Summer Coming to an End...

Here we are just a couple of days from the beginning of September – how did we get here so fast? I know that for me and all of us at Camp Good Days, we are still in shock about the untimely deaths of Ron Federico, Elizabeth Messick, Conner, Karl’s father, and Mark’s father. But, all in all, as I drove home last Thursday evening, after spending three days at the Recreational Facility, I thought that it has been a really good summer. I always measure the success of the summer by the reaction of our campers on the day it is time for them to head home. If we can send them home in the same condition they arrived in, and if they are not in a hurry to board the buses or vans to go home, then I am confident that we have done a good job!

As I think back over this summer, it is truly amazing how much has happened in so short a time. We had the NAVY Northeast Band visit the Camp Good Days’ Headquarters in Mendon, where the campers got to listen to the band and dance and play in the interactive demos and exhibits and I had the chance to meet Rear Admiral Quinn. Some of the campers got to attend the final practice, prior to the ESL International Air Show, of the Blue Angels at the Greater Rochester International Airport. Our campers from the Doing A World Of Good Program were the special guests of Trackmasters, Inc., spending a thrilling day at Watkins Glen International meeting the drivers and getting rides around the track in some fabulous cars. Campers had the chance to attend the Buffalo Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher College, where they were the special VIP guests in the Buffalo Bills Community Relations Tent. We had the opportunity to take campers to the Western New York Flash game when they played Abby Wambach’s team, MagicJack, and to the Rochester Rhinos game.

A large number of visitors joined us for the Annual Summer Open House and although it rained, the skies cleared for the most important parts of the day – the Ring of Honor Induction Ceremony, and the Fireworks, which Young Explosives did an amazing job with again this year.

We also had a number of special guest visitors who took time out of their busy schedules to come to the Recreational Facility and be a part of all that makes Camp Good Days so special. We had performances from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra ensembles and the Finger Lakes Chamber Orchestra; we had our friends from the Aquatic Center teach the campers how to scuba, and we had the lovely ladies who come and help the campers bake cookies. The Rochester Rhinos soccer team came out and conducted a clinic with the campers and then spent some time just enjoying Camp Good Days, particularly the slip & slide. Other special guests included United States Attorney for the Western District of New York, Bill Hochul and Assistant US Attorney, Bret Puscheck; United States Marshal, Charles Salina; FBI Agent, David Zariczny; Monroe County Executive, Maggie Brooks; Monroe County District Attorney, Mike Green; Rochester Police Chief, James Sheppard; Keuka College’s new President, Jorge Diaz-Herrera; Rochester City School District Interim Superintendent, Bolgen Vargas, and many, many more.

The past week was our last official week of summer here and we began the week with the Corey-Coffey Golf Classic on Monday, held at Penfield Country Club. It was a tremendous event and the response was so overwhelming we had to have a morning and afternoon flight of golfers. There were 300 plus attendees at the dinner, held under the tent outside, and the day was a wonderful tribute in honor and memory of Lyle Corey and Bill Coffey, both of whom were such good friends and wonderful supporters of the children and families we serve. It was so nice to have Lyle’s wife, Joanne, and her children in attendance, and we want to give special thanks to Wayne LeChase, Bill Goodrich and the entire LeChase family; our great friends, Terry Clifford, Steve Hausmann and Newman at WBEE 92.5; and to Nicole Jones, the entire organizing committee and the staff members at Camp Good Days who all helped to make this a great event.

Last Monday we also kicked off our final week of programs for children at the Recreational Facility, hosting children who have or have lost a parent or sibling to cancer. It was an exciting week for these campers as on Tuesday the University of Rochester Football Team came to visit and on Wednesday, the St. John Fisher College Football Team came to visit. Players and Coaches from both teams had a great time and I always enjoy taking everyone on a tour and answering their questions about Camp Good Days and the many programs and services we provide. Both teams make this annual visit to Camp Good Days, in preparation for the Camp Good Days COURAGE BOWL, which is the annual football game between the St. John Fisher College Cardinals and the University of Rochester Yellowjackets, to benefit Camp Good Days. This year’s Camp Good Days COURAGE BOWL will be played on Saturday, September 17, 2011 at Sahlen’s Stadium in Downtown Rochester. General Admission tickets are on sale now for a donation of $5.00 per student / youth and $7.00 per adult. Tickets can be obtained at the Sahlen’s Stadium Box Office, through www.ticketmaster.com, or by contacting us at Camp Good Days, 585-624-5555 or www.campgooddays.org.

