The following is a letter that was sent to local organizations.  for our Fall 2007  local service day.  

BonaResponds was formed after Katrina and has been very successful in organizing responses to disasters (6 trips to the Gulf, 7 trips to Buffalo after their October Snow storm, and a trip to Enterprise Alabama immediately following their deadly tornado) as well on bringing volunteers together in what we have names "local service days."

Relax, we are not asking for money (but hey if you want to donate, feel free! ;) )

I am writing to ask you if your organization would like volunteer assistance on September 8th (Saturday) which is the first BonaResponds Local Service day of the new school year. (You are included in the email because either you have worked with us in the past, you have mentioned it during the year, or I thought we would be a good fit for your organization.)  While we pride ourselves on flexibility and a quick response, in this case the sooner that you let us know, the more likely it is that we can help you.

While we have worked with many of your organizations before, if you need help again we would be glad to continue to help if possible.  However, we do not want to be seen as a yearly solution to your cleaning and regular maintenance.  Ideally what we would be doing is something that you would not be able to do on your own (be it for time, money, or other reasons).

The basic idea of the day will be similar to previous local service days we have held (this is our 6th), we meet at a central location for a meeting, break into teams, work for most of the day, and then about 4PM get back together for a all-hands meeting, reflection, and BBQ.   The day will wrap up about 5:00 PM.

A few things worth mentioning:

* Please try to find work that the volunteers will be able to accomplish and see that they have an impact.  This will assure they enjoy the experience and come back for more.  The work can be very hard, but volunteers really want to see an impact.  So before after pictures, an explanation of what the job will mean to your organization, etc. really helps.  While needed, simple cleaning (picking up a street) is hard to get volunteers interested/excited. Remember we want to make it fun for them too.  More fun means more volunteers next time!

* We would love to work along side volunteers from your group.  Minimally we need someone for your organization to assure we are doing the right things.  Thus you would act as the overall site leader, but each of our teams will also have a BonaResponds leader who can if you desire run the site.  More of your volunteers means more get done!

* We would ask that you (or someone from your organization) attend the meetings before and after the day if at all possible.  It REALLY helps both in organization but also in making the day meaningful.  Additionally, the more of your volunteers, the more our volunteers feel they are being appreciated and the better things work both this time and next time :).

* We can provide the labor, but not the materials (wood, paint, etc).  We are having a tool drive in conjunction with the day, but for now you would likely have to provide many of the tools.  If this is a problem please email us.

* Transportation to the events is often a challenge so IF you could be of assistance it would be great!

* We have several private homes lined up this time as well.  So if you know of a family or individual who needs help (especially if away in military, or disabled, poor, or elderly), feel free to forward that info to us as well.

Past jobs include painting, making trails, cleaning, moving furniture, hauling, landscaping, etc.  We are working on getting some more skilled volunteers but there are no guarantees.

If you could use our help, please let us know.  You can either email me or BonaResponds@sbu.edu.  Please do not feel obligated (and saying no this time will not affect future requests!)  Additionally do not confuse this with any other regular volunteer assistance you receive from SBU.  This is more of a "big project" event and not a week in and week out commitment for which SBU has other programs.

If you do not have work for us, please consider volunteering with us to help other local organizations! It is fun, free, and open to all! 

Thanks and feel free to pass this on to someone who could use it more.

Jim Mahar

http://BonaResponds.org

(A special note to those in local governments:  we'd love to work with you. Parks, street cleanups and painting etc work VERY well for us.  So be it painting Marcus park, painting street posts, fire hydrants, covering graffiti at Franchot, planting trees (also in Allegany!), helping build a mountain biking park, or whatever please do not hesitate to ask!)