tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89593797762186701632024-03-13T21:51:42.349-05:00Camp Good Days and Special TimesGary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.comBlogger154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-72998853463664757712023-01-04T13:06:00.003-05:002023-01-05T09:24:02.325-05:00Our Special Pup: Vic<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGM-nQ0Jl-vCsfb04Z3pnFKvhOwS0ehO6G-Ks1WygLNIIh-misIt3BJSScLtTPmfxT6AOX0EtqqWqcI2Vi-q5Ijqv_s3VHIyG2RI3BFWFi_xe6EQ-B6hVkTIPCTVABhzTCPpTnEeBAszqBVnd3GNJe_G4OkC4cpE0PRAfIcaifsHGqyCD-zygLFU83/s2882/Vic%20+%20T.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2882" data-original-width="1917" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGM-nQ0Jl-vCsfb04Z3pnFKvhOwS0ehO6G-Ks1WygLNIIh-misIt3BJSScLtTPmfxT6AOX0EtqqWqcI2Vi-q5Ijqv_s3VHIyG2RI3BFWFi_xe6EQ-B6hVkTIPCTVABhzTCPpTnEeBAszqBVnd3GNJe_G4OkC4cpE0PRAfIcaifsHGqyCD-zygLFU83/s320/Vic%20+%20T.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span> </span>As I write the last blog for 2022, I write with a heart that
is broken. This year will go down as one of the most challenging years for Camp
Good Days and for me personally. Still, at the end of 2022, we are continuing
to feel the full effect of the pandemic. This resulted in difficulty in <br />hiring not
only summer staff but also full-time staff in our offices. For the first time
ever, we have also had trouble securing needed volunteers for our many summer camping
programs. Even as we resume our fundraising efforts, we see difficulties from
the pandemic. We have seen a decline in attendees to our fundraisers, directly
affecting our bottom line. We work hard at Camp Good Days to fundraise what we
need to run all of our programs so that I am able to keep my promise to our
campers’ parents that they will never have to struggle between paying bills or
paying for their child to attend summer camp.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The last couple of months have been extraordinarily hard on
not only me but our Camp Good Days family as we have lost friends, campers, and
beloved volunteers. Between Christmas and New Year’s, we had to say goodbye to
our 6½-year-old English Bulldog, Invictus. Invictus, or “Vic” as we called him,
joined our family when he was just a puppy after we returned from a trip to
Florida. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We traveled to Florida after we were forced to put down our
colored bull terrier, Rebel, from cancer. Florida gave us the ability to get
away from what was happening. We flew down to Florida with no return flight
home, ensuring that we allowed ourselves time to heal and recharge. This was
the first trip I had taken in a very long time where there was nothing I had to
do, no meetings or phone calls. It was truly an abrupt but needed change of
pace. Needless to say, after one week or so of no plans, I was bored out of my
mind. One highlight of the trip that we greatly enjoyed was attending a Gold
Medal Wheelchair Basketball game, hosted at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. This
game was a part of the Invictus Games started the year before by Prince Harry
for wounded veterans to participate in. I was amazed at how competitive and skilled
the veterans were; Wendy was amazed by seeing Prince Harry. But I was grateful
for this trip as it gave me some needed answers. On our trip home to Rochester,
I told Wendy how happy I was that we went on this trip because it became
evident that I wasn’t ready to retire, nor could I live in Florida during the
summer, but most importantly that we needed to get a new dog. When summer camp
began in June of that year, I did not want to have to tell the children of
Rebel’s passing of cancer. I thought that the presence of a new puppy would
help to avoid that conversation. Our first choice was a bull terrier, but it
proved very hard to find one. We then heard of a breeder nearby with Old
English Bulldog puppies. We called her to express our interest and she told us
to come by and that we would have the pick of the litter. When I saw Vic, I
immediately knew that he was the dog for our family. We brought him to camp
that next summer and the campers were so happy to have a puppy around. Vic was
a hit, everyone from volunteers to staff to campers couldn’t get enough of him
and he enjoyed every second. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr32YcYk9WAqngzWai4SKyctqrIfa11zN1jT636_92eC-P0tqxkEibGJDTAIXqhguosJ0INn-CX5qJvqgNtuB-UtLxWOYf-GScMEWFAWXD_mn22-WsyD97ZMp3H8sUB42Kn3-Uh4rS_wEGL1mlZc0gXp2tYqki0ZPDLCwo5U9yh94BgUIrwFdBu_f9/s2638/VicAttack.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2110" data-original-width="2638" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr32YcYk9WAqngzWai4SKyctqrIfa11zN1jT636_92eC-P0tqxkEibGJDTAIXqhguosJ0INn-CX5qJvqgNtuB-UtLxWOYf-GScMEWFAWXD_mn22-WsyD97ZMp3H8sUB42Kn3-Uh4rS_wEGL1mlZc0gXp2tYqki0ZPDLCwo5U9yh94BgUIrwFdBu_f9/s320/VicAttack.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Our dogs have always been a special part of camp. For a
child, following their diagnosis can be quite a troubling time and a time when
their self-confidence might falter. They face invasive scars, the loss of hair,
rapid increase or decrease in weight, or even the need for a prosthesis. During
this time, it may be difficult for them to like themselves in the mirror or
truly feel like themselves around others. Dogs are able to help them through
this process. They pass no judgment and see them the same way they wish to be
seen. It gives them a very much-needed companion at camp. One of my favorite
quotes is from Bobby Bowden, a former football coach at Florida State
University, he said “Money can buy a dog but only love can make it wag its
tail”. That summer I never saw Vic when his little nub tail wasn’t wagging. He
helped those children as much as they helped him. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPBSLBM-AAL6Zl5TZN1Abo4Ki78uRZofkOaF-nhCLN6V3GYh1ck27qwa9RG5bmYIJvNr5ryL4xY44Vr5Bf2Crhf6CG6GY77g1_4g0Haa2QidLiPAGbl-bEgFYV2Rr2eun7p7FZYwz4zEoC-J1fTG6lnSNlNG3frprsEDa7w2zB2YKqDB6SYicoZ17/s1440/Vic%20at%20camp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPBSLBM-AAL6Zl5TZN1Abo4Ki78uRZofkOaF-nhCLN6V3GYh1ck27qwa9RG5bmYIJvNr5ryL4xY44Vr5Bf2Crhf6CG6GY77g1_4g0Haa2QidLiPAGbl-bEgFYV2Rr2eun7p7FZYwz4zEoC-J1fTG6lnSNlNG3frprsEDa7w2zB2YKqDB6SYicoZ17/s320/Vic%20at%20camp.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Unfortunately, when we were counting down the days to 2023 to
put this past year in the rearview mirror in hopes that the next would be
better, Vic became very sick. We were soon told that he was in liver failure
and sadly passed a few days before the New Year. I can’t help but think that
the Lord put Vic in our lives for a reason. And I am sure that reason was to
help every child he met at camp and love them as only he could. He was a good
dog that everyone fell in love with. He has left a void in everyone that loved
him, which was many. I truly believe that the good Lord does not give us more
than we can handle. This new year brings a promise of a year with less covid
and a big step towards normalcy at camp with our many programs and events. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I don’t drink but if I did, I would say to raise a glass to a
new year filled with many good days and special times. I also want to wish
everyone that has helped and supported Camp Good Days a new year filled with
peace, good health, and much much love.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">God Bless,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Gary<o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-3660286863848339752022-12-22T13:09:00.001-05:002022-12-22T13:09:32.035-05:00Remembering Tilahun Belete Gushish<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrv3Ddn_LKneCGFt3efyj3ZEcB-6_AvOW92fuxHKKkPIlHcSPhdhOmJIApgWxhz-SUE4zhPH9NrLXvYE9GTLPWfaWqpYLlF-GIVAShi-POWMMG02InqpbitjV17AswnDTHfjHIMSNLqrchLw8Kuz-Jfy7TkyEwBS_tRuTif7oFAerL7SHwZIBiVCqb/s2053/Gary%20&%20T.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2053" data-original-width="1964" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrv3Ddn_LKneCGFt3efyj3ZEcB-6_AvOW92fuxHKKkPIlHcSPhdhOmJIApgWxhz-SUE4zhPH9NrLXvYE9GTLPWfaWqpYLlF-GIVAShi-POWMMG02InqpbitjV17AswnDTHfjHIMSNLqrchLw8Kuz-Jfy7TkyEwBS_tRuTif7oFAerL7SHwZIBiVCqb/s320/Gary%20&%20T.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">He will dwell
with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he
will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither
shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have
passed away. — Revelations 21:3-4 (verse from T’s Facebook)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">This year has
brought with it both joy and pain. I reflect on what this year has meant to me
and who I will be forced to leave behind in the New Year. These last couple of
weeks have been especially hard for me and the Camp Good Days family. We have
lost many special people that were the backbone of this organization and helped
me build it into what it is now; some of those have left us far too soon.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Tilahun “T”
Gushish was a beloved member of the Camp Good Days family and a very special
person to me. I first met T several years ago when a friend of mine, Dr. David
Korones, asked me about our international campers’ program. He asked me if we
would accept children from Ethiopia that were struggling with cancer. Dr. Korones
had a patient that he was treating at Golisano children’s hospital that he
helped bring over from Ethiopia. We had hosted children from all over the world
but never had the opportunity presented itself to host a child from Ethiopia. I
was very excited to be able to expand the program to more children. We knew we
were blessed when T arrived that summer to attend Camp Good Days International
Camp. Tilahun’s love of life and hope were contagious. He could truly light up
any room that he entered. I marveled at the fact that such a young boy that had
already survived poverty, homelessness, and now struggling with cancer was so
strong and joyful.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> I will never forget when I brought the Rhinos
head coach down to camp to see the children during T’s first summer at camp.
Bob Lilley was the coach at the time, and he was mesmerized by what T could do.
He said that T could do with one leg which some of his players couldn’t do with
two! He made quite an impression on the coach that day as he did with everyone
he met. He was just such an impressive young man you couldn’t help but feel
that way. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Due to COVID, we
lost touch for a couple of years, but in August of this year, we were able to
reconnect. I drove down to camp with Wendy and as I was walking to my cabin
along Teddi Lane, I saw T running toward me. I tell him how great it is to see
him, and he returns the sentiment. He goes on to tell me that I might not know
it, but that Camp Good Days saved his life and how happy he was that he came to
camp. I was astounded by his words. I said to Wendy later in our cabin, is
there a better job in the world than what I am blessed to have? I reveled in
how amazing it was that I have this opportunity to change a child’s life like
T’s. How can you put a value on that? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">I was so
grateful that throughout this past summer we were able to renew our
relationship and that I was able to present Tilahun as 2022’s Courage Award
recipient. This award is given at our annual Courage Bowl to campers who are an
example of courage, strength, and determination to all the children and
families served by Camp Good Days & Special Times. T was all of these and
more, he was a true inspiration to me and all of the Camp Good Days team. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">It was extremely
hard for me when I heard that Tilahun lost his battle with cancer. What gives
me some peace is that I know that T is in heaven watching over us all. And
because of this, he will be with us always. In times of distress, we will feel
him giving us strength and in times of sorrow, he will give us joy. We will
never leave T behind as he is with us always. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">T’s services
were this past Wednesday and Thursday. They were beautiful and exactly what I
believe T would have wanted, everyone he loved together sharing cherished
memories that they had with T. I was also so grateful to be able to meet T’s
doctor from Ethiopia that played a pivotal role in getting T over here for
treatment. Without his effort, we would not have been as lucky as we were to
meet T. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">In his 20 years
of life Tilahun was able to make an incredible impact on those who knew him. I
know I speak for many when I say that T will be missed greatly. How he touched
us and the impact that he had on every person he met will be with us forever.
