I went to Olean today with the expectation of dropping off the crutches I collected and helping to pack up whatever else Bonaresponds had collected as part of their Haiti releif effort.   I had no idea, the absolutely amazing results that I would fortunate enough to take part in.  We began the morning by picking up crutches at some of the local drop off points in Allegany and setting up the packing area at the Park & Shop in Olean. 

 

We moved on to pick up supplies from the Corner Stone Church Medical Supply Loan in Portville and all I can say is WOW!!!  We showed up with the expectation of a few walkers and several sets up crutches, but Pastor John really amazed us with his generosity.  Not only did they donate around 30 or 40 pairs of crutches, but also 20-25 walkers, at least 30 canes, and probably 25 or 30 stick type crutches.  All told, Bonaresponds ended up packing 281 pairs of various crutches, 105 canes, 109 walkers, 14 tents, 7 sleeping pads, 4 kneebraces, 2 wheel chairs, and 7 boxes of medical supplies...

 

Jim will likely have the photos posted tomorrow or monday at Bonaresponds.org , but here's one I took with the phone.   

On a related note I was highly impressed with the Bonaventure students that turned out to volunteer on a rather cold, wet, and windy Saturday.  They were in high spirits throughout the day and I had a great deal of fun working along side them.  This was definately a worth-while experience, even if it did run a bit longer than I had anticipated (we started at 1030am and wrapped up around 4pm).  I look forward to my next opportunity to lend a hand...  

-Nate