November 7, 2011

It is a new week and it’s going to be another busy one here at Camp Good Days. We had a lunch meeting this afternoon, with representatives from Congressman Tom Reed’s Office, Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle’s Office, Congressman Richard Hanna’s Office and Congresswoman Kathy Hochul’s Office, as a follow-up to the CANCER MISSION 2020 Congressional District Cancer Summits held this past August.

The goal of this meeting was to review the valuable input that came out of the Cancer Summits and determine which recommendations we would move forward with, in terms of making those recommendations legislative items that will be introduced into Congress, hopefully by the end of this calendar year. It was a very productive meeting and we have a lot to get done by the end of the year, but we are confident in our ability to continue moving forward with this important initiative.

PLEASE check out CANCER MISSION 2020, www.cancermission2020.com, sign the petition and join us in this important initiative. And please, share the site with your family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, co-workers, 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!

I am sure that by now most of you have heard the news that the University of Rochester Yellowjackets have announced that they will play in Courage Bowl VIII in 2012, but will then no longer play the St. John Fisher College Cardinals. I will be meeting with the Athletic Director of the University of Rochester tomorrow afternoon, so that we can begin to put the plans into place for Courage Bowl VIII, which will be played on Saturday, September 15, 2012. We are also busy looking for another local team to play in this special game. I have had some great conversations with the Athletic Director at SUNY Brockport, and we hope to be able to have the Brockport Golden Eagles play the Fisher Cardinals in future Courage Bowl games.

This Thursday we have our monthly Project Exile Advisory Board Meeting at the Federal Building and everyone involved continues working to keep illegal guns off of the streets of our community and out of the hands of those who have lost their right to possess them.

Also on Thursday, Lisa Donato, Regional Director of our Buffalo Office will be recognized and honored as one of the Buffalo Business Journal’s 2011 40 Under Forty Award recipients. CONGRATULATIONS to Lisa for all that she does to help us provide some good days and special times for the many children and families we serve!

In other news, Laura was out of town last week so my schedule was a bit lighter than usual and I had the opportunity to head out to the Recreational Facility and see the progress that is being made on the new Dormitory Building. The building looks fantastic and is going to be beautiful. This new building will not only provide us with some much-needed, additional accommodations, particularly since we tore down the old motel building, but it is going to be very special, as it is being built in memory and honor of Lyle Corey. Lyle, as many of you know, was a very special friend to the children at Camp Good Days and a steadfast supporter of all that we do, especially the Kids Adjusting Through Support (KATS) Program. We want to thank LeChase Construction, where Lyle worked, for all of their help and support in making this project possible, as well as all of the individuals and companies that are donating so much of their time, talents and materials.

I recently received a letter from the American Camp Association (ACA) with the official scores from the re-accreditation we had this past summer. We have been so pleased to be an ACA Accredited Camp, as this is like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for the camping industry. Every three years we have to go through a re-accreditation process and our accreditation demonstrates and confirms that we are following the accepted standards of practices and policies to ensure the continued safety and security of our many, many campers, volunteers and staff. I am thrilled to report that we passed the re-accreditation with flying colors – receiving the highest possible scores.

Some final thoughts for this week…

The Fisher Cardinals took a tough loss this past weekend to Salisbury and we will play our final regular season game this coming Saturday at Hartwick College. Fingers are crossed for a victory to cap off the regular season and the opportunity to move on to some post-season play!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 8, 2011 is ELECTION DAY. Don’t forget to vote! It only takes a few minutes of your time and your vote is important.

I also encourage everyone to take a few moments this week, especially this Friday, November 11, 2011 to honor and remember all of our veterans who have served and all those men and women who continue to serve our country, putting their lives on the line everyday to ensure our continued safety and freedom.