Forgive me not being as
good about these blog updates as I would like to be, but after reading this,
you will understand how crazy things are here.
One only has to step outside to realize that we are truly into the
summer season and here at Camp Good Days we are busy with a lot of special
events, activities and our residential camping programs.
A couple of weeks ago, on
Wednesday, June 27th, which would have been my daughter Teddi’s
birthday, we hosted “Life, Cancer, and the NFL…An Evening with NY Giants’ Mark
Herzlich” at the Rochester Plaza. As I
shared previously, we had to really live by our motto of adapt and adjust, as
Mark was originally scheduled to be in Rochester on June 5th as the
Special Guest for our Tournament of Love golf tournament, but was required to
be at mandatory practices that week.
Mark wanted to honor his commitment to the children and families at Camp
Good Days and although we had minimal time to plan, promote, and prepare, I am
pleased to report that the event came together and exceeded all of our
expectations. A very special thank you to The Flanders Group, ESL Federal Credit Union, and the Democrat & Chronicle for their sponsorship and support of this special evening!
The more than 200 guests
in attendance had a fantastic, laid-back evening with stadium-style foods
served for dinner and had the chance to hear from Mark about his life, his
battle with Ewing’s Sarcoma and his courage and determination to not only
defeat cancer but to make it into the NFL and win the Super Bowl as a member of
the NY Giants. Guests also had the
opportunity to ask Mark questions and he went above and beyond in taking the
time to answer questions, sign autographs, and take photographs. Mark also spent some time prior to the dinner
with some of the campers who have served as Honorary Coaches with the St. John
Fisher College Cardinals and the University of Rochester Yellowjackets for the
Annual Courage Bowl. He talked to them
one-on-one about his battle with cancer, playing football in college, playing
in the NFL and going to the Super Bowl. I
am sure that the experience made some great memories that these campers will
carry with them for a long time. Save
the date… the Eighth Annual Camp Good Days’ COURAGE BOWL will take place on
Saturday, September 15, 2012. We are
bringing the COURAGE BOWL back to Growney Stadium on the campus of St. John
Fisher College, where the Cardinals will take on the University of Rochester
Yellowjackets for one more game and this is one you won’t want to miss! Following this year’s COURAGE BOWL, the
Cardinals will face a new opponent in future COURAGE BOWL games.
Our Junior Good Days
program also took place from Tuesday, June 26, 2012 through Friday, June 29,
2012, both in the Rochester and Syracuse areas.
This program is for those children, ages 4-7 that are still too young to
attend residential camp. The highlight
of the program came on Friday, June 29, 2012 when all of the Junior Good Days’
campers and volunteers from Rochester and Syracuse spent the day at the Camp
Good Days’ Recreational Facility on Keuka Lake, and got to have a little taste
of what “big” camp is all about.
This past Thursday through
Saturday, we held the Women’s Wellness I Program. It was a great program and a great group of
women, many of them new to Camp Good Days.
They had the opportunity to be pampered and take the time to relax and
rejuvenate, with some of the only people in the world who can truly understand
what they are going through – other women with cancer. The participants were able to take advantage
of a variety of activities during the program including: massages, manicures,
creating their own her garden, making jewelry, water yoga, boat rides, fishing,
clay projects, and more. On Friday
evening, my good friend and Camp Good Days’ volunteer, Dolly Malik, provided an
instructional session on mindfulness and relaxation techniques. The program concluded with the very special
Closing Ceremony, held in the beautiful Outdoor Chapel Area. Sister Fran Quinn conducted the Closing
Ceremony, as she always does, but my heart went out to her as she no longer has
Father David Ambuske – her partner in these special Camp Good Days’
services. We all miss Father Dave very
much but I know that his spirit and memory will live on through the children
and families at Camp Good Days.
On Saturday night, Wendy
and I, along with her Dad, went to the Rochester Rhinos game and it was great
to see them win for the second time in a week.
Hopefully they are back on a winning streak now! If you are at a Rochester Rhinos game, you
can visit us inside Gate D at the Quarters for Cancer table, or if you would
like to help out with Quarters for Cancer, email Laura at losborn@campgooddays.org. On Sunday, we went to see Wendy’s Grandma and
celebrate her 95th Birthday – what a milestone!
Our first full week of
summer residential programs for children started this Monday. We have a full program for Childhood USA I,
which is for children ages 8-12 who have a parent or sibling who has been
diagnosed with cancer or sickle cell anemia within the past three years, and/or
is actively undergoing treatment. Next
week, we will welcome a second full group of campers for Childhood USA II,
which is similar to this week’s program, but for children ages 13-17. In the coming weeks we will welcome campers
for the Doing A World Of Good Program and we are so excited that some of our
friends from countries around the world, such as Mexico, the Bahamas, Ethiopia,
Germany, Turks & Caicos, and Dominican Republic will be able to join us
again this year and we look forward to meeting new campers and chaperones from
the Czech Republic! Special thanks to
Dr. Lubos Barta, who served as a Judge for the Finger Lakes International Wine
Competition and has been instrumental in helping to make it possible for some
children dealing with cancer from the Czech Republic to be able to attend the
Doing A World Of Good Program this summer.
We also have a number of
special fundraising events coming up, all of which help us to continue
providing our programs and services free of charge for the participants. More than 200 people are registered to take
part in the Just Clowning Around 5K, which is taking place this Saturday, July
14, 2012 in Mendon. Be sure to follow
the event on facebook and twitter, as the participants will each receive a
clown wig to wear during the event and the photos are sure to be great! In the coming weeks and months we will also
be hosting a Bocce Bash, with Valenti Sports and PushYourself.com on Saturday,
August 4, 2012; the Corey Coffey Golf Classic on Monday, August 20, 2012; the
Friends of Ramon Santiago will host their golf tournament on Monday, August 27,
2012, from which proceeds benefit the Arts & Crafts area at Camp Good Days;
and we will be bringing back the Tour de Teddi Bike Ride on Saturday, September
29, 2012. For more information about any of our
upcoming events, to learn how you can get involved as a participant, sponsor,
supporter, or volunteer, check out our website, www.campgooddays.org and become our fan
on facebook, www.facebook.com/CampGoodDays79.
On the CANCER MISSION 2020
front, we are making progress in the plan for addressing cancer in Monroe
County, where cancer is now the leading cause of death. We will be meeting with the committee to
review that plan on Monday, July 16, 2012 and we look forward to sharing the
final plan with all of you very soon!
Don’t forget to check out www.cancermission2020.com,
sign the petition, and share the site with your contacts. It is a simple task that will only take a few
moments of your time, but in the end, will make a world of difference!