If you want to see just a glimpse of the fun that was had during the team visits, check out www.YouTube.com/CampGoodDays79 for a video of the St. John Fisher College players joining the campers for a camp song!

In the early hours of Thursday morning, I was awoken at 3:00 AM by hail hitting the roof of our cabin and the crack of lightening, which hit and split the tree between the cabin I stay in and one of our boys’ cabins. The tree came down on the roof and we had to have that removed quickly on Thursday, but fortunately no campers were staying in that cabin at the time and everyone made it through the storm safe and sound, albeit a bit tired. It was a clear reminder of how powerful Mother Nature truly is!

Last Thursday, we held our third CANCER MISSION 2020 Congressional District Cancer Summit, with New York’s 29^th Congressional District Representative, Tom Reed, and I was so pleased we could host this Cancer Summit at the Camp Good Days’ Recreational Facility, which is located in the middle of the 29^th Congressional District. Our Keynote Speaker was Candace Johnson, PhD, Deputy Director, Chair, Pharmacology and Therapeutics and Wallace Chair in Translational Research at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and we were also fortunate enough to have special Guest Speaker, Lydia C. Pan, Director of Worldwide Policy at Pfizer, Inc. In addition to the Cancer Summit held last Thursday, we also held the 25^th Congressional District Cancer Summit with Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle on Monday, August 15, 2011 at Upstate Medical University’s Weiskotten Hall, with Keynote Speaker, Dr. Stephen Edge, of Roswell Park Cancer Institute and member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Executive Committee., and the 28^th Congressional District Cancer Summit with Congresswoman Louise Slaughter took place on Thursday, August 18, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo, with Keynote Speaker, Dr. Leslie Kohman, Distinguished Service Professor, Medical Director of Surgery, and Medical Director, Upstate Cancer Center at Upstate University Hospital.

The Congressional District Cancer Summits brought together leaders in government, health care, cancer patient groups and support service agencies, and other fields to discuss and plan how we can be a part of a larger, more collaborative and cooperative movement to cure cancer. Some of the topics discussed at the Cancer Summits included: educating ourselves and those around us about taking advantage of what we know now (screenings, diet and lifestyle changes, etc.); increasing the knowledge of and patient participation in clinical trials, especially in the cases of young adults and adults with cancer; having patients be able to participate in clinical trials without the fear or possibility of having their health insurance canceled as a result; publicly sharing the results of cancer research – we can’t afford to duplicate research efforts; converting the healthcare system from one that is illness-based to one that is wellness-based; calling for a National Cancer Summit, following a number of Congressional District Cancer Summits; and rekindling the belief and the will in the American people that cancer is a disease that will not be tolerated any longer and can be defeated! A report will be issued by Camp Good Days and CANCER MISSION 2020, which will compile and summarize the many topics, suggestions, ideas and recommendations that came out of the Cancer Summits.

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!

During the Cancer Summit at Camp Good Days, we also taped our monthly Radio Show, “Good Days & Special Times”, hosted by NEWS10NBC Anchor, Rich Funke and myself, which will air this Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 6:30 PM on WYSL NewsPower 1040AM and 92.1 FM. If you miss this show or any of the shows, just check out www.wysl1040.com for the podcast.

This past weekend, I spent both Friday evening and Saturday afternoon at Sahlen’s Stadium, for the final weekend of professional soccer this summer. The Rochester Rhinos continued their playoff run on Friday night, but unfortunately, despite playing hard, came up short. However, the Western New York Flash won the Women’s Professional Soccer Championship Game on Saturday, defeating Philadelphia in a game that came down to penalty kicks. Our congratulations go out to our good friend and Western New York Flash Goalkeeper Coach, Scott Vallow for a fantastic inaugural coaching season!

I am now back in Rochester and yesterday headed over to Irondequoit Country Club to tape a video clip for my good friend and our community’s good friend, Mike Green, and to have lunch with other friends, I.C. Shah and former Buffalo Bills standout Special Teams Player, Steve Tasker. Last night I was at Midvale Country Club to attend the Friends of Ramon Golf Tournament Dinner, where I had the chance to thank all those who participated for not only helping to keep Ramon Santiago’s memory alive but also supporting Camp Good Days. This tournament was one of a variety of special fundraising activities being coordinated by a group of friends of Ramon’s, and any proceeds will go to support the Arts & Crafts Program at the Camp Good Days’ Recreational Facility.

