BonaResponds members stand on their newly built ramp / Photo courtesy of Jim Mahar
BY MARNIQUE OLIVIERI-PANEPENTO, STAFF WRITER
BonaResponds’ mission is clear: to help those in need and to bring people together. The student-run group and nonprofit organization at St. Bonaventure University is open to any person who wants to help and provide services to those in need.
“I don’t want to limit it (BonaResponds) to surrounding communities. We live in a world that is not fair. We live in a world that is much more random than we like to admit. We live in a world filled with very good people who are afraid or too often unable to help others. We live in a world where too often people see division instead of unity,” said Dr. James Mahar, the BonaResponds advisor.
Dr. Mahar, a finance professor, founded the volunteer organization in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina hit. He believes everyone has something to offer.
“Everyone has their own part to contribute,” senior finance major Matthew Wrobel said. Wrobel has been the student leader for a little over a year and was appointed by Mahar.
On Oct. 15, volunteers built the 300th wheelchair ramp at the St. Bonaventure preschool next to St. Bonaventure Parish. Last week they built a ramp in Little Valley, and they volunteer in the surrounding towns of Olean, Portville and Allegany. Organizations and people also reach out with requests when they hear all the good BonaResponds has to offer.
Over midterm break, BonaResponds traveled to Cleveland, Ohio and helped two families build wheelchair ramps, which changed families’ lives. This was the first trip since the pandemic, and it was two volunteers’ favorite project thus far. One ramp was for a family that couldn’t afford a ramp that they needed in order to bring their relative home from the hospital.
“This was my favorite ramp because we got the family involved and at one point the elderly man of the household Gene was excitedly drilling in deck boards with me and said, ‘I have a purpose again’ with the biggest smile and that really resonated with me, said Norah Marriner, a freshman health and society major and psychology minor.
The second family had friends over, and they came out and helped the volunteers. Wrobel said that was probably the most fun because they had the opportunity to share the experience with them.
“Although this entire trip was an amazing experience, the first ramp we did really stood out to me,” said David Scibilia, a freshman journalism major, who joined BonaResponds this year. “We built it for an 11-year-old boy who would have an extremely tough time getting inside without this ramp. It’s crazy to think that something you do could change the trajectory of someone’s life— this is what makes this club special.”
In addition to the local weekly ramps, BonaResponds organizes trail maintenance, delivers donated items to Urban Christian Ministries in Buffalo and helps to collect books for local schools.
“Whether locally, online (through PositiveRipples and HaitiScholarships) we work in Haiti, Liberia, Sierra Leone on an almost daily basis,” said Mahar.
“One Saturday of building a ramp can become a lifetime of someone using it,” said Scibilia.
The group responds to disasters on both a small and large scale and plans on traveling to Florida during winter break, and to the Bahamas for their yearly spring break trip. BonaResponds is largely a self-sustaining enterprise that is funded by alumni, friends and family.
There is no doubt that the organization will have a long-term impact locally and internationally.
Wrobel finds joy in BonaResponds.“Making a difference in myself and others through helping out the local community,” he said.
“Poverty, need, and isolation are the same regardless of location,” said Mahar. “If we can help make the world a bit better, then I am happy. That can come from helping after a disaster, building a wheelchair ramp, or fundraising for a water well.”
BonaResponds not only benefits those being served, but also the volunteers who serve.
“I hope BonaResponds can help as many people and do the greatest amount of good as possible. Although the club tends to focus on building wheelchair ramps, we do so much more. If we can change even one person’s life, I think it’s worth it,” said Scibilia.
Upcoming events for BonaResponds include: their next co-sponsored, follow-up to the Greg Boyle talk on Nov. 8, at 7 p.m., a blanket-making day on Black Friday and the Pink Pumpkin Project.
Mahar believes the world has reached an “all hands on deck moment.”
“I can say with certainty that the service we do brings us together and for me personally, being able to help others is my favorite part of the week and has made me a happier and more appreciative person,” said Marriner.
“From people starving in some nations, to declining life expectancies, to mental health issues, to division, war, and polarization,” he said.
And BonaResponds is there to help.
More information about the organization can be found here.
olivieme19@bonaventure.edu
