Monday, February 20, 2012

Dance for Love, Basketball & More!

A lot has happened here at Camp Good Days over the past week – it has been very busy but very good!



Last Wednesday afternoon we had our first Tournament of Love Committee Meeting for 2012, to start finalizing the plans for this special golf tournament. I am so pleased that Paul and Kirsten Estabrooks have agreed to serve as the Chairpersons for the event. Paul and Kirsten have been great friends to Camp Good Days and Paul, through his position as Principal at Caledonia-Mumford Middle School has helped to provide volunteers, through the National Junior Honor Society, to help sell kazoos at our Annual Kazoo Fest and to help make boxes and prepare mailings for our Annual Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. Paul and the National Junior Honor Society students will be one of the recipients of the 2011 Teddi Awards at the Camp Good Days’ Night of Gratitude coming up on Friday, March 9, 2012.



I am also thrilled to report that Mark Herzlich, whose personal story is a true inspiration, has agreed to serve as the Honorary Chairman for the Tournament of Love. For those of you who are not familiar with Mark’s story, he was an All-American Linebacker at Boston College and going into his senior year was expected to be one of the Top 10 draft picks in the NFL Draft. In 2009, Mark was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. It was doubtful that Mark would be able to run again, let alone return to playing football. After taking some time to go through treatment, Mark returned to Boston College to help coach and cheer on his team, and came back to play at the highest level of college football in the 2010 season. Following last year’s NFL lockout, Mark was invited, by New York Giants Head Coach, Tom Coughlin, to attend Training Camp as a walk-on, undrafted Free Agent. Mark completed Training Camp and was signed as a member of the team, which as most of you know, joining the New York Giants was not too bad, as Mark is now a member of the Super Bowl XLVI Championship Team!



This year’s Tournament of Love, with the Estabrooks on board as Chairpersons and Mark Herzlich bringing his amazing story and inspiration to the event, is sure to be another great success! The Tournament of Love will be held on Tuesday, June 5, 2012, at Monroe Golf Club in Pittsford, New York. For more information on how to get involved, please contact Nicole Jones, here at Camp Good Days, 585-624-5555 / 800-785-2135, or njones@campgooddays.org.



This past Friday evening, some of us attended the Opening Ceremonies for the 30th Annual Teddi Dance for Love at St. John Fisher College. It was a thrill for me to see all these young people who came to dance for 24 hours, all the members of the Teddi Committee and the many volunteers who help to handle all of the logistics for an event of this magnitude. Kayla Valentino, Danielle Allington, and the entire Teddi Committee did an outstanding job. We also had the chance to spend some time with one of Rochester’s native sons, Lou Gramm, of Foreigner fame, who served as the Honorary Chairman and, along with his family, took the time out of his busy schedule to attend and support the Teddi Dance for Love. Dr. Lou Buttino was also on hand for this milestone year, traveling to Rochester from North Carolina. Lou was a professor at St. John Fisher College and along with a group of his students, helped to start the Teddi Dance for Love 30 years ago. Lou is also the author of For the Love of Teddi, which is the story he wrote about my daughter, Teddi, and beginning of Camp Good Days and Special Times. It was really nice to be able to spend some time with Lou and catch up.



On the topic of books, a few months ago while going through some old boxes and files, I came across a little book that Teddi had written when she was 10 years old. After reading it and shedding a few tears, I decided that I need to find a way to preserve this precious memory. I called my dear friend, Skip DeBiase, at Phoenix Graphics, and asked him to photograph and scan the book and he recreated a beautiful, commemorative book, which is an exact replica of Teddi’s original. I gave out the book to those who wanted one at the Teddi Dance for Love this past weekend, and I know it truly added so much meaning to the event. It is hard to believe that next Monday, February 27th, it will be 30 years since Teddi’s death. If any of you reading this would like a copy of the book, please contact Laura, here at Camp Good Days, 585-624-5555 / 800-785-2135 or losborn@campgooddays.org and we would be happy to send one to you.



On Saturday morning, Wendy and I attended the St. John Fisher College Football Banquet at the Burgandy Basin Inn. I was so glad I was able to attend the event, as for the past few years I have been out of town and have missed it. It was good to see all of the players and my fellow coaches and to recognize the seniors. For me, the highlight was being able to recognize Chad Monheim, who I coached personally, and who had a great career as a Kicker with the Fisher Football Team. It was also nice to hear again the many accomplishments of this team, which coming into the 2011 season was unranked with a number of holes to fill. Despite injuries and some other challenges, we finished ranked 9th by one national poll and 11th in another national poll, made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Playoffs, and finished as the #1 Division III team in New York State. We definitely had a lot to celebrate!