Camp Good Day will not be the same without having T there, but I know that he
will be watching over us each and every summer.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">God Bless,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Gary<o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-74081441743016681862022-12-09T16:02:00.001-05:002022-12-09T16:02:48.995-05:00In Memory of an Angel: Dave Stebbins <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5OfN93kOkrlTgVBT8cRzlFCzy2LlgzVT5CEozYxhezlQZzh-VMEL0fVs1p22yHPSWEViKt7crIIEc0gCpTpsEYvZupZr_tAYZLGFL2PiSEJyeS1VIO0_jh1awpgVTNAOH0EZ5Z9vJBsT18FXtpNMMlpFXAWIZsgAdN05EA6uE0qEMRh-PZBg9fwan" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5OfN93kOkrlTgVBT8cRzlFCzy2LlgzVT5CEozYxhezlQZzh-VMEL0fVs1p22yHPSWEViKt7crIIEc0gCpTpsEYvZupZr_tAYZLGFL2PiSEJyeS1VIO0_jh1awpgVTNAOH0EZ5Z9vJBsT18FXtpNMMlpFXAWIZsgAdN05EA6uE0qEMRh-PZBg9fwan" width="180" /></a></div><span> </span><p></p><p><span> </span> These are unprecedented times we are living through. COVID
has had a tremendous impact on our society, and we will feel it for years to
come. Here at Camp Good Days, we are just starting to come back to some sense
of normalcy- or the closest thing we can get to it. We are finishing up our summer
schedule for 2023 and hope that it will be published by January.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>With this year coming to a close I have been reflecting on
the past year and the blessings that I have been gifted; something that I think
we should all do more. All too often we let our hardships in life outshine our
blessings. When in life more often than not our blessings exceed any hardships,
we face. When we look at it we all have so much to be thankful for. I have been
taking some time to reflect on all the wonderful people the good Lord has put
into my life to build and keep Teddi’s dream alive. I have met such remarkable
people every step of the way that were able to step up, share their skills, and
fill every need within Camp Good Days.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>Unfortunately, I have also had to deal with the loss of
people who have come into my life thanks to Camp Good Days. This past weekend one
of these beautiful souls has passed. He was an angel to Camp Good Days and
exemplified what it means to be a part of this organization. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>Dave Stebbins was a Camp Good Days volunteer ranger for a
number of years. Dave’s wife, Bobbi, works for Waterloo Container, a major
sponsor of our Wine Auction Dinner. Through her involvement, I had the
opportunity to meet Dave. Dave was a state trooper and offered his skills to volunteer
down at our recreational facility on Keuka Lake as our Camp Ranger. Camp Good
Days Rangers are current or former law enforcement officers stationed at camp that
volunteers their time to ensure the safety of all our campers, staff, and
volunteers. Dave served as our camp ranger for many years and became a crucial
part of the Camp Good Days family.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>Sadly, last year I learned that Dave was diagnosed with a
brain tumor. As he went through treatment and surgery, you would never know how
sick he actually was. His spirits were always high, and he was always looking
for what he could do for others. Dave was not only a true law enforcement professional,
but a distinguished officer and committed Camp Good Days volunteer. He was a dedicated
father to his two sons, Ryan & Thomas, and a loving husband to his wife
Bobbi. Dave left behind a truly special family. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>I will forever cherish our great memories together down at
camp with the children, along with our many conversations. I will miss Dave dearly;
he was such a special friend. He will forever be a part of Camp Good Days and part of our memories.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>At camp, we have a ranger station. I am hoping upon camp’s
opening this summer that we are able to place a plaque on the ranger’s station dedicating
it to the brave women and men, like Dave Stebbins, who have served with us at
Camp Good Days. Thank you all for your incredible service to our organization. I
know that Dave is in heaven forever looking over all of our campers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">God Bless,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Gary<o:p></o:p></p>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-26915539086635127212021-10-29T12:58:00.003-05:002021-10-29T13:04:28.000-05:00Honoring Our Caregivers in the Month of November<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-USr_pl1LMYM/YXw2SjTTZUI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/Rl8cP3Jg1acUG3zcpWWLrZnHkxA615RWACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_6538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-USr_pl1LMYM/YXw2SjTTZUI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/Rl8cP3Jg1acUG3zcpWWLrZnHkxA615RWACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_6538.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />November is a month dedicated to gratitude, family, and giving thanks. Obviously, I have plenty to be thankful for this year, including all of you. The Camp Good Days community has been so kind and thoughtful during this difficult time of recovery and healing. I, for one, am still getting used to not running around from meeting to meeting every day. However, I’m enjoying spending more time reflecting on this past year, my life, and all that Camp Good Days has done for so many families, including my own.<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">This month is Honoring Caregivers month. We want to take these next 30 days to celebrate and recognize the individuals and families that have been such tremendous support systems for patients of all kinds. No matter the type or stage of cancer, the devastation factor is the same on families. I have had personal experience in hearing this kind of earth-shattering news, with my own daughter, Teddi. I just remember the feeling of having no control. There was nothing I could really do to make her better, except be there for her. Becoming Teddi’s caregiver made me reevaluate my entire life; why was I here? What am I meant to do? What will I be remembered for? Hence, Camp Good Days was born.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">My experience as a caregiver has given me the opportunity to relate to families all over the world. We are able to connect on an entirely new level, as not everyone has the ability to sit by the bedside of a loved one and watch them go through such pain during treatment. You are putting someone else’s life before your own, which not only is overwhelming at times, but is extremely humbling as well. Teddi taught me to live boldly, as life is fleeting. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Since Camp Good Days started in 1979, I was always under the impression that I would continue to support and be there for anyone who needed me, until I needed a caregiver of my own. For the last 6 months or so, my wife has been keeping a close eye on me, making sure my recovery process is continuing to go in the right direction. I finally saw the impact that caregivers have–if Wendy hadn’t been stubborn enough in making sure I got to the hospital or got the very best care, I definitely wouldn’t be here. As many ups and downs as there are in this journey, it’s all worth it because I know she has my back. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">As we honor the caregivers of our own campers, I want you all to ask yourselves, “what am I here for?” Obviously, you’re not put on this earth to witness a loved one endure cancer, but you <i>are</i> here to make them smile, love them, and be there for them every step of the way. Some may heal and some may not, but regardless of the circumstances, Camp Good Days is a place that welcomes all, allowing you to create joyous memories that will last a lifetime. <o:p></o:p></p>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-36752621579438341202021-10-14T13:34:00.002-05:002021-10-14T13:59:48.678-05:00October Blog<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">Sometimes, I feel like the luckiest person in the world. Why,
you may ask? For the last 43 years, I come into my office and I’m excited to
continue changing the lives of children affected by cancer and sickle cell
anemia. No two days are ever the same–one day, I could be hearing updates about
how one camper is in remission, while the next day, I’m sitting on the
sidelines of the Courage Bowl, watching our honorary coaches and cheerleaders
in awe as they experience their first collegiate football game. After this
year’s game, it became quite clear to me just how lucky I am to have started
something so special, so close to my heart. I think Teddi would be proud of
what Camp Good Days has become.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">Since Courage Bowl’s inception 16 years ago, I have, again, been so lucky
as to combine my two loves: Camp Good Days, in memory of my daughter, and
football, the game that absolutely feeds my soul. This one night allows for a
few campers to experience a collegiate football game, as well as interactions
with the players. It’s a bonding experience for everyone, especially our
honorary coaches and cheerleaders. This year, however, was extremely difficult.
Usually, we have a practice where the campers come to Growney Stadium, be with
the team, and receive their jerseys that the players signed. For Courage Bowl
XVI, that practice didn’t happen. This didn’t really impact the coaches and
cheerleaders that <i>could</i> attend the game, but for one of our honorary
coaches, Craig, he was too sick to attend.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IhM4j3jdUMQ/YWh937egCMI/AAAAAAAAAw0/iZOOUqX4ik4beIlm347CbDKtY5n-uh2YQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/craig.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IhM4j3jdUMQ/YWh937egCMI/AAAAAAAAAw0/iZOOUqX4ik4beIlm347CbDKtY5n-uh2YQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/craig.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">Thankfully, our Camp Director, Caitlyn, was able to bring
Craig his jersey, so it felt like he hadn’t missed the game at all. I walked
into the office this past week to come across a photo that Craig’s mom sent
in–Craig was beaming from ear to ear while wearing his jersey! It was amazing
for me especially, because this shows how a simple football game can change a
life in such a monumental way.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nfjxhHiS3j4/YWh-Dq0mTJI/AAAAAAAAAw4/Ms-70dTobRcf2vV0pyFn1rN4deuOtaqwACLcBGAsYHQ/s1500/DF245220-E13F-40E5-A5C0-30293900E9AB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1125" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nfjxhHiS3j4/YWh-Dq0mTJI/AAAAAAAAAw4/Ms-70dTobRcf2vV0pyFn1rN4deuOtaqwACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/DF245220-E13F-40E5-A5C0-30293900E9AB.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">Craig’s mom, Kim, continues to post updates on his treatment
on CaringBridge, where supporters can log on and send their best wishes to Craig
and his family. The website can be found below:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/craigy"><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/craigy</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">Join me in keeping the Winter family in your thoughts and
prayers, and maybe say a little prayer for me as well!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m glad I had the opportunity to share Craig’s wonderful
story with you all, and I hope you have a fun and safe Halloween! <o:p></o:p></span></p>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-58194636754453655572021-08-25T13:52:00.000-05:002021-08-25T13:52:05.951-05:00Much To Be Thankful For<p> I am so happy to report that just recently, I have been discharged from my at-home care, and I am finally starting to get back into the swing of things. I'm still doing out-patient PT twice a week, so we're not completely out of the woods yet, but I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have reached out to Wendy and I. The notes, thoughts, prayers, check-ins...they all meant so much and have certainly played a huge role in the process of getting me to where I am today. It's been a long couple of months, but I'm making improvements and am grateful for each day that I'm here, doing what I love. </p><p>As Summer 2021 comes to a close, I just want to reflect on all the achievements that Camp Good Days has made, especially during this difficult time. We were finally able to utilize camp this summer, Caitlyn and the staff did a fantastic job in completely transforming the format of our programs, turning them into a family-oriented camp. The property was used every week and the response was overwhelmingly positive. I'm so proud of what they have accomplished, it reflects on what this organization stands for. Our golf tournament was also a success, it was great to see people still coming out to support us, despite our current challenges with Covid-19. </p><p>Now, as the Fall season is approaching, we are planning for our annual Tour de Teddi, along with plenty of other fun events that you all can put on your calendars. Our Junior Good Days is on September 18 from 11am-3pm, Courage Bowl is October 2, and our Fall Fest Weekend is October 30-31. I give all the credit to our hardworking staff–they have risen above all expectations and continue to amaze me with not only how much they care about Camp Good Days, but their willingness to adapt to any challenge that may come their way.</p><p>In our 43rd year, I want to make 2021-2022 the best year yet! With that being said, in order to make this year the best and most successful it can be, it all starts with our volunteers. For more information on how to get involved, contact our office at (585) 624-5555. I look forward to working with you soon. </p><p>Lastly, I want to give all my love and thanks to Wendy. She single-handedly took care of me, our two dogs and cat, the house, all while answering many calls and emails for Camp Good Days. She stuck by me through it all–which is a true testament to how strong our marriage is. When a crisis arises, it has the tendency to bring out the worst in people. There is always the possibility of a relationship being torn apart, especially when stress and anxiety levels are high. Thankfully, this was not the case for us. She is my rock and my biggest supporter. The best decision I ever made was marrying her. </p><p>I can't thank you all enough for being my champions and helping me push through on this difficult journey. I may not be where I want to be just yet, but I'm getting there, making strides every day.</p><p>Wishing you all Good Days and Special Times!</p><p>God Bless!</p><p>Gary</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><p></p>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-70064015143012915642021-07-06T12:04:00.003-05:002021-07-06T12:05:19.742-05:00A Health Update From our Founder<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #313e4b; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">As many of you know, since March of this year I have spent the majority of my time and efforts dealing with an</span></p><p data-uw-styling-context="true" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #313e4b; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">enlarged prostate and all that goes along with that and I wanted to give you all a quick update. Dr. Louis Eichel,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Chief of the Division of Urology at Rochester General Hospital will be performing the necessary surgery this<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />coming Monday, June 28, 2021.</p><p data-uw-styling-context="true" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #313e4b; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />While I am nervous because this is a different type of surgery that does not remove the prostate but will<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />reduce the overall size to minimize the risks of further debilitating symptoms and issues, Dr. Eichel feels<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />confident with the surgical plan and hopes he can correct the problem that initially led to my Emergency Room<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />visit and subsequent hospital stay a few months ago.</p><p data-uw-styling-context="true" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #313e4b; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Wendy thought I was having a stroke and 911 dispatched the Mobile Stroke Unit Ambulance, which is<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />phenomenal with advanced medical technology on-board. I did not have a stroke, but learned I was in Acute<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Renal Failure and the decision to have dialysis was canceled after three days waiting to see if my kidney<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />function would start to improve, which it did. I am so thankful for Dr. Mark Gestring, Dr. Jean Joseph and the<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />entire medical staff and care team that treated me at the University of Rochester Medical Center. I had to<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />spend time in the in-patient rehabilitation facility and upon being able to return to the comfort of my own<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />home, I continue to have weekly sessions of physical therapy and occupational therapy with University of<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Rochester Home Care specialists, along with multiple in-person and online appointments with my doctors.</p><p data-uw-styling-context="true" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #313e4b; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />I have been working really hard to get better and stronger and I have made significant improvement so that Dr.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Louis Eichel, and Dr. Rick Constantino, my Primary Care Physician and dear friend, feel I am ready for the next<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />step in recovery, which is this coming Monday’s surgery.</p><p data-uw-styling-context="true" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #313e4b; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />I, like anyone, am nervous about having major, invasive surgery, but it was never a question of if, but just when<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />would the surgery take place and now is the right time. It will be a lot to go through the surgery and the<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />recovery to follow, but I am very much looking forward to getting this behind me and moving forward with the<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />next chapters.</p><p data-uw-styling-context="true" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #313e4b; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />I want to thank each and everyone of you who have reached out to me, or to Wendy, via phone, text, email,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />cards, visits, etc. It means more than words can express to have so many people who love and care about you!<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />So many of you have asked how to help...I am one who never underestimates the power of prayer, so the only<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />help I ask for is that you say a prayer for my family and I that all goes well on Monday with the surgery and my<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />recovery to follow.</p><p data-uw-styling-context="true" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #313e4b; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />I look forward to chatting with you all again soon to give you another update and focus on the coming weeks<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />and months ahead, not just about my personal situation, but about the many things happening and coming up<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />at Camp Good Days!</p><p data-uw-styling-context="true" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #313e4b; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Wishing you all Good Days and Special Times!</p><p data-uw-styling-context="true" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #313e4b; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />God Bless!<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Gary</p>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-83154588172221724642021-03-11T15:19:00.003-05:002021-03-11T15:19:29.318-05:00Looking Forward to Summer<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I hope that this
blog finds you well and in good health. We, at Camp Good Days, are continuing
to adapt and adjust, and are looking forward to warm weather and the promise of
camp.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With the governor's
announcement that residential summer camps will be allowed to operate this
summer starting in June, we are excited to announce that we are offering Family
Camps in July and August! This means that our summer will look a little
different than normal. Families will be able to come during a 3-day, 2-night
stay to spend time at camp together. Each family will get their own cabin to
stay in and all safety precautions will be taken. There will be a limited
number of families staying on property at the same time. These programs will be
organized similarly to our regular programming, meaning that families who have
a child with cancer will be in the same program, families with a parent
diagnosed will be in the same program, etc. This way, they will be around
others facing similar challenges. A lot of research and planning has gone into
making this decision and we are very excited!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We also have two
great raffles going on. The Camp Good Days Car Raffle is happening again this
year thanks to Vanderstyne Toyota and Toyota USA. And the Foreigner Guitar
Raffle is also going on. Thanks to Lou Gramm and his wife Robyn, this guitar is
signed by all past and present members of Foreigner. The drawings will both be
held on April 15. Please support these great raffles by purchasing tickets or
sharing the information to families and friends. You can learn more </span><a href="https://www.campgooddays.org/workplace-giving" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-apgtnuGS0M8/YEp7JI-g8UI/AAAAAAAAAt4/KPOKlbazlyIsfFShe-0kv0dUD3V57eW4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/guitar%2Bsignatures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-apgtnuGS0M8/YEp7JI-g8UI/AAAAAAAAAt4/KPOKlbazlyIsfFShe-0kv0dUD3V57eW4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/guitar%2Bsignatures.jpg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lastly, we are
excited to announce that the 39th Annual Teddi Dance for Love raised over
$120,000 despite the challenges with the pandemic! This is the most they have
ever raised! This is the longest-running fundraiser at St. John Fisher College.
