Persevere is now a registered cause on iGive.com. By becoming a free member of iGive.com you can shop online at over 685 well-known stores including Expedia, Amazon, eBay, Banana Republic and more! A portion of each of your online purchases through iGive.com is donated directly to Persevere. The more you shop at iGive.com the more you donate to Persevere!

Video of awards ceremony now available online

Boston College has posted video and audio links from their alumni awards ceremony held in October. Persevere's Bill Driscoll Jr. was presented with BC's Young Alumni Award at the event. To watch the video of Bill's acceptance speech click the link below and select from either high or low bandwidth video or audio only.

Award's Link

To save time fast forward to:

Introduction - 1:26:00

Speech -1:30:40

Persevere is now a registered charity at GoodSearch.com. GoodSearch is an internet search engine that will donate a penny to Persevere for every search one of our supporters makes on their site. Simply type "Persevere Disaster Relief" in the "Who Do You GoodSearch For?" box before typing your search criteria in. It is that easy!

"GoodSearch is the search engine with a unique social mission. It's powered by Yahoo, so you get the same great search results. We donate 50% of advertising revenue to the nonprofits selected by our users. Now you and your supporters can make a difference in the lives of many people, simply by changing the way you search the Internet!"

Project Report 3/7/2007

TORNADO RESPONSE

ENTERPRISE, ALABAMA

Event: Tornado
Project Type: Short Term Response / Immediate Disaster Relief
Project Dates: 3/2/2007 – 3/6/2007
Location: Enterprise, Alabama

Summary:

On 3/1/2007 Enterprise, Alabama was struck by a tornado that killed 9 people and caused extensive damage throughout the city. Persevere responded quickly by touring the affected area located roughly 4.5 hours from Persevere’s Mississippi operations center. After assessing the damage Persevere made nearby housing arrangements and sent for tree removal equipment in Mississippi. The tornado that touched down in Enterprise was more devastating than the tornado that hit Lady Lake, FL exactly one moth earlier.

Jim Mahar, Persevere board member and Director of BonaResponds diverted Bona’s 60 person spring break service trip to Alabama for several days to aid in the tornado recovery.

Persevere’s third disaster relief project was a complete success. We managed to sustain our Katrina Relief efforts while simultaneously responding to the Enterprise Tornado devastation. This marked the first time that Persevere has had two separate disaster relief projects operating at the same time. We had 23 volunteers working in Mississippi and 60 from BonaResponds in Alabama.

Our focus was on clearing trees and debris on/around homes. We cut approximately 50 trees and cleared 10 yards full of damaged trees and debris. BonaResponds volunteers also helped clear debris from a cemetery and comb through scattered belongings with residents trying to salvage keepsakes. Persevere’s high powered chainsaws allowed us to tackle the biggest and toughest trees that fell. Many volunteers in the area were equipped with “homeowner” chainsaws and helped a great deal but were unable to even attempt the older and thicker trees. With our professional saws and experience we were able to handle the most intimidating of trees. In only four work days we were able to remove 50 trees. We cleared several massive oaks that dated back well before the Civil War. Our efforts in removing trees that fell through and beside homes saved survivors thousands of dollars that can now be spent on repairs rather than clean-up.


Collaboration:

Persevere teamed up with 60 volunteers from BonaResponds to provide assistance to those affected in Enterperise, AL. BonaResponds is a service organization comprised of current students, faculty, staff, alumni and other members of the St. Bonaventure University and Western NY community. Persevere’s experienced tree team cut while the BonaResponds volunteers hauled and cleared debris. BonaResponds made an invaluable contribution to this relief effort. We also worked alongside the various members of the community and the Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief Team.

Housing was graciously donated by the Coffee Baptist Vineyard Retreat Center located just outside Enterprise in Ariton, AL.

By the Numbers:

Volunteer Hours: 876

Project Expenses (fuel, meals, supplies): $194.15

Total Value of Donated Labor: $18,396.00

Alabama Tornado Response

Persevere responded to the tornado damage in Enterprise, Alabama. We assisted survivors with tree and debris clean-up. Persevere and BonaResponds teamed up to provide volunteer support to the survivors of the disaster.

Please see the the Project Report from 3/7/2007 for more details about the response.