On Saturday evening, we headed back to St. John Fisher College for the Closing Ceremonies of the Teddi Dance for Love. These ceremonies included a dedication to one of our campers, J’Lon Woody, a very special young man from Geneva. J’Lon lost his battle to cancer this past November. It was really nice to see J’Lon’s Mom and Dad and family at the Dance for Love and all those participating took a short break from the dancing to head outside, in front of the Student Life Center, for a special balloon launch.



I always enjoy being invited to speak at the end of the Teddi Dance for Love, as this gives me the chance to let everyone know just how much this very special event means to the children and families at Camp Good Days, and how much it means to me personally, as Teddi’s Dad.



The 30th Annual Teddi Dance for Love was a tremendous success, generating more than $45,000 to benefit the children and families at Camp Good Days! In his book, Lou Buttino wrote that immortality is to be loved by anonymous people and Kayla, Danielle, and all those who participated in the 30th Annual Teddi Dance for Love this past weekend have helped to keep Teddi’s spirit, memory and legacy alive!



One of the highlights during the Teddi Dance for Love is when we bring a group of campers for the final hours of the event. As always, the campers this year had a great time! Following the Teddi Dance for Love, the campers boarded a bus and came to the Camp Good Days’ Headquarters for a sleepover, complete with movies, popcorn and ice cream sundaes. On Sunday morning, they boarded the bus again and headed to the Camp Good Days’ Buffalo Office, where they met up with campers who had had a sleepover there. Everyone then headed to Canisius College where we were the special guests of Women’s Basketball Head Coach, Terry Zeh, Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach, Tara Fleming, and the Women’s Basketball Team. The campers had the chance to watch the team play in their game against Fairfield, meet the players and have a pizza party.



All in all, it was a great weekend, full of good days and special times!



The fun continues this evening, as we will be bringing a group of young people who participate in our Homework Huddle Program, and the Rochester City School District Leadership Program, along with some folks from Pathways to Peace, to the Rochester Razor Sharks Basketball game at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The attendees will have the chance to have dinner with Head Coach, Rod Baker, and some of the players and then watch the team take on the Dayton AirStrikers.



In other news, I had the chance to meet last week with Peter Carpino, President of the United Way here in the Greater Rochester area and I am so pleased that we can count on their support of CANCER MISSION 2020 and their help in spreading the word for this important initiative. PLEASE…if you have not yet done so, check out www.cancermission2020.com, learn the facts about where we stand in the fight against cancer and if you feel the way that we do, sign the CANCER MISSION 2020 Petition and share the site with your network of contacts. There is strength in numbers and we need everyone’s support!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

30th Annual Dance for Love This Weekend!

As I talked about in my last post, the 30th Annual Teddi Dance for Love will be taking place this weekend, Friday and Saturday, February 17th and 18th, in the Student Life Center at St. John Fisher College. It is truly astounding to think that this special event has been going on for 30 years – nearly all of the years that Camp Good Days has been in existence.



I am so thrilled that my good friend, Lou Buttino, who helped to start the Dance for Love 30 years ago, is here in Rochester this week, to help us celebrate and commemorate this significant milestone, and that Lou Gramm, former lead singer of Foreigner, is joining us as well, as the Honorary Chairman.



For all of you in the Greater Rochester area, I sincerely encourage you, even if you only have a few spare minutes, to stop by St. John Fisher College this weekend, between 8:00 PM on Friday and 8:00 PM on Saturday and see firsthand the love, dedication, commitment, and courage displayed by all those taking part in the Teddi Dance for Love.



As part of our commitment to and involvement in the Teddi Dance for Love, we will be bringing a group of campers to the event on Saturday, from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM. The campers will have the chance to meet the participants, take part in a kid’s carnival, and of course get some dancing in!



Following the Dance for Love, the campers will have an overnight slumber party at our Camp Good Days’ Headquarters, complete with movies, popcorn, and ice cream sundaes. On Sunday morning, the group will head to Buffalo and meet some of our campers from that area. All of the campers will be the special guests of the Canisius Women’s Basketball Team where they will have a Pizza Party together and then watch the team take on Fairfield in their 2:00 PM game. Women’s Basketball Head Coach, Terry Zeh, has been a great friend to the children at Camp Good Days, participating in the Annual Tournament of Love Golf Scramble and arranging for his team to visit the campers at the Camp Good Days’ Recreational Facility, located on the shores of Keuka Lake in Branchport, New York. During their visits, the players and the campers have lunch together and participate in a Basketball Clinic and other games.