I want to give special thanks to Emily and Sam, the Chair and Vice Chair of the
dance, and President Rooney and Mrs. Rooney for their continued involvement and
support. It is thanks to events like these that we can continue providing our
programs free of charge.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">While this past
year has been difficult, we are hopeful for the future and are looking forward
to being able to have our camper families and some of our wonderful volunteers
down at camp this summer. Make sure to keep looking at our website, social
media accounts, this blog, and listen to our monthly radio show with WYSL, to
stay up to date on all things Camp Good Days.</span></p>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-72811595251709483282021-01-28T12:14:00.007-05:002021-01-28T12:14:53.236-05:00Welcoming 2021<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope that all of you have had a peaceful and pleasant start to the new year. Like many of you, all of us at Camp Good Days were counting down to the end of 2020, ready to put it behind us. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">This new year is made more special with the change in administration in Washington, D.C. This comes with the hope of better days ahead although, as we know, there are no guarantees. I personally, and our staff at Camp Good Days belie</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">ve that 2021 will be a better year. The development and distribution of the vaccine is a cause for hope, and hopefully by the time summer comes around, the distribution will be enough for us to move forward to a new normal. We are busy planning for our 42nd summer and are developing multiple plans depending on what we can do. Our goal is to make this summer the best one yet! </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">To see our summer camp update, please visit our <a href="https://bit.ly/3qY7HaR" target="_blank">website</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--093tDV661k/YBLwEsqf0zI/AAAAAAAAAtA/g8Ax5hEY0rcPa4zzlDajhAoAKhAAiM7EgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1004/newcovidupdatepic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1004" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--093tDV661k/YBLwEsqf0zI/AAAAAAAAAtA/g8Ax5hEY0rcPa4zzlDajhAoAKhAAiM7EgCLcBGAsYHQ/w491-h400/newcovidupdatepic.JPG" width="491" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I am sure you could have guessed, 2020 was not the best year for fundraisers. Some of ours had to be cancelled, others were postponed, and most of them did not raise the amount that they usually do. If you would like to help us going into the new year, please spread the word about our car raffle and guitar raffle. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once again, Vanderstyne Toyota and Toyota USA have generously donated the newest model of the Toyota Corolla SE. The tickets are 1 for $20 or 3 for $50 and all proceeds go right to Camp Good Days. The drawing will be held on April 15, 2021. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6l__GAtMbNw/YBLwhNkeH6I/AAAAAAAAAtI/et3Q1ajm6WAirNOEyLmQ2FgsYOu70OhIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s560/car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="560" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6l__GAtMbNw/YBLwhNkeH6I/AAAAAAAAAtI/et3Q1ajm6WAirNOEyLmQ2FgsYOu70OhIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/car.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>Lou Gramm and his wife, Robyn, with the help of Doug Emblidge have donated a signed guitar from all past and present Foreigner band members to raffle off. The money raised from this raffle will go towards renovating the music hut down at camp, which will be re-named in honor of a good friend of Camp Good Days, singer/songwriter, Bat McGrath, who passed away from cancer. The tickets are 1 for $10 or 3 for $20. You can learn more about both raffles </span><a href="https://www.campgooddays.org/workplace-giving" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qn6nfzy3Np4/YBLw2SqOzyI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/yeDobmlNvbIkc7LS7NxaJjbm-089LMROgCLcBGAsYHQ/s699/guitar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="699" height="216" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qn6nfzy3Np4/YBLw2SqOzyI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/yeDobmlNvbIkc7LS7NxaJjbm-089LMROgCLcBGAsYHQ/w358-h216/guitar.JPG" width="358" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>Unless things change, we have some exciting events coming up in 2021:</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">February 19-20: The 39th Annual St. John Fisher Teddi Dance for Love</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">May 24: The 38th Annual Tournament of Love</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">June 15-18: The 21st Annual Finger Lakes International Wine & Spirits Competition</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 11: The Tour de Teddi</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">November 6: The 21st Annual Wine Auction Dinner</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">These events help us raise the much-needed funds to provide our free programs and services, so please spread the word about these events. We always need attendees and volunteers! You can learn more about these events <a href="https://www.campgooddays.org/calendar/list/current_page,1/per_page,10" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">As we move forward into this new year, there are many ways for you to stay up to date on all things Camp Good Days. You can listen to our monthly radio show which airs the first Thursday of every month at 6:30PM on WYSL 1040AM 92.1FM. You can also listen to the podcast of the show on the WYSL <a href="http://www.wysl1040.com/podcasts.php" target="_blank">website</a>. We will also post all updates on our our social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">One of our mottos at Camp Good Days is “Adapt and Adjust,” and we appreciate you being patient and adapting and adjusting with us. No family is ever prepared to hear that their loved one has been diagnosed with cancer and we, at Camp Good Days, will make sure to be there for every family who needs us. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">While we are all missing camp, I urge you to send us some thoughts about how camp has changed your life, or why you hope we will be able to have our in-person camping programs this summer. These anecdotes will be great to hear and will provide some inspiration for us moving forward into the summer. Please send your thoughts through Facebook Messenger or by emailing info@campgooddays.org.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wish you all a great start to 2021 and I hope to be able to see everyone this summer. </span></p><div><br /></div>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-86899282874106268352020-11-05T14:48:00.001-05:002020-11-05T14:52:58.447-05:00A Surprise from Senator Rich Funke...<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I hope that this
blog finds you well during this crazy year. Like you, we at Camp Good Days are
working through the current struggles and are adapting and adjusting to what
life is throwing at us. We are working hard so we can continue providing
programs and services for families affected by cancer and sickle cell anemia. The
ultimate goal is to continue to be there for every child and family who needs
us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In order to
generate the financial support we need, we have had to make some changes to our
fundraisers and special events. We have held our Annual Wine Auction Dinner for
20 years, but this year, we had to re-imagine the dinner as an online auction.
We are going to have hundreds of wine packages along with other exciting items.
The auction goes from November 12<sup>th</sup> at 10:00AM until November 19<sup>th</sup>
at 8:00PM. You can view and bid on the items <a href="https://e.givesmart.com/events/hN8/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Thanks to
Vanderstyne Toyota and Toyota Motor Corporation, we once again have a car to
raffle off! This year, the car will be a 2021 Toyota Corolla SE. Tickets are 1
for $20 and 3 for $50, and the drawing will be on April 15<sup>th</sup>, 2021. Every
single dollar raised from this raffle goes directly to Camp Good Days!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We also have the
guitar raffle still going on! Over the years, Rochester's own Lou Gramm, from
Foreigner has been an avid supporter of Camp Good Days. Gramm, along with his
wife, Robyn, have put together a very special raffle item! In honor of the late
Bat McGrath, a well-known singer/songwriter who was also from Rochester and a
friend of Camp Good Days, Lou Gramm has donated a guitar signed by past
and present members of Foreigner. The proceeds from this raffle will go towards
renovating the music activity hut at Camp Good Days’ recreational facility in Branchport,
NY. The hut will be re-dedicated in memory of Bat McGrath. Tickets are 1 for
$10 or 3 for $20. The drawing will happen at the dedication of the music hut in
the spring of 2021.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Information for both
the car raffle and the guitar raffle are on our <a href="https://www.campgooddays.org/" target="_blank">website</a>!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For me, personally,
I had a nice surprise when I received a call from Senator Rich Funke, asking if
he could come into the office and meet with me. I have known Rich for many
years, starting back when he began his career working at a local radio station and later
became an anchor with News10NBC. We have a special bond since we both have lost
a child to cancer. He presented me with an award, the highest award the New
York State Senate can present to a citizen, the Liberty Award.</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">“The New York State Senate Liberty Award is the state’s
highest honor. It is presented to citizens who have merited special commendation
for their actions on behalf of their fellow New Yorkers and their community.”</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I was very humbled
because of the significance of the award and because it is one of the last
things Rich will have done before leaving the State Senate. It will be on
display in our office in Mendon and once our museum is completed at camp, it
will be placed there for all to see.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BUEyRguue2c/X6RWmdpAN-I/AAAAAAAAAr0/WuMOIddu2oMGtJKQhNBZuaPifTy_UoJSACLcBGAsYHQ/s6000/GaryandRich.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="341" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BUEyRguue2c/X6RWmdpAN-I/AAAAAAAAAr0/WuMOIddu2oMGtJKQhNBZuaPifTy_UoJSACLcBGAsYHQ/w227-h341/GaryandRich.JPG" width="227" /></a></div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GJzodoW-FVk/X6RSeGCH2QI/AAAAAAAAArI/cjLEYkGAogYIgwXTtScER-y2cAJ0P0Z2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1451/liberyawardmedal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1451" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GJzodoW-FVk/X6RSeGCH2QI/AAAAAAAAArI/cjLEYkGAogYIgwXTtScER-y2cAJ0P0Z2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/liberyawardmedal.jpg" /></a> <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AqMb-KlswYs/X6RTMbyG54I/AAAAAAAAArg/sPDUp4aFJN8foa9isC1RrfxUmdQ_yWVFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1113/awardddddddddddddddddddddddd.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="883" data-original-width="1113" height="277" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AqMb-KlswYs/X6RTMbyG54I/AAAAAAAAArg/sPDUp4aFJN8foa9isC1RrfxUmdQ_yWVFgCLcBGAsYHQ/w350-h277/awardddddddddddddddddddddddd.JPG" width="350" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: left;">As the holiday
season approaches, please keep the children and families of Camp Good Days in
your thoughts and prayers. We will continue to be there for everyone diagnosed
with cancer and sickle cell anemia who needs us. Cancer doesn’t stop during
pandemic and neither will we!</span></div></div><p></p>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-89556060774932696522020-09-21T15:55:00.004-05:002020-09-21T15:55:35.804-05:00A Camp Good Days Pioneer <p>In October, we will be starting Camp Good Days’ 42nd year. It is crazy to think that over these years, we have served over 50,000 campers from 22 states and 36 foreign countries. This accomplishment would never have happened without some very important people. One of those people was Adele House, who passed away recently.</p><p>I have often talked about how special some of the Camp Good Days pioneers were in the early days and how they helped to make Camp Good Days a reality. It wasn’t until 1982 that we had an office and our first paid staff person; in the beginning, we were all unpaid volunteers who had a dream of making a difference in the lives of children diagnosed with cancer. When I had said that I was starting a camp for children with cancer, most people didn’t really understand what I was trying to do or were fearful because the word “cancer” was the most feared word in the English language, and when it was associated with a child, it was too much for people to think about. The friends who were close to me knew what I was going through and when I asked them to help make Camp happen, they did. They were willing to loosen their ties, roll up their sleeves and do what they needed to do to help make the dream come true because they knew children in our community like my daughter, Teddi, were in need. Camp Good Days was the result of their commitment and hard work. </p><p>When Adele became involved with Camp Good Days, she was the secretary to former Family Court Judge, Anthony Bonadio. As those of you who know me are aware, typing is not a skill that I have, and in order to get everything squared away to be able to host Camp including getting out correspondence, setting up meetings, etc., I needed a great deal of help. Adele offered to help and was able to do it all while working around her full-time job. She found the time to send out notices, press releases, get paperwork done, and she would do whatever she needed to do to help make Camp a reality. Adele and her daughter, Barb, also volunteered at Camp each summer to get the dining hall ready for mealtimes and to clean up after. </p><p>Children and adults have been able to experience the magic of Camp Good Days because of people like Adele; people who felt that they had a calling to do some good in our community. I often say that the two greatest gifts we can give to one another are our love and our time. Adele certainly gave plenty of both, and I will miss her very much.