The rest of this week is filled with meetings, catching up on things in the Mendon Office, and some football practices and photos over at St. John Fisher College. Getting back to the topic of football and the Camp Good Days COURAGE BOWL, please, check out our website, www.campgooddays.org for all of the information about this year’s event, as we have some new and exciting things taking place!

We are thrilled to be partnering with Vanderstyne Toyota/Scion on the exciting Courage Bowl Car Raffle! The prize is a 2011 Toyota Corolla-S, valued at approximately $20,000.00, which has been made available through the generosity of Vanderstyne Toyota/Scion, led by Jay Vanderstyne and his son, Jay Jay Vanderstyne, who played in the early Courage Bowl games, as a standout member of the University of Rochester Football Team. The Courage Bowl Car Raffle is also being made possible through the support and generosity of Toyota Motor Sales. The Toyota Corolla is overall about three features…Performance. Style. Safety. One of the best selling cars in the world, it has agile handling, excellent fuel economy and a smooth comfortable ride. The drawing for the Courage Bowl Car Raffle will take place as part of the Halftime Show at Camp Good Days COURAGE BOWL VII on Saturday, September 17, 2011 at Sahlen’s Stadium. Courage Bowl Car Raffle tickets are available for $25.00 each, for those ages 18 and older, and may be purchased by contacting Camp Good Days at 585-624-5555 or 800-785-2135. More information may also be found at www.campgooddays.org. Each ticket will include a ticket to Camp Good Days COURAGE BOWL VII on Saturday, September 17, 2011.

New to the Camp Good Days COURAGE BOWL this year, Carry the Ball for Courage, sponsored by 13 WHAM TV, Advantage Federal Credit Union, Karpus Investment Management, and Excellus, will be held on Thursday, September 15, 2011 and is similar to the Olympic Torch Relay. Camp Good Days is asking community members to donate some of their time and energy, as well as the support of their friends and family, to carry one of the “official” game balls for approximately one quarter of a mile en route from the Camp Good Days’ Headquarters in Mendon to Sahlen’s Stadium in Downtown Rochester. Routes have been mapped out from Camp Good Days’ Headquarters in Mendon, to St. John Fisher College, to Sahlen’s Stadium; and from Camp Good Days’ Headquarters in Mendon, to the University of Rochester, to Sahlen’s Stadium. Participants may register to Carry the Ball for Courage for a minimum donation of $25.00. Additional donations may be obtained via pledges. Participants may register as an individual or as a team, and may indicate their preferred route and preferred quarter-mile area. Registration forms may be obtained by calling Camp Good Days at 585-624-5555 or 800-785-2135 or online at www.campgooddays.org, or www.13whamtv.com.

I am signing off now, as I am getting tired just writing this, but check back for another update next week. In the meantime I wish you all a safe, healthy and happy Labor Day Weekend!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

I had the pleasure of spending the past couple of days at the Camp Good Days’ Recreational Facility, where we have been hosting the Rochester City School District Leadership Program, for children from the district who will be making the transition from elementary school to middle school. The program went really well, with a great group of students and a few special guests. On Tuesday, Rochester City School District Interim Superintendent, Dr. Bolgen Vargas came to visit with the students and see the program in action. Later that afternoon, Monroe County District Attorney, Mike Green came and had the chance to speak to the students and answer their questions. On Wednesday, United States Attorney, Bill Hochul, along with Sam and Barb from his office, came to visit, take a tour of the facility and Bill also spoke to the students and answered their questions. This special program concluded earlier today and I am confident that the students who participated are better prepared to successfully head into middle school next month.

I returned home to Rochester last night and this morning we had our monthly Project Exile Advisory Board Meeting. Despite many members being on their end of the summer vacations, we had a productive meeting and are looking forward to finalizing plans for our Project Exile 13^th Anniversary Report to the Community Breakfast, which has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 27, 2011. It is hard to believe that the Project Exile program has been going strong for 13 years and the cooperation, collaboration and partnerships amongst the many law enforcement, prosecutorial, and service agency members is truly remarkable and not seen in many communities.

