Thursday, November 1, 2007

Help Camp Good Days This Holiday Season!

All of us here at Camp Good Days are gearing up for the Holiday Season and finalizing the plans for the Annual Kazoo Fest. The Kazoo Fest was started 62 years ago by Joe Benet outside the Toy Department of the Sibley’s store on Main Street in Downtown Rochester, and has become one of the major and most successful fundraising events to benefit the many programs and services provided by Camp Good Days. Following Joe Benet’s death from cancer, his son, former Monroe County Legislator, Bill Benet, contacted me, to see if the Kazoo Fest tradition could be continued, staffed by volunteers, with proceeds benefiting the programs and services at Camp Good Days. Since 1984, Camp Good Days has continued the Kazoo Fest at various locations.

Last year, Camp Good Days held the Kazoo Fest through partnerships and support from Tom Wahl’s, Bill Gray’s, Hegedorn’s, and Lord & Taylor, and finished the Kazoo Fest season with the attempt to break the Guinness World Record for Largest Kazoo Ensemble at the City of Rochester’s New Year’s Eve Celebration.

Over 2600 community members participated in the record attempt, which lead to successfully breaking the existing record, making Camp Good Days and the City of Rochester the Official Guinness World Record Holders for the Largest Kazoo Ensemble!

This Holiday Season, Camp Good Days will have a number of Kazoo Fest locations including: Lord & Taylor at Eastview Mall; JCPenney at Eastview Mall; JCPenney at Marketplace Mall; JCPenney at Greece-Ridge Center; Walden-Galleria Mall in Buffalo; Best Buy in Carousel Mall in Syracuse; and Best Buy in Elmira.

I encourage you to stop by one of our Kazoo Fest locations this Holiday Season. You will have the chance to learn more about the many programs and services we provide, as well as the many volunteer opportunities available. In addition, you will you have the opportunity to pick up some great stocking stuffers, and at the same time know that you are helping us to continue providing some good days and special times for the very special children and families we serve.

We also need many volunteers to help us staff our Kazoo Fest locations, so if you would like to help us out, please contact Betsy Nagel, here at Camp Good Days, 585-624-5555 or bnagel@campgooddays.org. You can pick the location, date and time that is most convenient for you.

Wishing all of you a Holiday Season filled with good health, peace, happiness, and much love!