</p><div><br /></div>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-19622097264627269622020-08-13T16:00:00.004-05:002020-08-13T16:01:55.715-05:00Cancer Doesn't Stop During a Pandemic and Neither Do WeDuring this time of uncertainty, we don’t know what the future might bring. We have a dream of normalcy that might never come to fruition. At Camp Good Days, we have been using the phrase that one of my staff members created, “Cancer doesn’t stop during a pandemic and neither do we.” At Camp Good Days, we are committed to helping the children and families in our community who need us the most. This time has been very busy despite changing schedules and working with 50% of the staff in the office at any given time, but I am blessed with a dedicated staff who have never been more challenged than they were during these past few months. <div><br /></div><div>We had our 20th Annual Finger Lakes International Wine & Spirits Competition in July and this year, we really had to follow our motto of “adapt and adjust.” When we were confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to rethink the whole competition. We still had a lot of entries that had been sent in and we knew we needed to do something. We met with our committee which included our Head Judge, Bob Madill; our Flighting and Results Manager, Teresa Knapp; and our Director of Special Events & Fundraising, Jamie Varble, and came up with some changes. We determined that since we weren’t having the residential summer programs and we couldn’t host the competition at our usual location of the Holiday Inn in Downtown Rochester, we could host the competition down at our recreational facility on Keuka Lake. We had to move the competition from April to July, the judges who were normally asked to participate could not travel out of country or across certain states, and we had to change the format of the competition. There was great cooperation between our staff, judges and volunteers. While there were not as many judges present and not as many wines and spirits entered, we had to marvel at how much support we received.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mUtZpTkw0XQ/XzWpUcjK0pI/AAAAAAAAAp4/Yn2DsFRi2toN5APCnsSeV13p925aX_0FQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/NEAT%2BGlasses.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="175" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mUtZpTkw0XQ/XzWpUcjK0pI/AAAAAAAAAp4/Yn2DsFRi2toN5APCnsSeV13p925aX_0FQCLcBGAsYHQ/w262-h175/NEAT%2BGlasses.jpg" width="262" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U6ibVzT8jhM/XzWpU5t_CqI/AAAAAAAAAp8/jq9s-LpOG8EZYogy1GMGno_o-f-K00SKACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DSC_0266.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="175" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U6ibVzT8jhM/XzWpU5t_CqI/AAAAAAAAAp8/jq9s-LpOG8EZYogy1GMGno_o-f-K00SKACLcBGAsYHQ/w262-h175/DSC_0266.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>When we first started the FLIWC, we started it for two reasons. At the time, there were a lot of wineries popping up in the Finger Lakes and many of them felt that their quality wine was not being recognized. Thanks in part, to the competition, the Finger Lakes wines have received more recognition and are more readily recommended by wine professionals and wine enthusiasts. This year, having the competition hosted at our facility on Keuka Lake brought the competition to the heart of the Finger Lakes and emphasized why the competition was started in the first place. By having it at the facility, the judges were able to see what Camp Good Days was all about. A picture is worth 1,000 words but being there in person is even more impactful. It is a great credit to our staff, volunteers and judges that we were able to make it happen. </div><div><br /></div><div>This was the 37th year for our annual golf tournament, the Tournament of Love. For the past 15 years, we have been able to host the tournament at Monroe Golf Club. Originally, the tournament was supposed to be held in May and was then rescheduled to August. There were many changes made to accommodate social distancing guidelines including getting rid of the dinner and award portion of the tournament, staggered tee off times, and boxed lunches. Rather than a dinner, we had hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and the clams that are such a hit every year. For me, it was nice to be home around 6:30PM rather than 10PM and I am sure the golfers appreciated the shortened program as well. We will make less money from the tournament this year, and we had less golfers than normal, but we were able to put on a world-class tournament during a difficult time, and we are very proud of that. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dIV6hiXFk4Q/XzWp7oKq0uI/AAAAAAAAAqI/8QXrGOQ9zsMAWG_jau7B7tWSIj_OsbwjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_9112.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="274" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dIV6hiXFk4Q/XzWp7oKq0uI/AAAAAAAAAqI/8QXrGOQ9zsMAWG_jau7B7tWSIj_OsbwjQCLcBGAsYHQ/w410-h274/IMG_9112.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Buffalo Gala, which is one of our largest fundraisers in Buffalo, was scheduled for April at the Hyatt. We were unable to hold the event in person and so we made the decision to move the event to an online auction. The generous sponsors agreed to let us keep their pledges and we were able to generate a good amount of money through the online auction. </div><div><br /></div><div>Camp Good Days does a lot to help children and families impacted by cancer and sickle cell anemia, and all the programs and services are provided free of charge. These programs cost money, some are very expensive, and even though we are not having the in-person programs this year, we hopefully will be able do so next year. These fundraisers have become key factors in us raising the money to fund these programs and services. Despite all of the challenges and the uncertainties that have been presented to us, we have a group of people who all have a common passion and goal, who rose to the occasion to adapt and adjust to raise money for Camp Good Days. </div><div><br /></div><div>To make sure that we are still doing as much as we can to help the children and families who need us, we adapted and adjusted our summer programs. We were unable to have the camping programs, so our Junior Good Days program was made into a virtual program, and we will also be having two weeks of virtual programming for the rest of our young campers coming up later this month. This time can be very isolating for our campers and we are trying to do everything in our power to help them know that they are not alone and that their Camp Good Days family is there for them. As I said earlier, “Cancer doesn’t stop during a pandemic and neither do we.”
</div>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-40226385021868909712020-07-24T15:20:00.004-05:002020-08-07T14:13:42.846-05:00A Life Lived in the Service of Others<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xa5Bg7c6pgg/XxtCQMC5EvI/AAAAAAAAAoA/wE6V805u8Qs_P_Pbm2KWjaDHJGDrImW4gCPcBGAYYCw/s1716/Fisher2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5PMlQGPfSpY/Xy2kzDgGpMI/AAAAAAAAAok/zDJny2Y7Pzs3xeOhKmrJ52IjL_zAK-lVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/father%2Bjoe.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5PMlQGPfSpY/Xy2kzDgGpMI/AAAAAAAAAok/zDJny2Y7Pzs3xeOhKmrJ52IjL_zAK-lVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/father%2Bjoe.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><em>*Photo Credit: St. John Fisher College*</em></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was saddened to learn earlier this week that a friend of mine, Father Joseph Trovato, passed away after 30 years of serving the students at St. John Fisher College and the parishioners at Christ the King Church in Irondequoit. He was the college’s first director of Campus Ministry and served in that position the longest. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I can honestly say that every time I was able to see him, he would have a smile on his face. He always asked about my daughter, Teddi, when she was going through her battle with cancer and he was always thinking about the children of Camp Good Days. Lou Buttino, a professor at St. John Fisher, helped to start the Teddi Dance for Love and wrote “For the Love of Teddi.” He introduced me to Father Joe many years ago. </div><div> </div><div>
One of the Teddi Dance for Love traditions at St. John Fisher, the blessing of the feet, happens the Friday before the dance. The head of campus ministry blesses the students as they lay down with their feet in the air. Father Joe always loved this tradition. He would come by to see the beginning of the dance and would also be there at the end to celebrate with the students. A few years ago, the current director of Campus Ministry, Father Kevin Mannara, surprised me by bringing Father Joe to the dance. That was the highlight of that year’s dance for me. </div><div> </div><div>
The lives that he touched during his time on Earth are immeasurable. He was truly a saint here on earth because he was always concerned about others before himself. He left everyone who had the chance to meet him feeling better from the experience. I’m sure as he enters the kingdom of Heaven, the Lord will say that he was a good and faithful servant who led a good life in service of others. </div><div> </div><div>
</div>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-86860462472431989452020-07-08T14:15:00.000-05:002020-07-08T14:15:02.360-05:00Moving Forward in this New Normal <div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-25AS-gY6Ijk/XwYa2Z0juWI/AAAAAAAAAnM/qzgbAEVX6D4aBi1e5q3_Zwa4BF4_kRI8ACK4BGAsYHg/s3384/Teddi_2%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>I hope that you, and your family and friends are doing well during this crazy time of uncertainty. I know for all of us at Camp Good Days, this has been a difficult and stressful time in our lives. It is the first time in 41 years that we will have no summer residential camping programs for the children and families we serve. This decision was not made lightly and has been hard for everyone including our campers, staff and volunteers.
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">
On June 27th, it was Teddi‘s birthday. It is hard to believe that she would have been 51 years old. It was a beautiful day in Rochester, so I took flowers to her grave and sat on the bench that I put in a few years ago behind her headstone. I was the only one in the entire cemetery, so I decided to sit for a while and reflect. I started to ask many questions that I will unfortunately never know the answers to: Who would’ve been that special partner in her life? Would she have had or decided not to have children? What would she have done with her life? And what would my life had been like had Teddi not been diagnosed with cancer? I just tried to make sense of these questions and what could have been had my life not changed forever.
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-25AS-gY6Ijk/XwYa2Z0juWI/AAAAAAAAAnM/qzgbAEVX6D4aBi1e5q3_Zwa4BF4_kRI8ACK4BGAsYHg/s3384/Teddi_2%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3384" data-original-width="2088" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-25AS-gY6Ijk/XwYa2Z0juWI/AAAAAAAAAnM/qzgbAEVX6D4aBi1e5q3_Zwa4BF4_kRI8ACK4BGAsYHg/s320/Teddi_2%2B%25282%2529.jpg" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-25AS-gY6Ijk/XwYa2Z0juWI/AAAAAAAAAnM/qzgbAEVX6D4aBi1e5q3_Zwa4BF4_kRI8ACK4BGAsYHg/s3384/Teddi_2%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">
One of my favorite sayings is something Mark Twain said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” For me, I look back on my life and I realize that I have been doing what I was put on this earth to do. I was initially trying to bring children with cancer out of the dark ages and give them the opportunity to get back some of the childhood illness had stolen from them. I am amazed at how far the organization has come after starting as a simple summer camp for Teddi and 62 other children from Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse, who were all dealing with cancer. I started the camp at a time where few people would accept the idea that a child could have a disease like cancer and still be able to have a camping experience. It was also during a time when people did not care about the quality of the lives of children diagnosed with cancer, they only cared about finding a medical cure. Over the years, the medical side has gotten better and we have had better treatments. As a result, children with cancer live longer than in the past, but there is still a need for places like Camp Good Days where those children can have their recreational and psychosocial needs met.
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">
I am pleased that with the help of so many volunteers and a group of truly dedicated professional staff, Camp Good Days has continued to be there for children and families affected by cancer from all over the world. On the shores of Keuka Lake and in the town of Branchport, we have created a very special home away from home for our campers. Over the past 41 years, Camp Good Days has served over 50,000 campers from 22 states and 36 countries, and $.90 of every dollar goes directly towards our many programs and services that we provide. Now, we must address the future and plan for what will become the new normal. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">
We are living during a time that we have never seen before in our history. We are dealing with not only the immense civil unrest but also the crazy pandemic that we are struggling with trying to find answers to. There is no question that both have been totally mishandled and the aftermath will affect us for many years. Thinking of all this, we at Camp Good Days are busy trying to come up with a plan that we can implement for our 2021 fiscal year that will address that new normal while hopefully being able to provide safe and fun programs. I think the most important responsibility that we have is given to us by a child’s parent or guardian who has entrusted Camp Good Days with their child’s safety. As I have told our staff and volunteers every summer during training, we need to make sure that we send the children back home in better condition than when they were given to us. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">
I ended my session at Teddi‘s gravesite the same way I do every day, by asking Teddi to be my guardian angel and to help me make the right decisions for the special organization that I am in charge of, especially now when we have had to deal with so much. I hope that she’s proud of her old man and as long as, in my heart, I feel that she is, we will continue to meet these challenges head-on and continue to advocate for the very special children and families in our community who need us the most.