Today also concludes our Junior Good Days Program, here in Rochester. The campers have had a fantastic week filled with fun activities including visiting Strong National Museum of Play, seeing a movie, spending an afternoon at the beach, walking with the whitetail deer, visiting Lollypop Farm, and spending today at Seabreeze Amusement Park. Check out our website, www.campgooddays.org and facebook, www.facebook.com/CampGoodDays79 for photos coming soon!

Tonight, Thalia Hayden, a reporter with NEWS10NBC will be interviewing me, as she called me this afternoon to see if she could talk with me about the recent research and treatment results from the University of Pennsylvania regarding cancer and specifically leukemia.

Tomorrow we will have a Staff Meeting as we have a variety of activities and events that are taking place this weekend. Tomorrow evening some of our staff and Cancer Mission 2020 College Campus Advocates will be attending the Rochester Red Wings’ doubleheader at Frontier Field where we will have a table to share information and materials about our many programs and services, as well as have the CANCER MISSION 2020 Petitions for game attendees to sign.

This weekend, from Friday afternoon through Sunday morning, we will host a special group of participants from School of the Holy Childhood at the Recreational Facility. Camp Good Days has enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship with School of the Holy Childhood over the years, as they allow us to hold our sessions for the Kids Adjusting Through Support (KATS) Coping Support Groups at their school and in turn, we provide them with the opportunity to bring some of their participants to Camp Good Days to enjoy a fun weekend!

On Saturday and Sunday, some of our staff and volunteers will head out to Ontario Beach State Park for the Soccer in the Sand Tournament, coordinated by Scott Vallow, former Goalkeeper for the Rochester Rhinos, current Goalkeeper Coach for the Western New York Flash, and longtime supporter of the children at Camp Good Days. Proceeds from the Soccer in the Sand Tournament benefit the children and families we serve and we are so pleased that not only has Scott selected Camp Good Days as the beneficiary again this year, but that the event has grown and expanded and is now a two-day tournament!

Speaking of soccer, we will also have some staff and volunteers at our Quarters for Cancer table at Sahlen’s Stadium for the last regular season home game for the Rochester Rhinos on Saturday night and for the Western New York Flash home game on Sunday night. Bill Sedgewick, Assistant Coach with the Rochester Rhinos selected Camp Good Days again this season to be the beneficiary of his Quarters for Cancer promotion and we are so thankful for his support and for giving us the opportunity to be a part of all the Rochester Rhinos and Western New York Flash home games and share Camp Good Days with all of the fans, while at the same time raising some of the much needed funds to support our programs and services.

On Saturday evening, we will also be a part of Stack Your Rack, which is a casual and fun event held at Cobblestone Creek Country Club in Victor. Each attendee brings two bottles of wine, one to share as part of the wine tasting and one that is stored in a beautiful wine cooler. The full wine cooler then becomes one of our live auction items for the Finger Lakes International Wine Auction Dinner, held each May. In addition to the wine tasting, guests will have the chance to bid on silent auction items and enjoy some great food, an evening with old and new friends, and know that they are helping us to provide some good days and special times for our campers.

This coming Monday, we head to Syracuse for the first CANCER MISSION 2020 Congressional District Cancer Summit, which we are hosting with Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle, Representative for New York’s 25^th District. We have had a great response to this Cancer Summit and I am very much looking forward to hearing from our Keynote Speaker, Dr. Stephen Edge of Roswell Park Cancer Institute and member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Executive Committee, as well as meeting all of the attendees.

Next Thursday, we head to Buffalo for the 28^th Congressional District Cancer Summit with Congresswoman Louise Slaughter and Keynote Speaker, Dr. Leslie Kohman, Distinguished Service Professor, Medical Director of Surgery, and Medical Director, Upstate Cancer Center at Upstate University Hospital.

The 29^th Congressional District Cancer Summit with Congressman Tom Reed and Keynote Speaker, Candace Johnson, PhD, Deputy Director, Chair, Pharmacology and Therapeutics and Wallace Chair in Translational Research at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, will take place on Thursday, August 25, 2011 at the Camp Good Days’ Recreational Facility.

