Hello all!

Giving Tuesday at Bonas is approaching quickly and the fundraising has already began! To keep Bona Buddies and the many other programs of the Franciscan Center for Social Concern running, we need your help! We have from now until the end of December 1st to raise money for our programs! As a student coordinator of Bona Buddies, I can attest to the great work we do in the local communities around Saint Bonaventure.

Bona Buddies is a youth mentoring program where college students at St. Bonaventure can mentor children from the local area. Usually, the children come to St. Bonaventure to meet with their mentors and do different activities from the clubs on campus. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to reimagine the program. Over the summer, the other student coordinators and myself worked hard to plan a virtual and socially-distant program so that Bona Buddies could stay up and running during these uncertain times. Every month, we have donated activity bags to each of the houses of our buddies and we have had our mentors write letters. Additionally, we offered virtual homework help sessions to each of our buddies in order for them to be able to talk with their mentors! For many children around the area, Bona Buddies provides the children with a role model, friend, and someone to depend on. Bona Buddies is an amazing program that truly makes a difference and we hope to continue the program for many years to come!

As a student coordinator this year, I have taken a greater role in the program and the work we do is truly inspiring. We worked hard to reimagine the program and get it to work as well as possible. We tried our best to keep the program alive! With your help, we hope to keep our program running for as long as possible! Thank you!

I hope you will consider donating to a great cause this holiday season! Anything helps and is greatly appreciated!

All the best! Thank you!