</div></p>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-11749923917765022902020-03-23T14:34:00.000-05:002020-03-23T14:34:15.599-05:00Adapting and Adjusting During COVID-19<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I know that it has been a while since I have written a new
blog post; we have been busy with so many things. In these uncertain times that
we are all living in right now, I thought it would be important to let you know
that Camp Good Days is still here, because people still need our help. Unfortunately,
just because we are dealing with this new pandemic, it doesn’t mean that no one
will be affected by cancer. People will still come back from the doctor after being
told that the pathology report came back and they have cancer. And despite all
of our fears of the unknown in regard to the Coronavirus, I am still convinced
that a diagnosis of cancer is even more scary, and that a cancer diagnosis creates
enormous thoughts, questions, and fears, and I want people to know that we,
here at Camp Good Days, are still here ready to help. There will always be
someone to talk to. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is the time of year where Camp Good Days is very busy,
and it is when what we do really shines. We are getting ready for our summer
camping programs, including our Junior Good Days day-camp program and our
residential camps. We are still looking for wonderful men and women to
volunteer at the programs and summer staff who we hire to help at the facility
during the summer camp season. There will be a new surprise this summer with
the addition of a new building at camp—a museum that will house and share some
of the history of Camp Good Days while also creating additional indoor space
when we need it. </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Right now, like everyone else, we are working remotely, but
if people leave their name and phone number on the voicemail machine at the
office, the appropriate person will get back to them as soon as they can. All
staff are also available via email. Eventually, this crisis will be behind us,
and we want to be ready to go into full motion without skipping a beat. While
this pandemic is forcing us to work in a different way by working from home,
the work still must go on. Throughout this time, we will continue to be here
for those families that need us. There is no question that these are uncertain
times and our summer programs may be impacted depending on what will happen
with the remainder of the school year, since we cannot run our programs until
summer recess has begun. But, we are truly blessed with a dedicated staff of people
who never look at what they do as a job, rather they look at what they do as a
ministry, and no matter what their job is, they have a desire to help make a
difference in the lives of those we serve, so we are all still here as a
resource.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We know that these uncertain times are hard for everyone,
especially for many people who have lost their jobs and are struggling
financially, but if you have the opportunity, or are able to help, please keep
our children and our families in your mind. Our spring special events and
fundraisers have been postponed, so we are not bringing in much revenue. At
this time, donations are what are helping to keep our programs going, and no
amount is insignificant. I was reminded of this when I received a letter a few
days ago from Deacon Paul at the Groveland Correctional Facility with a
donation from the inmates. The inmates are given 25 cents, 50 cents, a dollar,
or more, when they attend mass each week, and when there is enough collected,
they choose a worthwhile cause that they would like to make a charitable donation
to. They chose Camp Good Days as their charity of choice<i>, </i>and it really
meant a lot to me since right now there aren’t a lot of checks that are coming
in. This shows you how meaningful and important what we do is. Here are people
who have sacrificed the little money they have access to in order to help
children and families touched by cancer. Our support comes from many places, but
it means so much to me when it comes from people who believe, no matter their
situation, that they want to help others. Over the years, thanks to donations
like that, we have served around 50,000 campers from 22 states and 36 countries,
and we are certainly hoping that we will be able to continue being there for
every child and family that truly needs us.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Please know that all of us at Camp Good Days are keeping you
all in our thoughts, and please reach out if you need anything.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-26379103398839383732019-10-15T15:41:00.000-05:002019-10-15T15:41:10.257-05:00Losing Two Very Special People <span style="font-size: 14pt;">Things at Camp Good
Days continue to be extremely busy as we transition from being down at camp to being
full-time at our headquarters in Mendon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Added to the busyness was the recent news that two very special people
to Camp Good Days and to me personally had passed away.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Laurie Allinger was
one of our original campers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was a
beautiful young lady who, following her cancer diagnosis, lost one of her arms
and all of the supporting tissue around it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Despite this, Laurie never let anything stand in her way of living life
to the fullest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will always remember
being up at Camp Eagle Cove in the early years and watching the children
participate in our archery program, and seeing this beautiful young lady
putting the bow between her toes, sitting on the ground, and pulling the string
back to shoot the target, and very often making bulls eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember her on Canandaigua Lake doing wind
surfing by holding the rope in her mouth, with I and many of our volunteers
marveling at her enthusiasm and how she would not let anything stand in her
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there was a poster child for
camp’s first two years, it was Laurie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ljuK25b6yks/XaYuf0gYQII/AAAAAAAAAk0/VO_QJgqc-5YiY1XMxSmARmNNh4v8wZMEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Laurie1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ljuK25b6yks/XaYuf0gYQII/AAAAAAAAAk0/VO_QJgqc-5YiY1XMxSmARmNNh4v8wZMEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Laurie1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span id="goog_1254173914"></span><span id="goog_1254173915"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">From the very first
year, she bonded with my daughter, Teddi, and in fact I still remember the day
that they proudly came up to me and told me that they were blood sisters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laurie was always there for Teddi. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the first summer at camp, Teddi had a
recurrence of her cancer which caused her to have a lot of challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teddi was confined to a wheel chair because
of the excessive amounts of radiation she went through and she had gone blind
because the brain tumor had grown and shut off her optic nerve. Laurie loved
Teddi and made a large effort to include her in everything she did, despite
Teddi’s unique challenges that she had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Teddi died from her cancer on February 27<sup>th</sup> of 1982 and
Laurie just died from the side effects and challenges of her cancer in
September of 2019.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All those years that
Laurie had weren’t always good ones and the illness took a large toll on her
body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was tough learning about her
passing and further learning that her death was not an easy one, but the
consolation is that I know that she is in heaven with Teddi and all of the
other children and volunteers from Camp Good Days, and that she is no longer in
any pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can picture Laurie and Teddi
once again renewing their special relationship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TxBl7o6s9cM/XaYuo8rYCkI/AAAAAAAAAk4/GNDlEZQC7-0Ra_qvgcHBj7na1qgucpWbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/010%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1079" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TxBl7o6s9cM/XaYuo8rYCkI/AAAAAAAAAk4/GNDlEZQC7-0Ra_qvgcHBj7na1qgucpWbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/010%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The second passing
I learned about was the passing of Bat McGrath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I really didn’t know Bat until some of our volunteers had an idea to
have a concert featuring some music artists who got their start here in Upstate
New York.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bat was one of the first
people who was asked and agreed to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unfortunately, the concert never happened because of the flooding that had
occurred down at camp, resulting in over a half of a million dollars in damages.
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Later on, when Bat travelled
from his home in Nashville to visit this area, he decided to visit camp and see
it for himself. He said that when he was going back home, he had the desire to
write a song about Camp Good Days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
day, my assistant told me that she had received an email from Bat along with a
song that he had written about camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was difficult for me to hear it and understand it, so I had my assistant email
him back and ask if he could send it to me on a CD. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bat went out, rented a studio and recorded the
song so that I could have a CD version of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I listened to it, I fell in love with it, and I shared it with my
staff who also fell in love with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So,
I invited Bat when he came back the next summer to actually come to camp and
see camp in session and play his song, which he did with his wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While he was at camp, he said it would be
great if we could put a video with the music so that I or my staff could use it
when we made presentations about Camp Good Days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, Bat made some calls to his friends and he
got someone who would be able to create a video for the song. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nV7gbukfUDM/XaYu2g1cprI/AAAAAAAAAlA/nocyu9P6iFcoF6dnSMnhhizWibU84uDtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/bat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nV7gbukfUDM/XaYu2g1cprI/AAAAAAAAAlA/nocyu9P6iFcoF6dnSMnhhizWibU84uDtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/bat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A few days before
Christmas that year, I got a call from the person who put the video together
asking if I could come out to their office and see the finished product.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I have to admit, I was a little taken
aback not only because the video was so well done and so beautiful, but
because, unbeknownst to me, they had slipped in a few videos of Teddi and
I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to say, if I have used that
video once, I have used it 100 times and every time I do, I feel so fortunate
that Bat came into my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Like many of you, I
am sure; I was shocked to learn that he had been diagnosed with cancer last
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when I had heard that he was
going to play some of his music at Lovin’ Cup, I called one of the owners,
Leslie Zinc, to ask if she could get me into the sold out show, and she made
sure that Wendy and I had seats at his last concert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was emotional to see him because he had
lost probably 40 pounds and he was weak, but the showman that he was, he stood
and performed for the whole concert, and then he even had CDs available that he
sat down to sign for his fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every
time I see that beautiful video, I will think of him.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I wanted to write
this blog because I think it is important that we recognize these two very
special people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Bat’s case, we are
going to dedicate the music hut at camp to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And then for Laurie, we will do a special activity at camp in her honor
next summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">If you would like
to see the video of Bat’s song, please follow this link: </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biQWpUcRvbY"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biQWpUcRvbY</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-49600365589220492712019-09-17T13:15:00.004-05:002019-09-17T13:17:57.983-05:00Jumping into Fall <span style="font-size: 12pt;">As we head into fall,
and we approach our next fiscal year, we are turning our main focus from our
camping programs to our various offices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Two weeks ago, we had
the 4<sup>th</sup> Annual Teddi Bowl game on Thursday, September 5<sup>th</sup>
between Victor High School and Canandaigua High School, held at Victor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a great night with over 4,000 fans in
attendance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to give a special
thanks to the coaches, athletic directors, staff, and players who helped make
the game possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our campers had a
wonderful time being able to be part of the football teams and cheer squads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the opening night for Section V Football
and the weather was perfect. The Victor Blue Devils ended up defeating the
Canandaigua Braves with a final score of 31-14, but the real winners of the
game were the campers from Camp Good Days who participated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kVA-pPGA2bs/XYEiduNnKkI/AAAAAAAAAkI/66bqojlZWPU3yNqXGi5LcDCmXSM4O1FtACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/TeddiBowl%2Bwin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kVA-pPGA2bs/XYEiduNnKkI/AAAAAAAAAkI/66bqojlZWPU3yNqXGi5LcDCmXSM4O1FtACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/TeddiBowl%2Bwin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yuSFTeqO1qc/XYEidGvOizI/AAAAAAAAAkE/gkfI7E9eRFU6swIQ7Fr-saPvPYcBU_PSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Teddibowlcampers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yuSFTeqO1qc/XYEidGvOizI/AAAAAAAAAkE/gkfI7E9eRFU6swIQ7Fr-saPvPYcBU_PSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Teddibowlcampers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4CkPk2Yzo_c/XYEic3L0vNI/AAAAAAAAAkA/qG0sqtPodw0tWsw57725MjRQYydYIp3uwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/TeddiBowlCheerLeader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4CkPk2Yzo_c/XYEic3L0vNI/AAAAAAAAAkA/qG0sqtPodw0tWsw57725MjRQYydYIp3uwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/TeddiBowlCheerLeader.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We also had our
annual Tour de Teddi bike ride on Saturday, September 7<sup>th</sup> at our
camp facility on Keuka Lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year,
there were over 380 riders in attendance making it the most participated in
Tour de Teddi for Camp Good Days to date! The day had beautiful weather and the
riders were able to enjoy their ride, have a barbeque along with wine and beer
tastings, and walk around the camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O9-ih78795Y/XYEiWMK_H1I/AAAAAAAAAkQ/15OE9O4UVIwah1-g4JC4hDRJ56RLqKBtwCEwYBhgL/s1600/TOurdeTeddiPic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O9-ih78795Y/XYEiWMK_H1I/AAAAAAAAAkQ/15OE9O4UVIwah1-g4JC4hDRJ56RLqKBtwCEwYBhgL/s400/TOurdeTeddiPic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">W<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">e have our 15<sup>th</sup>
Annual Courage Bowl coming up on October 5<sup>th</sup> between the St. John
Fisher College Cardinals and the College at Brockport Golden Eagles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year, it will be held at Growney Stadium
at St. John Fisher College. Kick-off is at 6:00PM!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you would like to purchase tickets for the
game, please call our office at 585-624-5555.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you or anyone
you know would like to help Camp Good Days by donating a few hours of your
time, we are happy to announce that we will once again be holding our annual
Kazoo Fest with the help of JCPenny and the area malls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can come and help sell kazoos and spread
the word about Camp Good Days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Kazoo
Fest goes from the end of November until the end of December.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it gets closer to November, you will be
able to sign up to volunteer on our website.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We had a small
ceremony the other day at a place that is near and dear to my heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a bench made in honor of my good
friend who passed away in February of 2017, Sal “Skip” DeBiase, and placed it
in “Teddi’s Place” in Highland Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Skip was a dear friend of mine, someone who loved Teddi very much, and a
great friend to camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can honestly say
that without his help, Camp Good Days wouldn’t have been able to serve the over
48,000 campers that have come to our programs over these past 40 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you ever want a quiet place to reflect,
please stop by “Teddi’s Place” and sit on the new bench.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is just down the steps from the water
reservoir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6PJN11qL-jY/XYEiWj6LWjI/AAAAAAAAAkM/Bjy7wW5nPcMYLn3JtVPM_r-8uzudIKdCACEwYBhgL/s1600/BenchDedication.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6PJN11qL-jY/XYEiWj6LWjI/AAAAAAAAAkM/Bjy7wW5nPcMYLn3JtVPM_r-8uzudIKdCACEwYBhgL/s400/BenchDedication.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you would like
to stay updated on all things Camp Good Days including our events coming up,
please tune in to our monthly radio show with WYSL 92.1FM and 1040AM and follow
us on Facebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can also get the
radio show podcast on the WYSL website: <a href="http://www.wysl1040.com/podcasts.php">http://www.wysl1040.com/podcasts.php</a>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Our 40<sup>th</sup>
summer was full of amazing programs and wonderful people, and I am so very
proud of how Camp Good Days has grown over these years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I go to bed at night I think about how
Teddi would be proud of everything that we have done to keep her spirit alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that Teddi is looking down on not only
me, but all of our campers, staff, and volunteers who are experiencing the
wonder of Camp Good Days. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I will leave you
with a quote that I found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I liked it so
much that I ordered a print of it and hung it on my wall across from my desk so
that I can look at it every day:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">May the sun bring
you new energy by day<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">May the moon softly
restore you by night<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">May the rain wash
away your worries<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">May the breeze blow
new strength into your being<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">May you walk gently
through the world <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">and know its beauty
all the days of your life<o:p></o:p></span>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-24476731157533526222019-07-25T09:44:00.002-05:002019-07-29T06:04:14.075-05:00Celebrating a Milestone <span style="font-size: 12pt;">This past weekend, we
at Camp Good Days celebrated our 40<sup>th</sup> year milestone with a Reunion
Weekend celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one sense, 40
years sounds like a long time, but in another, it amazes me to think about all
that has been accomplished in such a short amount of time.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VNKOW_8Eb6U/XTm_nrwLvoI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/kqOGpBoE-3MsDbrGm1fMm2j3pvPJ3znuwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_5331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VNKOW_8Eb6U/XTm_nrwLvoI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/kqOGpBoE-3MsDbrGm1fMm2j3pvPJ3znuwCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_5331.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Wendy and I drove
to camp Friday night to make sure we were there early Saturday morning to greet
all of the former campers and volunteers who were there to celebrate with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got up early on Saturday morning, made some
coffee and went out onto the deck of my cabin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I was sitting there, I was reminded of how beautiful it is at our
facility and how wonderful the Lord’s creations are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sun was shining, the lake was crystal
clear and it was the start of a beautiful day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was so excited to see how the weekend would unfold and to see old
friends, and that made me realize how many people I would not be able to
see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are so many people who helped
to make Camp Good Days possible and I will be forever grateful to them.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">One of these people
was my brother from another mother, Sal “Skip” DeBiase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Skip knew Teddi personally and knew what I
was trying to accomplish with Camp Good Days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He shared his printing press and helped to create the flyers and
materials I used to help spread the word about Camp Good Days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">My old boss for
many years while I was in government, James Nagle, was another one of these
amazing people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knew what my family
and I were going through and saw how much work it would take to get Camp Good
Days started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He allowed me to make Camp
Good Days a priority and supported me throughout the journey.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ray Cordello became
a saving grace for Camp Good Days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
I was getting Camp Good Days started, I was confident in myself to come up with
good ideas and execute them, and get the fundraising under way, but I did not
have a strong accounting background and I knew that a successful non-profit
needed to have good finance records.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray
stepped up to the plate and started off as a volunteer to help with the
financials and was later employed as our CFO.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I never worried about the state of our financials while Ray was in
charge.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Father David
Ambuske was like the spiritual advisor for Camp Good Days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Teddi had a lot of questions about
Heaven and life and death, Father Ambsuke was there to reassure her and offer
her spiritual guidance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I started
Camp Good Days, I didn’t want to force religion on any of the participants, I
wanted each person to believe and practice what was most comforting to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be honest, I didn’t want religion to be a
large part of Camp Good Days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the
first few sessions of camp, we had over 20 of the original 62 campers pass away
including Teddi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that time we had no
offices or staff, everyone was a volunteer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we got to the Adirondack Mountains that
next summer, there was a cloud over everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The volunteers looked for friends from the other cities who were not
there, and the campers looked for other campers who were not there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried to get everyone excited for this
wonderful week we had been planning all year, but everyone was too sad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Margaret Register, who I liked to call “Muggs”
was a volunteer who had cancer as an adolescent and now helped Camp Good
Days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She came over to me and said,
“Gary, we cannot pretend like those children who are not here didn’t
exist.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told her that I knew that, I
just wasn’t sure what we could do to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Her answer was that we needed to have a service of remembrance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This sounded like something that was out of
my realm, and so I called the one person I knew could help, David Ambuske.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was the Executive Director for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Children in Monroe County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I called him and said that I needed him to leave
work and come to the campsite; I needed a very large favor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He left and drove up right away, and he held
a service of remembrance for those who were no longer with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the service, we felt like a 1,000 pound
weight was lifted off of our shoulders and everyone felt like they were now
allowed to enjoy their time at camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This ceremony became a tradition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Every first night of each program, we do a ceremony to remember those we
have lost, and every year, Father Ambuske performed the ceremonies until his
death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Dr. Martin
Klemperer came into my life when I greatly needed him. When I realized that I
needed a physician to be at the camp in order to properly take care of the
children who were attending, he stepped up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Camp Good Days was the fourth program of its kind in the country, but
the first started by a lay-person; all others had been started by
physicians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been told that it
would be hard to find a doctor who was willing to give up his time to be at a
program that he did not come up with himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dr. Klemperer gave up his time to be our primary physician at camp and
he truly saw the value of what camp could provide; the psycho-social healing
that a hospital could not help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can
honestly say that without his selflessness and commitment to camp, we would
never have been able to serve the over 48,300 campers from 22 states and 36
countries that we have been able to help over these past 40 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">T<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">he last person I
will talk about is Dr. Jack Dadey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
became involved with Camp Good Days after he and his wife read an article about
Camp Good Days in the March issue of McCall’s Magazine in 1982.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I received a beautiful letter from his wife
letting me know that as a family, they would like to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr. Dadey stayed involved with Camp Good Days
for the rest of his life.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">These are just a
few of the people who were involved in helping Camp Good Days get started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of them have been called to meet their
maker. There are many others from the early years who I have not mentioned, and
there are thousands who have helped along the way and leant their time, talent
and treasure to help make the miracle of Camp Good Days possible. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">After thinking
about all of these wonderful people who truly helped to start Camp Good Days, I
was excited to see the former campers who were now adults and had families of
their own, and the many wonderful volunteers and staff we have had over the
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone was able to see what
Camp Good Days has become.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some in
attendance had never seen the facility on Keuka Lake and were blown away by how
beautiful it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a chicken
barbeque, a live band, and fantastic fireworks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With the help of long-time volunteer, Mike Falvo, and his wife, Marie,
we unveiled the time capsule that we dug up from many years before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was filled with old items that brought
back many memories to all in attendance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We then added new items from this year, and buried a new time capsule
that will be unveiled in the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
the end of the weekend, we had a service of appreciation and gratitude that Sr.