Also, on Saturday morning, Wendy and I will be attending the St. John Fisher College Football Banquet. It will be great to see all of the players and coaches again and take some time to celebrate the successful 2011 Football Season.



In other news, we continue to make progress with CANCER MISSION 2020. I had the opportunity to speak with my Congressman, Tom Reed, this past Tuesday, and he and his staff are working diligently on important legislation to be introduced into Congress. More details on this legislation will be available in the coming weeks.



We are also looking forward to meeting with Monroe County Executive, Maggie Brooks, along with Monroe County Health Department Deputy Director, Dr. Byron Kennedy, and a group of doctors, support service representatives and government representatives, in the next couple of weeks, to talk about ways in which we can make finding a cure for cancer a priority in our community.



We are also working with our College Campus Advocates on a variety of activities and efforts, as they all work to spread the word about CANCER MISSION 2020 on their respective campuses.



Again, I urge you to check out www.cancermission2020.com, learn the facts about where we stand in the fight against cancer and if you feel the way we do, sign the CANCER MISSION 2020 Petition and share the site with your network of contacts.



Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and don’t forget, if you have time and are in the area, stop by the Teddi Dance for Love at St. John Fisher College!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

February 2, 2012

I know it has been some time since my last posting, but for the first time in 35 years, I had the opportunity to spend seven days with my wife, Wendy, doing something that had nothing to do with work…no cell phones, no computers, as we recently took a seven-day cruise on board the Royal Caribbean’s Oasis.



This adventure started a few years ago when I was honored to attend the wedding of Mike and Trish Bewley. Mike was of one of Camp Good Days’ Board Members and someone who had attended St. John Fisher College and played football for me for four years, and he and Trish were married on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale. While we were there for the wedding, the weather was so beautiful and each morning Wendy would go out and jog along the beach and I would get some coffee and the morning papers. On one of those mornings, we watched in complete awe as the largest cruise ship we had ever seen came into port. When we got back to our hotel room, Good Morning America, was broadcasting live on board the ship as it entered its port of call and was getting ready for its maiden voyage. The next morning, there was a feature article in USA Today about the new Oasis ship, which was the largest cruise ship in the world.



About a year ago, I was out at WYSL 1040AM / 92.1FM taping the monthly Camp Good Days’ Radio Show, with my co-host and NEWS10NBC Anchor, Rich Funke. Rich had just returned from a cruise vacation and was telling me that they were already planning another one. Rich asked if I had ever been on a cruise and I told him I had not and that I really had no desire to go on one. He told me that he and his wife, along with several other couples were planning a cruise on the Oasis for January 2012. When I told him the story about being in Ft. Lauderdale when the Oasis originally came into port, he told me that there might still be room if I wanted to book the trip and join them. I thought what a great gift for Wendy’s birthday and our anniversary so I took Rich up on his offer and booked the cruise.



I can tell you that this was truly one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done. My favorite part was that at the end of each day, when we returned to our room, I would sit out on our balcony, in the pitch black, just looking at the stars and the moon and listening to the waves on the ocean. It made me realize the power of Mother Nature and the power of God and gave me a much needed opportunity to just relax and think. I was reminded once again that it is not how long we are blessed to be on this earth that is most important, but it is how we live our lives while we are here and the memories we leave behind.



After being back in the office this past Monday and going home in the evening, I can honestly say it felt like I had never left, as we have so much going on at Camp Good Days and there is much work to be done as we strive each day to fulfill our mission and provide the most meaningful experience for all those we serve.



One of the neatest things that Camp Good Days has the opportunity to be a part of each year is the Annual Teddi Dance for Love, a 24-hour dance marathon, at St. John Fisher College. This February 17 & 18, 2012 will be the 30th Annual Teddi Dance for Love. Think about that – this is the 33rd year of Camp Good Days and the 30th Annual Teddi Dance for Love; the 30th year that the students, administration, faculty, staff, and alumni at St. John Fisher College have helped Camp Good Days to be able to be there for every child and family that needs us.



No matter how cold it is outside on that Friday and Saturday, and even though the weather has been pretty good, I can guarantee that weekend will be cold, there is always an overwhelming amount of love and warmth inside. It is amazing that these students, on their own, began planning this event the day following last year’s, and that they are committed to weekly meetings, planning, and all of the logistical details of making this a great success.



