Thoughts for the New Year

With all that is going on in the world and in our community today, it would do us all some good to not take for granted all that we have and count our blessings, and make this New Year one of hope, faith, and the belief in miracles. As Chairman & Founder of Camp Good Days and Special Times, for the past 28 years, I have had the chance to see the very best of the human spirit, through our programs for children battling cancer, and the very worst of the crime and violence in our community, through our Partners Against Violence Everywhere (PAVE) Initiative and my role as Chairman of the Project Exile Advisory Board.

Children with cancer wage a daily battle with life. These special children have done nothing to cause their disease and they carry no chips on their shoulders about the hand in life that they have been dealt. They learn at a very early age to say what they mean and they know not to put off until tomorrow what they can do today. They grow up very quickly; and they know the true meaning of living life to its fullest. I could tell you thousands of stories about these extraordinary survivors, who are real-life examples of hope, faith, and the belief in miracles, but I will share with you just three. These three individuals are just a few of the ones who give me my strength and inspiration everyday.

Denny was a young man who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, the same kind of brain tumor that my daughter, Teddi, was diagnosed with, and in fact, Denny and Teddi shared the same radiation oncologist. Their doctor once described Denny as the $6 million man because his chances of surviving his battle with cancer were six million to one. While life has not always been easy for Denny, as he has had many hospitalizations and surgeries over the years, he is one of the real miracles. Denny was told that as a result of the cancer and treatments, he would be sterile and unable to father his own children. Today, Denny is married to a wonderful wife and they have two beautiful daughters.

Danny is another example. All Danny ever dreamed of being was a professional firefighter, following in his father’s and older brother’s footsteps, who were members of the Rochester Fire Department. Danny was diagnosed with cancer during high school and was repeatedly told that he would never be able to fulfill that dream, as no one knew how to deal with someone who had been treated for childhood cancer and no one thought he would be able to handle the rigorous academy. I was so pleased to have attended Danny’s graduation from the Fire Academy and to see how proud his father and brother were as he walked across that stage. Today, Danny continues his career with the Rochester Fire Department and most recently was featured in a newspaper article, in which he was credited with helping to save someone’s life.

The third example is Nate, who comes from a beautiful family in the town of Greece. Nate was one of our youngest campers that first summer at Camp Good Days, as he was only seven years old. Nate went on to graduate from high school, obtain his degree from Alfred State College and is now employed full-time by Monroe Community College. When Nate became too old to come to Camp Good Days as a camper, he volunteered each summer and was also a member of our Summer Staff, serving as a true inspiration to the children with whom he worked. I have been so impressed with Nate over the years, and how he has dealt with his diagnosis and treatment for cancer, that I even recommended he become a member of the Camp Good Days’ Board of Directors, on which he now serves. Most recently, at the Camp Good Days’ Annual Holiday Party, Nate was inducted into the Camp Good Days’ Ring of Honor, which is the highest honor bestowed by Camp Good Days on those who have gone above and beyond in their support of the children and families we serve.

As we celebrate these real-life miracles, we must also take the time to reflect upon the past year and make our resolutions for the New Year. I hope that you will all join me in praying for the brave men and women serving our country and who were not able to be home with their families this Holiday Season, as they are protecting our way of life and the many freedoms we enjoy. We should also pray for the brave men and women who are protecting us right here at home in our community; the men and women of law enforcement working everyday to combat the crime and violence. Despite all of the technological advances that we as a society and community have forged, it is amazing that in 2007 so many people chose to use a gun to deal with their stress, conflict or disagreements. The number of homicides we witness, in a community of our size, is not only intolerable, but should be inexcusable to all of us who are law-abiding citizens.

I ask each of you to make one of your resolutions to share any information you may have about a crime or about someone in possession of an illegal gun with law enforcement, before we have any more heartache and devastation to families in our community. To be sure, Project Exile, which was brought to our community in 1998 to remove illegal guns from our streets, will continue to be proactive in working with law enforcement and will have a new series of billboards and materials featuring the You + Illegal Gun = Prison message, as well as the message of: If You See Something Go Down…Stand Up, along with the 428-GUNS phone number, which can be used to anonymously report illegal guns. When all is said and done, the men and women of law enforcement can not solve this problem alone, they need our help.

We can all help to make our community the very best that it can be in this New Year; not only a safer place in which to live, work, and raise our families, but one that is filled with hope, faith, and the belief in miracles.