PLEASE – If you have not done so already, check out www.cancermission2020.com and join us in this important initiative to end cancer by the end of the decade by signing the CANCER MISSION 2020 Petition. All of the information about our Congressional District Cancer Summits is also available on the website and stay tuned next week for photos and updates from the Cancer Summits taking place in Syracuse and Buffalo.

Wishing everyone an enjoyable and safe weekend!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The past week has been filled with many fun activities! Last Wednesday, we hosted our Annual Summer Open House at the Camp Good Days’ Recreational Facility, which is an afternoon when some of our committee members, supporters and volunteers, who are not able to spend a whole week at Camp, are able to come out and see the facility, meet some of our campers, volunteers, and staff, have dinner and enjoy some music, dancing and fireworks. Despite the rain that day, we had a great turnout. Some of our special visitors included Jorge Diaz-Herrera, the new President of Keuka College who I had the opportunity to meet with a couple of weeks ago. I am so happy that he had the chance to come over and I was able to personally show him around the facility. The US Marshal, Charles Salina also came to visit, as did some of the members of the Corning-Elmira Board of Realtors, and many others.

We also held our Ring of Honor Induction Ceremony that evening. The inductees for the Ring of Honor, which was established as part of our 25^th Anniversary Celebration in 2004 and includes those who are selected for their outstanding dedication, commitment and support of the thousands of children and families served over the years, were announced at the Night of Gratitude this past March, but we always have a special ceremony at Camp, where we recognize the inductees and they and their families can see their bricks in the permanent Ring of Honor area. I was so pleased that so many of our inductees and their family and friends were able to be there and the rain cleared up in time for the ceremony and the fireworks! Special thanks to Young Explosives for the fantastic fireworks display and to DJ Dr. Sweetback for providing our musical entertainment for the evening.

Due to the fact that some of our campers and chaperones from the visiting countries had to leave on Thursday, we held our very special Candlelight Ceremony on Wednesday evening, after our Open House concluded. The Candlelight Ceremony is a tradition at Camp Good Days and a time in which the campers and volunteers and staff can come together and share and reflect on their time spent at Camp Good Days. I was so happy that Wendy and I could be a part of this along with the campers and chaperones from the visiting countries and our American campers and volunteers.

On Thursday and Friday, some of the visiting countries had to depart to return home and we had a number of logistics to put together for getting them where they needed to be. A few of the visiting countries, Mexico, one of the groups from the Bahamas, and Turks & Caicos were not scheduled to leave until Saturday so we decided to take them to the Rochester Rhinos game on Friday where they had the chance to see the players they had met on Monday, when the team visited Camp, in action on the field at Sahlen’s Stadium. It was a fun night, even though the final score of the game was not what we had hoped for.

We had the chance to see Chris Keyes on Wednesday at Camp. Chris has been involved with Camp Good Days for a number of years as a committee member for the Teddi Dance for Love at St. John Fisher College and chaired the event in his Senior Year. Chris was also a member of the St. John Fisher College Football Team and after serving as an intern at Camp Good Days, we were pleased to be able to bring him on board in a part-time capacity where he helped with the planning of the Camp Good Days COURAGE BOWL and other special fundraising events. Chris is now pursuing his dream of being a football coach, having recently accepted a position at Hartwick College. We all wish Chris the very best in his new position and as he begins this new chapter of his life and we wish Hartwick the best of luck in the upcoming season – except when they play St. John Fisher College!

I had the chance to relax a little bit this weekend and catch up on some chores around the house, since Wendy and I have both been spending so much time out at Camp. On Sunday we went to visit Wendy’s Grandmother and her step-Grandfather, who are 94 and 104 respectively. We also went to the cemetery to pay our respects to Wendy’s Mom and to Ron. On Sunday evening, we took Tammy out to dinner.

On Monday, I spent the day in Buffalo, first having lunch with an old friend, Mike Lawandus, who is recently retired as the Special Agent-in-Charge for the Bureau of ATF and his wife. I then met with Kathy Hochul, Congresswoman for the 26^th Congressional District of New York and her District Director, Joan Kesner. I had the chance to share some information about CANCER MISSION 2020 with them and I am so happy to report that they have given their full support of CANCER MISSION 2020 and are willing to help us reach our goal of ending cancer by the end of the decade.