Even though we will have some of the campers from Camp Good Days at the event on Saturday, February 18th for a few hours, to spend some time with the students, so many of the campers never have the opportunity to meet and thank these special students, so my job is to be there at the end of the event and thank them for all they have done to help support Camp Good Days and to help keep alive the memory of a very special little girl, my daughter, Teddi.



I am so thrilled that Dr. Lou Buttino, who not only was an integral part of the formation of the Teddi Dance for Love 30 years ago when he was a professor at St. John Fisher College, but wrote the book, For The Love of Teddi: The Story Behind Camp Good Days and Special Times, is coming back to Rochester, from his current home in North Carolina where he is now a professor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, to help commemorate this amazing anniversary. I am also excited that Lou Gramm, rock legend of Foreigner fame, who was part of the Teddi Dance for Love in the early years, will be joining us this year as our Honorary Chairman.



When Lou Buttino wrote For the Love of Teddi, he stated that, “immortality is to be loved by anonymous people.” It always amazes me how much of Teddi’s spirit is at St. John Fisher College, especially during the 24 hours of the Teddi Dance for Love and as her father, it is beyond words to describe the feeling of having all those students calling her name – students who were not even born when Teddi died. As Teddi’s Dad, I can never thank these students enough for the gift they give to me.



As a coach, you always hope that at the end of each contest, on the field or on the court, that your players gave it everything and left nothing behind. If they have, they will have that really good feeling of knowing that they gave it their all, despite their exhaustion. That is how much each and every one of these students give and how they feel at the end of the Teddi Dance for Love.



If you want to truly see the good in the world, have your faith restored in young people, and if you really want to see the human spirit soar, come to the Student Life Center on the campus of St. John Fisher College on Saturday, February 18, 2012 for the final hour of the Teddi Dance for Love, from 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM. You will experience this special atmosphere firsthand, because when the Teddi Dance for Love ends, after those 24 hours, you will see students who are exhausted, with sore feet and aching backs, but who have such great satisfaction of knowing that they gave it their all to help some very special children and families in our community.



If you have never been to the Teddi Dance for Love or would like to help the students in their efforts, check out http://home.sjfc.edu/teddi/ or contact the committee at teddi@sjfc.edu.



Camp Good Days has been so blessed to have so many young people throughout the year support our children and families. In addition to the Teddi Dance for Love at St. John Fisher College, the high school students at Fayetteville-Manlius High School host an Annual Dance Marathon, which will take place this year on Saturday, March 3, 2012. Not only have these students done an extraordinary job raising money to support the children and families we serve – reaching the one million dollar mark last year – but so many of them take time out of their summers to volunteer during our residential camping programs. And just last year, students at Ithaca College, for the first time, held the Dance for Courage to benefit Camp Good Days. The Second Annual Dance for Courage will take place this year on Saturday, April 14, 2012.



All of these young people have helped in tremendous ways so that we can continue to be there for all those children and families who need our programs and services. As I am sure many of you who are reading this know, all of our programs and services are provided free of charge for the participants, so as not to place any additional financial burden on those families served. We could not continue to do this without the generous support from so many, like all of these students.



It is often said that the greatest gifts we as human beings can give to one another are our time and our love and all those involved with the dance events at St. John Fisher College, Ithaca College, and Fayetteville-Manlius High School give so much of both and for that we are forever grateful!



I hope that you will share these blog postings with your family, friends and colleagues and we are about to start something new…if you have questions about anything that Camp Good Days is doing – our programs, our services, our special events, our volunteer opportunities, our donation options, or CANCER MISSION 2020 - which is also so important and let me ask you again to please, if you have not yet done so, check out www.cancermission2020.com, learn the facts about where we stand in the fight against cancer and if you feel the way we do, sign the CANCER MISSION 2020 Petition and share the site with your network of contacts – feel free to leave your comment or question via the comments section of the blog. I will be taking questions and selecting a few to answer each time I blog.



Finally, keep in mind the many ways you can stay in touch with Camp Good Days and stay up-to-date with all we have going on:



Check out our website, www.campgooddays.org


Become our fan on Facebook, www.facebook.com/CampGoodDays79


Follow us on Twitter, @CampGoodDays


Tune in to the monthly Radio Show, “Good Days & Special Times” the first Thursday of every month, at 6:30 PM on WYSL 92.1 FM AND 1040 AM.