Francella Quinn led at the outdoor chapel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had a farewell circle and sang the Camp Good Days song that was
written for us years ago. Everyone said goodbye to each other and our weekend
came to an end.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s0bBpxyKEyQ/XTm_dM8se0I/AAAAAAAAAjU/EDZQT_Tw_hEmnUz2_wNtEE1l149Q8rqnQCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSC_0271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s0bBpxyKEyQ/XTm_dM8se0I/AAAAAAAAAjU/EDZQT_Tw_hEmnUz2_wNtEE1l149Q8rqnQCEwYBhgL/s320/DSC_0271.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unveiling the time capsule</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2rVR5w4o8Hc/XTm_UknraRI/AAAAAAAAAjM/jZSTPvyW9k8rKMMH5-WGL_f5WsyQh0wkQCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSC_0228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2rVR5w4o8Hc/XTm_UknraRI/AAAAAAAAAjM/jZSTPvyW9k8rKMMH5-WGL_f5WsyQh0wkQCEwYBhgL/s320/DSC_0228.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greeting everyone in attendance </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I know that
everyone who came to reunion will stay in touch, and I am sure that they cannot
wait to see how Camp Good Days continues to grow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the future days and weeks to come, I will
be remembering the weekend fondly and thinking about all of the wonderful
people who help to make Camp Good Days possible. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">To stay up-to-date
about what we are doing, please follow us on Facebook<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and listen to the Camp Good Days radio show
on 1040AM and 92.1FM, or listen to the podcast at any time at <a href="http://www.wysl1040.com/">www.wysl1040.com</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--HZSq-zB460/XTm_UhycCgI/AAAAAAAAAjI/qpwhhT1YJzo0F_8QJyOI57LILfzbnus3ACEwYBhgL/s1600/DSC_0257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--HZSq-zB460/XTm_UhycCgI/AAAAAAAAAjI/qpwhhT1YJzo0F_8QJyOI57LILfzbnus3ACEwYBhgL/s320/DSC_0257.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with campers and volunteers from the first year of Camp Good Days</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-42125475626183959342019-06-04T09:39:00.000-05:002019-06-04T12:50:54.627-05:00Kicking off our 40th Summer<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin: 1em 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">There
has been a lot happening so far as we kick off our 40<sup>th</sup> summer!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">On
Friday, May 17<sup>th</sup>, I was proud to receive an Honorary Doctorate of
Humane Letters from the State University of New York at the College at
Brockport as well as be the Graduate Ceremony Commencement Speaker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Camp Good Days has such a special
relationship with Dr. Heidi Macpherson, the president of the college, and the
College at Brockport’s students and faculty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yA6tRLcCOKY/XPaBU6hn0FI/AAAAAAAAAhI/SbLtgCaIrys3T3uyFxQ8YEIbDfJvDZmKwCLcBGAs/s320/Grab%2Bpic%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GYbV2ZlNONY/XPaBUzGiBrI/AAAAAAAAAhE/TpxsL9a5-pkjLxw7ZRye5CFduRANePt-wCLcBGAs/s320/Grad%2Bpic%2B1.jpg" width="240" /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I was also very honored to speak at Desi Benet’s celebration of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Desi was the wife of Bill Benet, a long-time
Camp Good Days supporter whose father is the inspiration behind the Joe Benet
Memorial Kazoo Fest that Camp Good Days celebrates around Christmas time at the
local malls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Desi was a wonderful friend
to me and to Camp Good Days, and we will all miss her very much.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">On
May 20<sup>th</sup>, we held our 36<sup>th</sup> Annual Tournament of Love golf
tournament at Monroe Golf Club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a
wonderful turnout and while the day was very windy, the rain stayed away and everyone
was able to have a great day on the golf course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were very happy to have Salvatore “Soccer
Sam” Fantauzzo be the honorary chair for the event. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">On
Tuesday, May 28<sup>th</sup> the Camp Good Days staff attended the opening of
the new Salvatore’s location on Monroe Avenue in Pittsford.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were very happy to support Soccer Sam and
his staff, and the food, as always, was delicious!</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z-CLGT-lZLQ/XPaBk4squ-I/AAAAAAAAAhY/1Qn_5W5zQW0Neeeh0szlG7WAq1mNh4lbgCEwYBhgL/s320/SoccerSam.jpg" width="320" /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 1em 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mm-q84I2foY/XPaBlP-fReI/AAAAAAAAAhc/6fdklhcmqZEhUIvP2aRt2ELPZKpTH0oYgCEwYBhgL/s1600/TOL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mm-q84I2foY/XPaBlP-fReI/AAAAAAAAAhc/6fdklhcmqZEhUIvP2aRt2ELPZKpTH0oYgCEwYBhgL/s320/TOL.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We
had our first Project TIPS of the summer on Thursday, May 30 at Jones Square
Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had many representatives there
from law enforcement, the medical field, community programs etc. who took the
time to interact with the residents who live in the neighborhood and provide
them with information and toys for the children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This program is such a wonderful way to
improve the relationships between law enforcement and the people in the
communities they serve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the best
example of community policing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During
this event, we have a quality of life survey done by volunteers which are then
given to the Criminal Justice program students at RIT to see what residents
want improved in their neighborhoods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
also have a cookout and A Horse’s Friend provides horseback rides for the
children while DJ Dr. Sweetback plays music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There will be a Project TIPS on June 27, July 25 and August 22.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please refer to our website for updated
information on location for each TIPS.</span></span><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4QQjzCUtmr0/XPaFjsTirPI/AAAAAAAAAiY/uqohY6kBC2Ahq3snYxR6YyQnBr4P5A5RwCLcBGAs/s1600/Acuralytios.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4QQjzCUtmr0/XPaFjsTirPI/AAAAAAAAAiY/uqohY6kBC2Ahq3snYxR6YyQnBr4P5A5RwCLcBGAs/s400/Acuralytios.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 1em 0px;">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Lastly,
this past weekend we kicked off our first program of the summer, our Camp SOAR
(Supportive Oncology Adult Retreat) program for men and women diagnosed with
cancer and the people who offer them support during their walk with
cancer. This program offers activities like crafts, massage, reiki,
fishing, and much more. It offers the men and women who attend a chance
to be surrounded by others who know what it is like to be them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
<br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 1em 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="960" height="193" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BVMkjZOqN7E/XPaCs4XOmkI/AAAAAAAAAh8/lWccrWL_ew4VSMMcBvdQHXSboL5r14FzwCLcBGAs/s400/women.jpg" width="400" /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin: 1em 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It
is crazy to think that we are officially in summer mode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Summer is always my favorite time of year
since I get to see all of the hard work that we do during the year pay off as
we watch the children, men and women in our programs enjoy all that our
programs have to offer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin: 1em 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
wish everyone a safe start to their summer and to every camper and volunteer
who is coming to camp this summer, see you soon! <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 1em 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span> </div>
Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-37231799909479819312019-04-10T09:56:00.002-05:002019-04-10T09:56:23.597-05:00James Nagle: A True Mentor and Friend <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Once again, our
community has lost a true example of what public service should be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James Nagle was a good husband to his wife,
Barbara, a good father, grandfather, and a true public servant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He entered public office in the right
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a career in the private sector,
he wanted to give back to his community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He started at the village level in East Rochester, then moved to the Monroe
County Legislature, and then finished up his career as a member of the New York
State Assembly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was my mentor and
more importantly, my friend. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">He spent his career
in Albany on the minority side of the chambers, yet gained the respect of many
of his colleagues on the majority side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He always conducted himself in a respectable way, and he showed what
politics was truly about—the friendly art of compromise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would disagree with his colleagues, but
never made enemies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think all of us
can appreciate that about him, especially since that is missing in most of our
politics today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wanted to serve his
constituents and help make their lives better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He held the position of elective office to a higher standard and had a
true desire to serve his fellow man. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> remember how when
we would travel to Albany together, he would sing to me Irish songs of
rebellion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what I remember most is
how much he was there for me during one of the lowest valleys of my life; when
my daughter, Teddi, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like most parents, I worked to try and make
my children’s lives better than my own: to make sure my children could play the
sports they wanted, have the best wedding; and when Teddi was diagnosed with
cancer, none of those things mattered anymore, I just wanted to be home with
her, spending the time with her that I had missed while traveling back and
forth to Albany for my job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Jim was very
supportive of me during Teddi’s battle with cancer and is also one of the
people who, without their help, Camp Good Days would have never been born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I started Camp Good Days to give my
daughter, Teddi, and 62 other children who were all dealing with cancer an
experience that was not available to them, an overnight camping experience, Jim
was right there with me, helping me along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me, Camp Good Days and the 48,300 campers
from 22 states and 36 countries who we have helped over these 40 years will
always be a part of Jim’s legacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was
an example of the right way to be a public servant, a boss, a mentor, and a
good friend; and I, and this community will miss him very much. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-74932395927257312572019-02-18T16:55:00.004-05:002019-02-19T09:48:08.364-05:00Starting Out Our 40th Year With a Bang<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Camp Good Days is
celebrating its 40<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> anniversary this year! We got off to a good
start with our annual Florida Fun Fest trip where we took a group of 15
children from our programs, all diagnosed with cancer on the trip of a lifetime
to see the wonderful attractions in Orlando, Florida. We also took along two
women from our women’s oncology programs. They had the chance to experience
SeaWorld, Hollywood Studios, Universal Studios, and Universal Studios’ Islands
of Adventure with people who know exactly what it’s like to be them; other people
who have been diagnosed with cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
have been doing the trip since 1985 and this year, the trip was held from
Thursday, January 17 through Tuesday, January 22, and the schedule was very
full.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only people who couldn’t wait
to go to bed at night were the staff and volunteers that came on the trip; the
children were still ready for more adventures!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;">We started the trip
at the newly renovated Rochester airport where the children were provided
lunches to eat before boarding by the Taste of Rochester and Jim LeBeau.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The group boarded a direct Southwest Airlines
flight from Rochester to Orlando, and then was able to check in to the hotel at
Seralago Inn and Suites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first thing
the children did after getting settled in their hotel rooms was jump in the
hotel pool. Dinner for that night was Chick-fil-A.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;">The next day, the
group spent the day at SeaWorld learning about the various animals that were
there and going on some fun rides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
campers came back to the hotel and were able to swim some more and have Moe’s
by the pool for dinner. That night, we were joined by campers and staff from
the Children’s Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, who would join us on the rest
of the trip at the parks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ODzpwn0__O0/XGso0YwSOrI/AAAAAAAAAfs/sQRck35mYZU7-xevTnyJZtWNmdxA2lekQCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ODzpwn0__O0/XGso0YwSOrI/AAAAAAAAAfs/sQRck35mYZU7-xevTnyJZtWNmdxA2lekQCEwYBhgL/s400/DSC_0012.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;">On Saturday,
everyone went to Hollywood studios where the children were able to go on many
rides and see the new ToyStory section of the park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That night, the campers ate dinner at the
park and were able to stay late to see the Fantasmic Firework and Musical
Display.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uY4qhQThKUI/XGsozLL9Q_I/AAAAAAAAAf4/kLOIBSY2I6MFw4om0cMn4843j2BjZ8JVgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_0791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uY4qhQThKUI/XGsozLL9Q_I/AAAAAAAAAf4/kLOIBSY2I6MFw4om0cMn4843j2BjZ8JVgCEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_0791.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TUd16qIPyd4/XGsoyUfdlFI/AAAAAAAAAfo/KAjbMW773vIm6GjjR4XpVSehwDRzbr6LACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_0808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TUd16qIPyd4/XGsoyUfdlFI/AAAAAAAAAfo/KAjbMW773vIm6GjjR4XpVSehwDRzbr6LACEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_0808.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J2NPpC7zG_A/XGsozcaiy9I/AAAAAAAAAfw/b19e7Ws2iLAtip282v-TewdLZb0zuIyRACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_0809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J2NPpC7zG_A/XGsozcaiy9I/AAAAAAAAAfw/b19e7Ws2iLAtip282v-TewdLZb0zuIyRACEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_0809.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;">On Sunday, everyone
