Wednesday, July 6, 2011

The Fourth of July Holiday Weekend began for us last Thursday. It was a beautiful day and more than 200 of Ron Federico’s family members and friends gathered on the lawn at Holy Cross Anglican Church in Webster to say goodbye this very special and gentle man. As one can imagine, I have been to way too many funerals, but Ron’s was so simple and elegant and is one that I will remember for a very long time.

To have Father David Ambuske, who is such a fine man and a blessing to everyone at Camp Good Days, preside over Ron’s funeral meant so much, and his wife, Linda, could not have been more helpful in accommodating all of us. Time and again it is apparent that working at Camp Good Days is so much more than just a job – we are truly a family. The staff at Camp Good Days has been tremendous, filling in for Tammy so that she could spend her time with Ron in his final days and take care of all the necessary things that must be done. They pitched in to help ensure that the services were what she wanted them to be, and the balloon launch was exceptionally beautiful. Daria Bour made the service extra special by playing the bagpipes, on very short notice. Mike Falvo – there just aren’t enough words to express what he means to the children and families at Camp Good Days and to all of us. His guidance, assistance and compassionate support during this difficult time were astounding. Tammy invited everyone back to her and Ron’s house that afternoon, as it is their beautiful home they made together and Ron was so proud of it.

On Friday, Wendy and I took my father-in-law, Tammy and Tammy’s daughters out to dinner and then we went to Sahlen’s Stadium, as it was Camp Good Days’ Night, and we watched the Rochester Rhinos take on the Richmond Kickers – it was great to see the Rhinos win!

On Saturday, I took some much needed time to think, reflect and grieve, while Wendy got some chores done around the house. On Saturday evening, Tammy and one of her daughters came over and joined us for a cookout.

On Sunday, we woke up to another beautiful day – the Lord has blessed us with some great weather recently – and Wendy and I drove out to the Camp Good Days’ Recreational Facility on Keuka Lake to see how things were there. As we walked around, I noticed the amazing new miniature golf course, which the family of Scotty Toombs, a former camper who lost his battle to cancer, has been not only raising the money to renovate, but has personally been coming to Camp Good Days to put the new course together. Like clockwork, every weekend they have been there getting the new course ready for the campers to enjoy. It dawned on me that the 2011 summer had already started and our first camping program, the Sharing & Caring / Do The Right Thing Program, which is for children who have lost an immediate family member to homicide or have been recipients of the Rochester Police Department’s Do The Right Thing Award, had already taken place. For the first time in 32 years, we held a program and I was not able to be there, even for a visit. However, in talking with Chrissy Woods, our Camp Director, and James McCauley, Jr. our Partners Against Violence Everywhere (PAVE) Initiative Coordinator, it appears that we started out the season on the right foot with the campers having a great experience and no real problems arising.

On Sunday evening, we went to Chuck & Michelle’s for a cookout – as only Michelle can do! Sitting on their deck, only a few miles from Camp, I realized how blessed I have been to have Michelle in my life and how blessed all the children and families at Camp Good Days are to have Michelle as part of our family. I have known Michelle for 32 years, as she was one of Teddi’s nurses when Teddi was in the hospital. With the exception of when Michelle attended the University of Pittsburgh to obtain her advanced degree, she has been a part of the Camp Good Days’ programs for all these years.

Monday, the Fourth of July, would have been my Dad’s 100^th birthday, if he was still alive. We had a quiet day and went to visit Tammy, who as anyone can imagine is having a hard time. It is so hard to see this emotionally drained and devastated woman and you wish so much that you could just free her of all that pain, and hurt, and sadness. Unfortunately, we can’t do that, this is a part of life and all we can do is be there for her with our support and compassion. We took Tammy to dinner on Monday night and then went to the Red Wings game at Frontier Field with Wendy’s Dad, but our hearts just weren’t in it and we left before the end of the game.

A new week and a new program have begun here at Camp Good Days. Campers in the Childhood USA / B&ST Alumni Program headed to Camp; we had an All City Staff Meeting so that we can all catch up and make sure we are on track with all of our important work; and I had a phone call with Dr. Lee Helman, Scientific Clinical Director for the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute, to share with him a little bit about CANCER MISSION 2020.

Going through these past few weeks has been emotionally draining, yet it has renewed my commitment and resolve about how important CANCER MISSION 2020 is. In the words of Jim Valvano – we can’t give up, we can’t ever give up!

PLEASE, if you have not yet checked out CANCER MISSION 2020, www.cancermission2020.com, please go to the site, sign the petition and join us in this important initiative. And please, share the site and the initiative with your family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, co-workers, fellow parishioners, etc. It is going to take all of us, together, to finally find the answers and put an end to cancer by the end of the decade!