As BonaResponds celebrates its 10th anniversary, the Bonaventure community looks back on the local, national and international work this disaster-relief based club has done.
Established in the days after Hurricane Katrina hit in late August 2005, BonaResponds originally aimed to provide relief to victims of this natural disaster, said Jim Mahar, BonaResponds founder and associate professor of finance.
“I was totally transfixed by Katrina,” Mahar said. “CNN was showing a press conference with the head of homeland security, and they said there are no problems at the convention center; we have it all under control. Clearly, nobody in their right mind would say it was under control.”
After watching images of dead bodies floating and people being blown off the roofs of their homes, Mahar said he had to take action.
Mahar decided to gather a group of students and head south to provide aid to those affected. While he said that he thought students would jump right to action, Mahar was surprised to only round up a group of eight students to attend the trip.
“As we were driving in, we were going up over the railroad tracks,” Mahar said. “As soon as we went up over the tracks, it went from limited damage to catastrophic damage. The entire vehicle went silent. I don’t know if I can describe it.”
Mahar said that, in that moment, he knew BonaResponds would be a long-lasting effort, which would outlive the relief needed in the days following Katrina.
“What we do, and what we continue to do, is much more than the physical building of a wheel chair ramp or cutting up of a tree,” Mahar said. “It is giving [those affected] hope that things are going to get better and showing them that people still care. If there’s one constant across every disaster we’ve been in, it’s that people want to be reminded that the world hasn’t forgotten about them.”
Although Mahar knew the club would continue on, BonaResponds’ legacy has expanded far beyond what he imagined—now serving individuals in need as nearby as the Olean area and as distant as Liberia.
Today, BonaResponds aids individuals of any varying level of need, with much of its work surrounding building wheelchair ramps for disabled individuals. Currently, BonaResponds has eight requests for wheelchair ramp installation within a 50-mile radius. Also, some of the club’s recent efforts include sending items to a Liberian orphanage and raising money during the Ebola crisis.
“BonaResponds is an incredible organization that was founded for one cause, but has helped so many others over the course of 10 years,” LaurieAnne Wickens, a junior marketing major who has volunteered for the group, said. “It is amazing that a group from such a small school has had such a huge impact on the lives of countless people.”
Going forward, both Mahar and club members hope to boost interest in the club and gather more volunteers for their upcoming projects.
“Our only mission is to help,” Mahar said. “Whether we’re helping in the United States or in other countries…Without everyone, BonaResponds is just a good idea. We need volunteers, we need donors, we need leaders—without all of those you wouldn’t get anything done.”
Anyone interested in joining BonaResponds is encouraged to speak with Mahar about how to get involved. Involvement in this club has no criteria, other than a willingness to help those in need, and there is no training involved for participants, he said.
“We are self sufficient; we have everything we need,” Mahar said. “We’re not using their gas, we’re not using their water—we just come and go and make differences. You are literally changing the world. The positive ripple effects are immeasurable.”
mcgurllt14@bonaventure.edu