had their first day at Universal Studios and Universal Studios’ Islands of
Adventure, and then had dinner at the Golden Corral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the last night we were able to spend
time with the campers and staff from the Tampa Children’s Cancer Center, and so
we had a tuck-in ceremony like we do at camp, where everyone says goodnight to
each other, to wish the Florida group a safe journey back to Tampa.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w_vbfHstylQ/XGso1UzXpYI/AAAAAAAAAf0/kx5JzAwtvhg40rNPowXWL55yewhZvN2-wCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_0900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w_vbfHstylQ/XGso1UzXpYI/AAAAAAAAAf0/kx5JzAwtvhg40rNPowXWL55yewhZvN2-wCEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_0900.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xW4BEcseMlY/XGso1E9GyqI/AAAAAAAAAf4/m0_KdlgyrmcA-CORs0G2YpcozsF7aheRgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_0879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xW4BEcseMlY/XGso1E9GyqI/AAAAAAAAAf4/m0_KdlgyrmcA-CORs0G2YpcozsF7aheRgCEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_0879.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hl8YFLq3NlY/XGso2DoILYI/AAAAAAAAAfw/tPuo7SFeWmA1hNbLz_Cr5bg3OpXHlhMZACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_0919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hl8YFLq3NlY/XGso2DoILYI/AAAAAAAAAfw/tPuo7SFeWmA1hNbLz_Cr5bg3OpXHlhMZACEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_0919.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G_9sWTW7Aik/XGso2TcmXiI/AAAAAAAAAf0/PefnODlbmhkMEnFOM3K4_OsuJwHB4yI8ACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2803.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G_9sWTW7Aik/XGso2TcmXiI/AAAAAAAAAf0/PefnODlbmhkMEnFOM3K4_OsuJwHB4yI8ACEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_2803.JPEG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;">Monday was the last
day in Florida, and the campers were able to spend another day at Universal Studios
and Universal Studios’ Islands of Adventure to make sure they were able to go
on all the rides that they may have missed the day before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That night they were able to spend some time
by the pool and have pizza with some special visitors and great friends of Camp
Good Days: Steve and Patty DiGennaro, Linda and John Mongoven, Judy D’Amico,
and Mark Sofia. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;">On Tuesday, we all
woke up early, arrived at the Orlando airport and flew back to Rochester.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall, the trip was a wonderful success and
the campers made memories that will last a lifetime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trip each year is made possible by the
Teddi Dance for Love held each year at St. John Fisher College, and through
financial gifts from the Sugarman Smiles Fund, the Gary Amendola Fun Fund, and with
the help of Tim and Wayne Meisenzahl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Through these very generous people, we are able to continue providing
the Florida Fun Fest Trip. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;">The Teddi Dance for
Love was held from 8:00PM on Friday, February 8 to 8:00PM on Saturday, February
9<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year was the 37<sup>th</sup>
year of the dance, and with us being in our 40<sup>th</sup> year, the dance has
been around for almost all of Camp Good Days’ history. The students,
administration, faculty, and staff have been keeping Teddi’s memory alive, and
nothing makes me happier than hearing the students shout “Teddi!
Teddi,”celebrating someone who they have never met, but feel a close connection
to. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year’s Chair and Vice Chair,
Allison and Tyler did a phenomenal job planning the event and raising the most
money the dance has ever raised, over $100,000! We also chose the winner of the
Vanderstyne Totota Car Raffle at the dance, and it was announced that the
winner was Andy T. from Ionia, New York! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XgQ9GFczPAM/XGso64v7RMI/AAAAAAAAAf0/g_KU1a2E08MMN21TEiSQHyuHjX8_O7ysgCEwYBhgL/s1600/51996515_2571709742844454_3877867525643436032_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XgQ9GFczPAM/XGso64v7RMI/AAAAAAAAAf0/g_KU1a2E08MMN21TEiSQHyuHjX8_O7ysgCEwYBhgL/s400/51996515_2571709742844454_3877867525643436032_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;">I was very happy to
be joined at the dance by the President of the college, Dr. Rooney, and his
wife, Susan, along with 13 WHAM Sports Reporter, Jenna Cottrell, the honorary
chair for the dance, who has gone through her own battle with cancer, and
Austin Giorgio from the Voice, who sang some songs to get all of the students
ready for the dance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year, the
dance was dedicated to Alissa Cole, a former camper and volunteer who passed
away from cancer, and I was very humbled that her parents were able to attend
the dance and watch their daughter be honored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also recognized at the dance was Thom Wagner, a former camper and
volunteer who unfortunately also passed away from cancer recently. His
long-time girlfriend was able to come to the dance and share his story to the
students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The balloon launch, one of my
favorite parts of the dance, was beautiful out on the football field. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We showed the dancers the wonderful video that
featured Bat McGrath’s song that he wrote especially for Camp Good Days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bat was recently diagnosed with cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would urge you to watch the video, and also
to keep him and his family in your thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biQWpUcRvbY.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To everyone who helped in any way with
the Teddi Dance for Love, thank you for keeping Teddi’s memory alive, and for
showing our campers a wonderful time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
Lou Buttino said, “Immortality is being loved by anonymous people,” and I know
that Teddi is living on through the Teddi Dance for Love. This year has started out with a bang, and I am excited to see what the rest of our 40th year has in store. We will have more information coming soon on a 40th year campaign that you can be involved in, and if you know of anyone who has been involved with Camp Good Days in the past, please urge them to reach out to us and give us their up-to-date information so that we can keep them involved!</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FCwrLgpu9GE/XGso63EriYI/AAAAAAAAAf0/JmAzOSgdwDoNQ1dXC1_lMxDpSQDnSAG9gCEwYBhgL/s1600/52607858_2571713039510791_1157757410148876288_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FCwrLgpu9GE/XGso63EriYI/AAAAAAAAAf0/JmAzOSgdwDoNQ1dXC1_lMxDpSQDnSAG9gCEwYBhgL/s400/52607858_2571713039510791_1157757410148876288_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A0RZHy8_eEk/XGso64MhOhI/AAAAAAAAAf4/TcjNB9-_pkIt32jXrY8pL8PCXxdt0VJPgCEwYBhgL/s1600/52671535_2571714459510649_7562947979552751616_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A0RZHy8_eEk/XGso64MhOhI/AAAAAAAAAf4/TcjNB9-_pkIt32jXrY8pL8PCXxdt0VJPgCEwYBhgL/s400/52671535_2571714459510649_7562947979552751616_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;">This year has started out with a bang, and I am very excited to see what the rest of our 40th year has in store. We will have more information coming soon on a 40th year campaign that you can be involved in, and if you know of anyone who has been involved with Camp Good Days in the past, please urge them to reach out to us and give us their up-to-date information so that we can keep them involved in our 40th year! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<br />Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-70859388290133507932019-01-08T15:21:00.002-05:002019-01-09T13:33:21.503-05:00Bat McGrath: A Dear Friend to Camp Good Days<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I hope that everyone
had a great holiday and that you all had the chance to enjoy and spend time
with your families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am very excited
for 2019, because we are celebrating Camp Good Days’ 40<sup>th</sup>
anniversary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have said many times on
this blog that what made Camp Good Days the organization it is today are the
hundreds of special people that have come into my life over the years and
helped Camp Good Days.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">One of those very
special people is Bat McGrath, and I was taken aback when I heard recently that
he had been diagnosed with cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
first met Bat McGrath when Camp Good Days was celebrating its 35<sup>th</sup>
anniversary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were thinking of what we
could do to celebrate, and the idea was brought up to have a concert where
music artists, who had their roots in Rochester, would come and perform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bat McGrath was the first person suggested in
the discussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, before the
plans were put into effect, there was a devastating flood that swept through
the lower part of Camp Good Days’ recreational facility on Keuka Lake, which
caused almost half a million dollars in damages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The flood became our priority since we wanted
to try and get the camp repaired before our children’s programs started in
July.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The community responded and we were able to open for our programs in July.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, we had to cancel our weekend
programs leading up to July, but we were able to reschedule them in the fall
before we closed camp down for the winter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Bat, who sometimes
makes several appearances in the Finger Lakes area, decided to visit camp on
his own before heading back home to Nashville, Tennessee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he got back to Nashville he felt
compelled to write a song about Camp Good Days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I received the song, I was absolutely blown away, it was beautiful.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so excited,that I played the song
for all of our staff at our following staff meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked Bat if there was any way that he
could play the song at camp when he was up in the Finger Lakes area for
the summer. He was able to visit during the weekend of our
international program with his wife, and play the song for our campers, staff,
and volunteers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While some of our
campers did not understand what he was saying, every time he said “Camp Good
Days,” they cheered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a very
special concert and we were very grateful for him taking the time to bring
smiles to our campers’ faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I was
thanking him after the concert, he said that what would make it even more
special would be if there was a video to go with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was unsure of who to contact to make the
video, and he said he would ask some of his friends who were in video
production to make it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A little while
later, when I was invited to see the video for the first time, I got very
emotional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without my knowing, they had
placed in the video, clips of Teddi, and it was a wonderful surprise for me to
see them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then, the DVD of the
song and video has been played hundreds of times at our events, camping
programs, and presentations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The entire
project didn’t cost Camp Good Days anything, and it is one of the most generous
gifts we have ever received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
haven’t seen the video, here is the link on YouTube </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biQWpUcRvbY"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biQWpUcRvbY</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x-E732r-ub4/XDUGL-PErTI/AAAAAAAAAeU/TGf370AZoi41j5C6Yc96Fe6snyiT2A5twCLcBGAs/s1600/189_MG_1230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x-E732r-ub4/XDUGL-PErTI/AAAAAAAAAeU/TGf370AZoi41j5C6Yc96Fe6snyiT2A5twCLcBGAs/s400/189_MG_1230.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It is crazy to me
that it is 2019, and we are still having situations like this one with Bat
McGrath, where he was otherwise healthy and then finds out he has cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t understand why the government is so
focused on arguing over a wall, and having a government shutdown, when that
time and effort could be going to something that is affecting every single
American whether directly or indirectly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We need to find a way to end this disease. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One out of every three women and one out of
every two men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cancer in the United States is like one of
the Twin Towers is falling every day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For everyone in the United States under 80
years old, cancer is the leading cause of death. Despite the progress we have
made, there are still so many people being diagnosed with this disease, and the
treatments are still very intense and hard on the patients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our government needs to put money and effort
into finding the answers.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I ask all of you to
keep Bat McGrath and the hundreds of thousands of people who will be diagnosed
with cancer this year, in your thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hopefully, 2019 will bring in new changes and information in regards to
finding the answers to cancer. <o:p></o:p></span></span>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-38947708434993547602018-10-19T09:45:00.002-05:002018-10-19T09:46:42.353-05:00It's Officially Event Season<span style="font-size: 14pt;">It is officially
fall, and we are making the transition from being down at camp to being back in
our offices in Mendon. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We had one of our
last programs October 13-14, our Fall Fest weekend program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Rochester campers were invited to come
down and have a Halloween weekend with their friends from camp before our
facility closes until spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UeIyAufU_gI/W8ntl52witI/AAAAAAAAAdk/AwUJgsRyDW4dNG278GU9nEOr0Zf5R2tIACLcBGAs/s1600/Fallfest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UeIyAufU_gI/W8ntl52witI/AAAAAAAAAdk/AwUJgsRyDW4dNG278GU9nEOr0Zf5R2tIACLcBGAs/s320/Fallfest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We have our last
program of the year this weekend, our Men’s Prostate Retreat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am very committed to this program and want
to see it continue to grow every year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
get wonderful support from some of the best Urology doctors in Upstate New York
including Dr. Jean Joseph who is the Chief of Urology at Strong, and Dr. Louis
Eichel who is the Chief of Urology at Rochester General Hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have heard doctors say that if every man
