I know it has been quite
some time since my last post, but things have just been crazy around here, as
we finish the transition from the Recreational Facility to the office, and have
had a number of events and activities going on.
On Saturday, September 15,
2012, COURAGE BOWL VIII was played. The
COURAGE BOWL is the annual football game between the St. John Fisher College
Cardinals and the University of Rochester Yellowjackets, to benefit the
children and families at Camp Good Days.
This year’s game took on extra meaning, as it was the final game in the
series between the Cardinals and the Yellowjackets.
We went into this game
wanting to give the Honorary Coaches, which included Danny Bookhart, III; Ryan
Kruzicke; and Zack Murphy for the Cardinals; and Denton Jajkowski; Lucas Lowe;
and Nicholas Krentz for the Yellowjackets; and the Honorary Cheerleaders, which
included Katie Foster and Mareesa Boyatzies for the Cardinals; and Morgan
DeMatteo and Kendell Caton for the Yellowjackets; a special experience and the
opportunity to create some memories that they will carry with them for a long
time. We also wanted to give the players
from both teams the chance to spend some time with these amazing campers. We hoped for a beautiful fall day and a game
which would showcase the exceptional Division III football played here, as we
can oftentimes be overlooked with the Buffalo Bills to the west and Syracuse to
the east. We wanted a competitive game
on the field, without injuries, that would keep the spectators interested. We wanted a respectable crowd in the stands
and a halftime show different from previous years.
Looking back, we could not
have scripted it any better if we tried!
On Wednesday, September 12, 2012, the Courage Bowl Community Luncheon
was hosted by St. John Fisher College President, Dr. Donald Bain. In addition to formally announcing the
Honorary Coaches and Honorary Cheerleaders, it was officially proclaimed to be
COURAGE BOWL WEEK in the County of Monroe, the City of Rochester, and the Town
of Pittsford. We were thrilled that The
College at Brockport President, Dr. John Halstead, and Athletic Director, Erick
Hart, were able to join us for the luncheon, as we are looking forward to
having The College at Brockport Golden Eagles as the opponent for the St. John
Fisher College Cardinals in the Courage Bowl games, when they join the Empire 8
Conference.
On Thursday, September 13,
2012 and Friday, September 14, 2012, the Honorary Coaches and Honorary
Cheerleaders all had the chance to attend practice with their respective teams
and the players and cheerleaders from both schools went above and beyond in
making our campers feel welcome and a part of the team!
On Saturday, September 15,
2012, thousands of fans filled Growney Stadium on the St. John Fisher College
campus. It was a perfect night for
football and the game was very exciting, coming down to the final minutes of
play and ending in a Cardinals victory, 20-16, over the Yellowjackets. Adding to the excitement of the evening,
Jennifer Dinolfo sang God Bless America and the acappella groups, Measure 13
from St. John Fisher College and Vocal Point from the University of Rochester,
performed the National Anthem together. At
halftime, we presented the Third Annual Courage Award to Rochester Police
Department Officers, Adam Alliet and Paul Dondorfer, who along with three
medical students and a doctor from the University of Rochester Medical Center
helped to rescue a father and his two small children from the Erie Canal in
August. Following the Courage Award
presentation, the Gates Chili High School Marching Band put on a fantastic
halftime show.
For those who were unable
to make it to the game, the COURAGE BOWL was carried live on WYSL 1040AM / 92.1
FM and on SportsRadio 950 ESPN, and was broadcast live across New York State by
Time Warner Cable Sports. If you missed
the game, or want to see it again, it is now available OnDemand for Time Warner
cable customers.
We want to thank all of
our partners and sponsors – St. John Fisher College, the University of
Rochester, the County of Monroe, TOPS Markets, The Flanders Group, Karpus
Investment Management, Passero Associates, Phoenix Graphics, Time Warner Cable
Sports, Clear Channel Radio, and Vanderstyne Toyota, who helped to make COURAGE
BOWL VIII a great success, as well as all of our Courage Bowl Souvenir Program
Book advertisers and all the fans who came out in support of the children and
families at Camp Good Days!
We are all looking forward
to beginning a new chapter in the COURAGE BOWL playbook next year and we are
excited about the continued growth of this very special event.
Following the COURAGE
BOWL, we jumped right back into things and last Friday, September 21, 2012, we
held a Press Conference during which we announced that the final Project
T.I.P.S. event for this year will take place this Friday, September 28, 2012 in
the Webster Avenue neighborhood. Project T.I.P.S. stands for Trust,
Information, Programs & Services, and includes community agencies and law
enforcement personnel working in selected neighborhoods to rebuild trust
amongst residents and share information.
Locations are selected by Rochester Police Chief, James Sheppard, along
with his command staff, with collaboration from the Rochester Fire Department
and other partner agencies.