The Rochester City School District Leadership Program, which we host at Camp Good Days in cooperation with the Rochester City School District, for children who are transitioning from elementary school to middle school began yesterday and the Junior Good Days Program, a day-camp program for children ages 4-7 who would qualify for any of our programs but are still too young to attend residential camp also began yesterday in the Rochester area. I am sure our little campers will have as much fun this week as their counterparts in Buffalo had last week!

Today I will stop in the office in the morning and then head down to Camp for Tuesday and Wednesday. We have some special guests coming to visit and speak to the students, including, Monroe County District Attorney, Mike Green; former Monroe County Attorney, Bill Taylor; United States Attorney for the Western District of New York, Bill Hochul, and First Assistant United States Attorney, Bret Puscheck. I will return to Rochester for our monthly Project Exile Advisory Board Meeting on Thursday.

On Friday, we were originally planning on hosting the 24^th Congressional District Cancer Summit in Utica, however, after much discussion and reflection, we have decided to postpone that Cancer Summit, as a Friday at the end of summer is not the best day for people to attend an event. We are currently working with Congressman Hanna’s Office to select a new date for that event and will keep everyone posted on the plans for that. Meanwhile, we have had great response thus far for the three other Cancer Summits being held in the 25^th, 28^th and 29^th Congressional Districts. For all of the information about the Cancer Summits, and to join us in the important CANCER MISSION 2020 initiative, check out www.cancermission2020.com!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

I am back in the Mendon Office today, and we have begun our second week of the Doing A World Of Good Program, in which children with cancer from countries around the world spend two weeks at our beautiful Recreational Facility on Keuka Lake and are joined by two different groups of campers from the United States.

We have been extremely busy since my last post. Friday afternoons are always a tough day, as this is when the majority of our residential camping programs come to an end, and this past Friday was no exception. The campers all hugged each other goodbye, knowing that they may not see each other again, as the international campers will be returning to their home countries, and particularly with the programs for children who are dealing with cancer, the campers know that unfortunately they may not see each other again. Some campers will age out of the program, and while we certainly hope that some of them will return as volunteers in the future, some will go on to begin the next chapter of their life. Some campers will not be able to return due to a recurrence of their cancer and / or the treatments, and sadly, some campers will lose their battle with this horrific disease.

The end of a program is an emotional time, but I always tell the volunteers that if at the end of the week, when the buses and vans arrive to take the campers home, and the campers do not want to leave, that when they do actually get on the bus and depart, the volunteers will feel so good about all that they helped to make possible for these special campers.

Since the international campers and chaperones stay for two weeks, we always try to plan some activities and outings for them during the weekend in-between the two programs. On Friday evening, they headed out to Ponderosa in Geneva for dinner, followed by some shopping at the Waterloo Premium Outlets. On Saturday, we had to do some adapting and adjusting, for which we have become famous! Our original plan was to take our guests to Eastview Mall and Wal-Mart in Victor for some additional shopping, but as everyone got ready to leave, there was no bus to take them. So, we made some arrangements for a different bus and although they did not have time to go to the mall, we did bring everyone into Rochester for a Picnic and the Rochester Red Wings baseball game at Frontier Field. It was a beautiful evening and everyone had a great time. It was the first time, in a long time, that I stayed for the entire game and even the fireworks. It was so exciting to be with these special campers, like the young man from Ethiopia who had the experience of attending his first baseball game and seeing fireworks for the first time! I am not sure who was more excited…him or me! The Red Wings won the game, which was icing on the cake and we want to give special thanks to our friend and Board Member, Peter Parts, who graciously bought all of the campers Dippin’ Dots Ice Cream. Towards the end of the evening, we saw Red Wings General Manager, Dan Mason, who has been a very good personal friend of mine and friend to the children at Camp Good Days. He took the time to meet some of the campers and made sure that everyone left with a souvenir baseball.

To make up for Saturday’s missed shopping trip, we brought all of the international campers and chaperones to Eastview Mall and Wal-Mart on Sunday. They returned in time to meet the volunteers arriving for the second week of the Doing A World Of Good Program. All of our volunteers are required to attend two training sessions, the second of which takes place the evening prior to start of each program.

Yesterday officially began the second week of the Doing A World Of Good Program with a flurry of activity. The American campers arrived at the Recreational Facility around 11:30 AM, and met their fellow campers and volunteers and got settled into their cabins.

