should be a short/fun day.  No lunch will be provided since it is such a short day, so please eat in advance. 

School supplies to Haiti

Image by Bona_Responds via FlickrCurious what goes into a 55 gallon barrel to ship to Haiti?  Different thing go in each barrel since we aere just dealing with donations...
Here is a representative barrel.
BonaResponds
School Supplies for Haiti
Qty Item
500 sheets Lined Writing Paper (24” x 18”)
500 sheets Drawing Paper (12” x 18”)
1 World Map Poster
25 Large Tablets (8.5” x 11”)
50 Medium Tablets (6” x 9”)
8 48 Pack Crayons
8 16 Pack Crayons
5 Children’s Scissors
96 Pencils
36 Beginners Pencils
800 Index Cards (3” x 5”)
50 Pens
12 Boxes of Chalk
1 Pencil Sharpener
1 Box of Paper Clips
1 Box of Push Pins
1 Bag of Rubberbands
2 Rolls of Scotch Tape
1 Roll Masking Tape
6 Note Pads (3” x 5”)
1 Stapler and Box of Staples
1 Pack Post Its
5 Post It Pads
1 Pack of Highlighters
2 Boxes of Markers
1 Bag of Toy Dinosaurs
2 Packs of Stickers
100 File Folders
3 2” Binders
1500 Sheets of Filler Paper
12 Sharpie Markers
10 Highlighters
15 Pen Lights
4 Steno Pads
100 Envelopes
2 Soccer Balls
2 Softballs
2 Tennis Balls

These barrels are being shipped to schools and orphanages largely around Leogane and Port au Prince.





How can you help?  We'd love some money for shipping.  Also we still need more tarps to send.  And small items...please no binders.  (but calculators, pencils, pens, crayons, rulers, or even small computers (netbook).

Some pictures from Camden (Via Fr. Jud)

Here are some pictures Fr. Jud has been taking of BonaResponds working (and playing) in Camden.

From facebook album.

Einstein and the bug bite

Lesson of the day: It is all relative. (that is Einstein was right, it is all relative)



Vinnie is a Camden resident who had a stroke about three years ago. Since then he has struggle to care for his elderly dog (Bear) and many cats (some of whom he saved when they had been abandoned by others).

Vinnie's stroke left much of his left side of his body disabled. It is a major challenge to stand and his left hand can do little.

Talking to him today he taught us all about perspective. You see he got a bug bite on his arm, and was happy about it!

You see, he could feel the bite. It itched. And that was the first time since the stroke that he could feel his left arm. What was a source of misery for others, had become a major encouragement for him. Maybe it would continue to get better.

Which just goes to show it is not what happens to you, but how you think about what happens to you that matters.

BonaResponds Fall Break Trip: Camden NJ

We are going to Camden NJ. We will be working out of Fr. Jud's St. Anthony of Padua Parish.
It will be fun. All BonaResponds trips are!

The cost will be $75 which covers food when we are there, a place to stay (you will need sleeping bags), and a t-shirt.




 What to bring:

1. A good attitude
2. Work clothes (jeans, long sleeve tee, short sleeve tee, sweatshirt, workboots (ideally steel toed).
3. Gloves--leather is best IMO
4. Sun glasses/safety goggles
5. Sleeping bag (pillow if you want one--yoga block works great and is smaller)
6. A pair of shorts would not be a bad idea
7. Flashlight
8. Phone charger
9. Digital camera
10. Towel
11. Toiletries etc (contacts, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc)
12. Water bottle
13. Granola bars etc for drive

Volunteers assemble more than 113,000 meals for Haitian children at St. Bonaventure event

Volunteers assemble more than 113,000 meals for Haitian children at St. Bonaventure event:

"On a solemn day of remembrance, hundreds of volunteers filled the Reilly Center Arena to offer a reminder of man’s nobler intentions.

Spearheaded by more than 350 St. Bonaventure students and community members, more than 500 volunteers — divided into four shifts — spent roughly eight hours Saturday, Sept. 11, packaging more than 113,000 meals for Haitian children affected by January’s devastating earthquake."

An article for the SBU website....

Mini-service Weekend

While volunteering with 500 others is great, small workdays can be just as special. You get to know others better and really see the impact that you are making. This weekend BonaResponds will be having a mini service weekend. We will have a small team going to the SPCA on Saturday to paint the Kennels, work on the dog walking trail, and walk some dogs. The Cattaraugus County SPCA is a no-Kill shelter and some dogs have been there many years. The least we can do is to assure they get a walk!
On Sunday we plan on offering a one hour chain saw lesson (Chain saw safety is a MUST and no one who has not been trained can use our saws after disasters) and then work on the Bob's Woods Trails for a while.

Sign up:

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).

BonaResponds in words