lived to be 100, all would have prostate cancer, and if every woman lived to be
100, all would have breast cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
information given during the talks at this retreat is very helpful, and the
entire program is free of charge to the participants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As our 39<sup>th</sup>
season comes to a close, I find myself thinking about how wonderful it is that
so many people have been impacted by our programs and have been able to share
the experience with others just like them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">On Saturday,
September 29<sup>th</sup>, we had the 14<sup>th</sup> annual Courage Bowl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The game was between the St. John Fisher
College Cardinals and the College at Brockport Golden Eagles at the College at
Brockport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a wonderful crowd of
over 7,000 people and it was a chilly, but perfect night for football.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This game gave children from Camp Good Days
the opportunity to be part of a college football team and cheerleading
squad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The event has truly become more
than just a game. While there had to be a winner and a loser, the real winners were
the children from Camp Good Days who participated, and all of the student
athletes from Fisher and Brockport displayed great sportsmanship. Brockport
also put on a wonderful luncheon where the honorary coaches and cheerleaders
met their teams, and where Monroe County Sheriff, Todd Baxter was presented
with the Father Joe Lanzalaco Memorial Courage Award.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I greatly appreciate Dr. Macpherson and the
College at Brockport for hosting such a wonderful luncheon. The game could not
have taken place without President Heidi Macpherson, Athletic Director Erick
Hart, Coach Mangone, and the other wonderful staff and players at Brockport,
along with President Gerard Rooney, Athletic Director Bob Ward, Coach Vosburgh,
and the great staff and players at St. John Fisher. I have never, at another
sporting event, seen hundreds of football players, who have given it their all
on the field, be able to come together at the end of the game to cheer on the
honorary coaches and cheerleaders; these college football players are TRUE
student athletes. This is a credit to the staff at both schools for instilling
good sportsmanship in their players, especially on the night of an event that
is truly “more than just a game.”</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XdVakxYb_Q0/W8ntknhp4xI/AAAAAAAAAdc/d6jXpRNs8hwUb-waxNaZd4oDaSdlkwdjACEwYBhgL/s1600/0002IMG_3714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XdVakxYb_Q0/W8ntknhp4xI/AAAAAAAAAdc/d6jXpRNs8hwUb-waxNaZd4oDaSdlkwdjACEwYBhgL/s320/0002IMG_3714.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MROHLpGK-LY/W8ntlcZAjoI/AAAAAAAAAdg/Ka7oBHCJSowYHaSC-fEgg5FE-Tm6ZvbQQCEwYBhgL/s1600/0040IMG_3768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MROHLpGK-LY/W8ntlcZAjoI/AAAAAAAAAdg/Ka7oBHCJSowYHaSC-fEgg5FE-Tm6ZvbQQCEwYBhgL/s320/0040IMG_3768.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3GKbgy7U-6U/W8ntnbMUpVI/AAAAAAAAAdo/NtLwJNEiFdQOIUJfJjsTXkLNDzjUIqRvQCEwYBhgL/s1600/0115IMG_3859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1281" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3GKbgy7U-6U/W8ntnbMUpVI/AAAAAAAAAdo/NtLwJNEiFdQOIUJfJjsTXkLNDzjUIqRvQCEwYBhgL/s320/0115IMG_3859.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bccDXnj5uC8/W8ntoNFNzpI/AAAAAAAAAds/8BXaehUxLXYW9ZIuJMbZYZxG2pgmbjNlACEwYBhgL/s1600/0156IMG_7089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bccDXnj5uC8/W8ntoNFNzpI/AAAAAAAAAds/8BXaehUxLXYW9ZIuJMbZYZxG2pgmbjNlACEwYBhgL/s320/0156IMG_7089.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As we look ahead to
ending the year of 2018, we have the 18<sup>th</sup> annual Camp Good Days Wine
Auction Dinner on Saturday, November 17<sup>th</sup>, this year with a Winter
Wonderland theme. There is no better place to enjoy a wonderful meal and taste
medal winning wine from the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, as
well as bid on medal winning wine and other unique items. If you or someone you
know likes wine, there will be plenty of wine available to drink and purchase
to add to your wine collection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks
to JCPenney, we also have our annual Kazoo Fest starting on Black Friday all
through Christmas, where we will be selling kazoos and other items at the area
malls (Eastview, Marketplace, Greece Ridge) to raise money to help fund our
programs. Anyone can sign up to volunteer on our website! During Kazoo Fest, we
will also be selling our car raffle tickets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thanks to Vanderstyne Toyota and Toyota Motor Company, we have a 2019
Toyota Corolla SE that will be raffled off during the Teddi Dance for Love at
St. John Fisher College on Saturday, February 9<sup>th</sup>, 2019.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tickets are 1 for $20 and 3 for $50 and all
proceeds go directly to fund our programs and services. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As we move forward
into the holiday season, I wish you all a safe, happy and healthy holiday
season, and I hope to see you at the Wine Auction Dinner or volunteering at
Kazoo Fest. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-53417789562203945942018-09-06T08:15:00.001-05:002018-09-06T08:16:40.555-05:00As Summer Comes to an End<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our 39<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup>
summer here at Camp Good Days has come to an end too soon, but what a summer it
has been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lord blessed us with
beautiful weather, and despite some rain storms in August, the camp suffered no
damage. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Earlier in the
summer, board member and volunteer, Frank Towner, spoke to the new volunteers
during volunteer training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and his
wife, Melanie, met while being volunteers for Camp Good Days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frank was part of the inspiration behind the
clown in our logo since he, for many years, has dressed up as Crossroads the
clown down at camp to help make the children smile. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To start off our
summer, we had our Supportive Spouse program for women or men diagnosed with
cancer along with their spouse or friend who has supported them throughout
their cancer diagnosis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the summer
went on, we had the rest of our programs: Junior Good Days, B&ST, Childhood
USA I and II, our Doing a World of Good Program, our Brain Tumor Family
Retreat, and our Teddi’s Team program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The children had many visitors during these weeks including the St. John
Fisher College and the College at Brockport football teams, the NSX car show,
after which, the children were able to ride in sports cars around Watkins Glen,
and various law enforcement officers with their canines and electronic toys.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvKq9h_jEBY/W5EnG7rnXTI/AAAAAAAAAcg/Vu4UCnt5GlsBIYATO-sDzhtAux1VPS21QCLcBGAs/s1600/2018SummerCamper4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvKq9h_jEBY/W5EnG7rnXTI/AAAAAAAAAcg/Vu4UCnt5GlsBIYATO-sDzhtAux1VPS21QCLcBGAs/s320/2018SummerCamper4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9-A-X-tgRwY/W5EnGCeRPCI/AAAAAAAAAcY/bcI6J62AxY0JlWIv0SVhHwBDfkxS72bFgCLcBGAs/s1600/2018SummerCamper1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9-A-X-tgRwY/W5EnGCeRPCI/AAAAAAAAAcY/bcI6J62AxY0JlWIv0SVhHwBDfkxS72bFgCLcBGAs/s320/2018SummerCamper1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ncNok2f6Xb8/W5EnGByS0yI/AAAAAAAAAcc/VVYZqqHI3tkUrgY6FzMnUzS3WSex-dRmQCLcBGAs/s1600/2018SummerCamper2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ncNok2f6Xb8/W5EnGByS0yI/AAAAAAAAAcc/VVYZqqHI3tkUrgY6FzMnUzS3WSex-dRmQCLcBGAs/s320/2018SummerCamper2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We also had our
Rochester City School District Leadership program for children going from
elementary school to middle school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were many wonderful speakers who came to educate the children on
what it is like to work in law enforcement including JP Kennedy, the US
Attorney for the Western District of NY; FBI Agent, Jeremy Bell; Deputy Chief
of the Rochester Fire Department, Willie Jackson; Monroe County Sheriff, Todd
Baxter; and United States Marshal, Charles Salina. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This summer, we had
hundreds campers across all of our programs from all over the world, and it is
crazy to think of how we started, with just 21 campers from Rochester, 21 from
Buffalo, and 21 from Syracuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also
had some new campers this year in our Doing a World of Good program from
Africa! It is hard to believe that over the past 39 years, we have served over
48,300 campers.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XCf1nWA6vR8/W5EnFv3Z0LI/AAAAAAAAAcU/zfizgmdbrtIURlQsxZBQbfKaELsNInVaQCEwYBhgL/s1600/2018SummerCamper3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XCf1nWA6vR8/W5EnFv3Z0LI/AAAAAAAAAcU/zfizgmdbrtIURlQsxZBQbfKaELsNInVaQCEwYBhgL/s320/2018SummerCamper3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At camp, you know
you did your job well if the children are smiling during the programs, and then
crying when they leave because they don’t want to go home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They get to make wonderful bonds with their
fellow campers, along with the summer staff, and the volunteers in their
cabins. Camp Good Days is truly a place where the campers can be around other
children who know exactly what it is like to be them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Coming up, we have
our last two programs; our Women’s Wellness Weekend, and our Men’s Prostate
Retreat, and then our programs will officially be done for this year at the
facility. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are getting into
event season now, and to kick it off, last Thursday, we had the third Teddi
Bowl section V football game, this year between Pittsford and Victor high
schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a full stadium at St.
John Fisher College, where we held the game, and the campers who were Honorary
Coaches and Cheerleaders had a wonderful time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Coming up, we have our Tour de Teddi bike ride around Keuka Lake this
weekend, the Courage Bowl on September 29<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> at the College at
Brockport, and our Wine Auction Dinner at the Holiday Inn Downtown on November
17<sup>th</sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EGaObwr0xck/W5EobdVaJlI/AAAAAAAAAc4/I0wa9ad7oAEEn-jEcBafsqnhoUtuG2kKwCLcBGAs/s1600/2018SummerTeddiBowl2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EGaObwr0xck/W5EobdVaJlI/AAAAAAAAAc4/I0wa9ad7oAEEn-jEcBafsqnhoUtuG2kKwCLcBGAs/s320/2018SummerTeddiBowl2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hCcMFAogpa4/W5EobiZiknI/AAAAAAAAAc8/R6QiU7q3IRUHD3UDv2OJfsNSSD9uA06NQCLcBGAs/s1600/2018SummerTeddiBowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hCcMFAogpa4/W5EobiZiknI/AAAAAAAAAc8/R6QiU7q3IRUHD3UDv2OJfsNSSD9uA06NQCLcBGAs/s320/2018SummerTeddiBowl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This summer was a
busy, but wonderful summer, and I am excited for our events this fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish everyone a safe, happy and healthy
start to the school year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959379776218670163.post-87116313942579372942018-08-02T09:30:00.004-05:002018-08-03T08:25:36.183-05:00Campers Visit to the Buffalo Bills Training Camp <span style="font-size: 14pt;">As summer is moving
along, we are getting close to my favorite time of year, football season, and
the campers and I had a taste of it on Friday, July 27 when we were guests of the
Buffalo Bills at their Training Camp at St. John Fisher College. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We were given the use
of the Community Service Youth Tent where each camper and volunteer were given
goodie bags with a tee-shirt and a bills program book, and were treated to
pizza and snacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only did the
children get a chance to use the interactive activities that were there, they
were also able to watch the Bills practice, and after practice, a number of
players took the time to come by and meet the kids, sign autographs, and take
pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The highlight for me was
getting the chance to meet and say “thank you” to Bills’ player Jordan Poyer,
who has helped support Camp Good Days in the Buffalo region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also able to meet the Bills’ punter,
Colton Schmidt, which was a special moment for me, since it reminded me of being
a Special Teams Coach for St. John Fisher, a position I semi-retired from last
year after 29 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wV-9RWS_t_A/W2MVY7r5GeI/AAAAAAAAAbs/1nKwQ9FclPY8976cIZ6p-wMJLz7MYIXQgCLcBGAs/s1600/Bills1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wV-9RWS_t_A/W2MVY7r5GeI/AAAAAAAAAbs/1nKwQ9FclPY8976cIZ6p-wMJLz7MYIXQgCLcBGAs/s320/Bills1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P8f-W292XqU/W2MWVaOci2I/AAAAAAAAAb8/KwoK55hAGXcTbiWPyn9vsLtltqwjTi1GwCLcBGAs/s1600/Bills3.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P8f-W292XqU/W2MWVaOci2I/AAAAAAAAAb8/KwoK55hAGXcTbiWPyn9vsLtltqwjTi1GwCLcBGAs/s320/Bills3.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We have been coming
to the Bills Training Camp with our campers ever since the Bills moved their
camp to St. John Fisher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is truly a
wonderful opportunity for the campers to get to meet the players; who they
wouldn’t normally have the chance to meet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Watching their faces light up is the best part of the day. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VLiAqRJPOJ4/W2MViLng0bI/AAAAAAAAAbw/-XUhqXDZY70LiWKm5qDw0qHcKGVVhUAiQCLcBGAs/s1600/Bills2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VLiAqRJPOJ4/W2MViLng0bI/AAAAAAAAAbw/-XUhqXDZY70LiWKm5qDw0qHcKGVVhUAiQCLcBGAs/s320/Bills2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As I write this, we
are in the midst of our busiest time at camp with our international program
underway, which brings in children with cancer and sickle cell anemia from all
over the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have campers from
Spain, Ethiopia, Germany, Belize, the Dominican Republic, and two groups from
the Bahamas from Nassau and Freeport. We
also have children from the Tampa Florida Children’s Cancer Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is always amazing to watch the children
have a wonderful time and make friends despite the language barriers that might
exist. Adults from the UN Security Council could learn something from the
campers. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Seeing the children
down at camp reminds me of the importance of our work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while I am needed here like an extra
mosquito, I love to sit on my deck and watch the interactions between the
campers, volunteers, and our staff, and it makes me feel like a proud grandpa
to know that I helped to make it all possible.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I wish you all a
safe, happy, and healthy rest of your summer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Gary Mervis, Founderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13855072704982432143noreply@blogger.com0