Monroe County Executive, Maggie Brooks, who has been a longtime friend of Wendy and I, came to visit on Monday morning and she had the chance to see the many improvements and changes we have made at the Recreational Facility. In addition, she had the opportunity to see her old NEWS10NBC colleague, Joe Paglia, who has been a volunteer at Camp Good Days for the past 30 years, and old friend, Mike Falvo, who has been a volunteer for the past 32 years. She also had the chance to meet some of our campers and volunteers and joined us for lunch.

The Rochester Rhinos Soccer Team made their annual visit to Camp Good Days! Everyone had lunch together and then had a blast playing soccer tennis, racing down the slip and slide, playing basketball and much more. The team ended their visit with an ice cream social, group photo and the Rhinos, led by Head Coach, Bob Lilley, were kind enough to give a Rochester Rhinos Program to all of the campers who were able to get autographs from the players.

As we do the first evening of each program, we held a special prayer service, in our beautiful Outdoor Chapel, which provides everyone with the chance to reflect and remember those who are not able to be with us. Father David Ambuske and Sister Fran Quinn were on hand, as they have been for the past 30 years, to preside over the service. The campers completed their first day of the program with dinner and a Camp Fire.

I headed back to Rochester late last night, as I have some meetings today. This afternoon I taped an interview with Katrina Irwin at WROC TV-8 / FOX Rochester regarding the progress we have been making with CANCER MISSION 2020 and the upcoming Congressional District Cancer Summits. Tonight we have a training for the volunteers who will be helping out with the Junior Good Days Program in Rochester, which is a day-camp program for children ages 4-7 who would qualify for any of our programs but are still too young to attend residential camp. The Junior Good Days Program, which is always great fun, will take place next Monday, August 8, 2011 through Thursday, August 11, 2011 and the campers will have the chance to visit Seneca Park Zoo, Seabreeze, Strong Museum, and more. From there I will head to East High School in the city to attend the Parent / Guardian Meeting for those children who be attending the Rochester City School District Leadership Program, which we host at Camp Good Days next Monday, August 8, 2011 through Thursday, August 11, 2011, in cooperation with the Rochester City School District, for children who are transitioning from elementary school to middle school.

Tonight I will stay in Rochester and then get up bright and early tomorrow morning to head back to the Recreational Facility. Our Mendon Office will be closed tomorrow, as we will be having a Staff Meeting and our Annual Summer Open House at Camp. The Summer Open House is always a great afternoon and evening, especially if we are blessed with some good weather. The Open House gives us the chance to show the facility to some of our friends and supporters who help throughout the year to make all that we do possible. We will also have a special induction ceremony for those who are being inducted into the Camp Good Days’ Ring of Honor. The Camp Good Days’ Ring of Honor was established as part of our 25^th Anniversary Celebration in 2004 and includes those who are selected for their outstanding dedication, commitment and support of the thousands of children and families served over the years. We look forward to honoring and recognizing these outstanding volunteers and supporters and having their bricks permanently placed into the Ring of Honor. We will also have a cookout dinner, music and dancing, and will conclude the evening with fireworks.

On Thursday we are looking forward to having some new friends visit the Camp Good Days’ Recreational Facility, who are part of the Hockey vs. Cancer group and are working on a special fundraising event in the fall to support Camp Good Days. I will also have one last chance to spend some time with some of our international guests, as they will be departing to return home on Friday.

I will be back in Rochester on Friday for some meetings and will then be heading to the Rochester Rhinos game at Sahlen’s Stadium, where we will be bringing those international campers and chaperones who do not depart until Saturday, to see the game and the players they got to meet yesterday.

It’s another busy week but a good one and I am looking forward to the weekend and the start of next week, when we will put the finishing touches on the plans for the four Congressional District Cancer Summits coming up, as part of CANCER MISSION 2020…THE END OF CANCER BY THE END OF THE DECADE.

For all of the up-to-date information CANCER MISSION 2020 and the Congressional District Cancer Summits, including dates, locations, guest speakers and more, please visit www.cancermission2020.com and please join us in this important initiative by signing the CANCER MISSION 2020 Petition and sharing the site with your network of contacts. We can only succeed in putting an end to cancer by the end of the decade, if we all come together in a cooperative and collaborative way!