Project T.I.P.S. will again
include door-to-door, anonymous community surveys, conducted by groups of one Police Officer, one Fire
Fighter, and two volunteers, who will visit residents within the neighborhood
to create conversations about quality of life issues, as well as to obtain
information about the crime and violence that has plagued the neighborhood, in
an anonymous format for residents. The
groups will also provide residents with information and contacts they can use
regarding services that range from health care issues (cancer, diabetes, heart
disease) to reporting information for things such as crime, vandalism, and
fire.
Residents
are invited to attend a community cookout and get together, in the Webster
Avenue neighborhood, (Thomas Ryan Community Center / School #33, 500 Webster
Avenue, 14609), where they can
come and obtain more information from service providers and law enforcement
agencies, as well as have some food and beverages, and have the opportunity to
visit with their neighbors that they know and meet some neighbors they may not
know.
Bringing Project T.I.P.S.
into a neighborhood such as that of Webster Avenue and providing residents with
information about the many services and programs available to them, as well as
creating for them a forum in which they can share concerns, issues or
suggestions, is a positive and productive effort. Each of the previous Project T.I.P.S. events
has proven to be very successful and provides residents and community members
the opportunity to share issues they are facing, in a safe and anonymous
format, while also giving them tools and information they can use in the
future. Given the recent crime and
violence that has plagued our community over these past few months, we feel
that bringing Project T.I.P.S. into the Webster Avenue neighborhood could not
come at a better time. We all share the
responsibility and obligation, as residents of this community, to stand up
against the violence by sharing information and reporting suspicious and
illegal activity, and help to take back our neighborhoods in a positive and
safe way.
After Project T.I.P.S. on
Friday, many of us will head down to the Camp Good Days’ Recreational Facility
for a full weekend. The Women’s Oncology
Wellness Program will take place from Friday evening through Sunday morning and
approximately 60 women who are all dealing with cancer will have the
opportunity to spend a beautiful fall weekend on the shores of Keuka Lake,
taking part in a variety of activities such as Fishing, Yoga, Massage,
Manicures, Mary Kay Makeovers, Arbonne Skin Care, Jewelry Making, Jafra,
Woodworking, Reiki, and more.
In addition to the Women’s
Wellness Program, we will be hosting the Tour de Teddi, a bike ride around
scenic Keuka Lake on Saturday. Sponsored
by Marina Auto Group, BonaDent Dental Laboratories, and Park Avenue Bike Shop,
Tour de Teddi will start and finish at the Camp Good Days’ Recreational
Facility. Tour de Teddi offers three
different cycling courses: a 45-mile ride around Keuka Lake; a 27-mile ride to
Hammondsport and back; and a 14-mile ride along Keuka Lake. The 45-mile ride begins at 10:00 AM,
followed by the start of the 27-mile ride and 14-mile ride at 11:00 AM. Close to 200 participants are registered to
take part in Tour de Teddi and we are excited about bringing back this fun
event.
As you all know, CANCER
MISSION 2020…THE END OF CANCER BY THE END OF THE DECADE is an effort that is
very important to me and one that I am and will continue to dedicate my time
and commitment to. This past Monday
morning, after many months of hard work, I was so pleased to join Dr. Byron
Kennedy, Deputy Director of the Monroe County Department of Public Health, to
present the Action Plan to Reduce the Burden of Cancer in our Community, on
behalf of our committee, to Monroe County Executive, Maggie Brooks, and
approximately 100 government, medical, service agency, business, and community
representatives.
In late 2011, it was
brought to my attention that cancer is now the leading cause of death in Monroe
County, which led me to meet a number of times with Dr. Kennedy. We then met with County Executive Brooks on
Thursday, December 29, 2011 and it was suggested that she host a meeting to
share this information.
That meeting took place on
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at Monroe Community Hospital where approximately 35
people joined us, including Rochester Mayor, Tom Richards; Monroe County Clerk,
Cheryl Dinolfo; and representatives from Congressman Tom Reed’s Office;
Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle’s Office; Congresswoman Louise Slaughter’s
Office; Congresswoman Kathy Hochul’s Office; Wilmot Cancer Center; University
of Rochester Medical Center; Rochester General Hospital; Thompson Health;
Anthony Jordan Health Center; Rochester Primary Care Network; Greater Rochester
Health Foundation; Monroe County Board of Health / Penfield Place; American
Cancer Society; and Gilda’s Club Rochester.
In follow-up to this
initial meeting, and based upon the synergy and enthusiasm displayed, County
Executive Brooks asked us to form and lead a small committee to develop a plan
to serve as a first step for how our community could respond to the news that
cancer is now the leading cause of death in Monroe County. More
than 40 individuals, representing a wide cross section of private,
not-for-profit, medical, and governmental agencies and organizations have
supported and / or contributed to the establishment and progress of CANCER
MISSION 2020 and the development of this plan.
The Action Plan for Reducing the Burden of Cancer in the County of Monroe focuses
on four key areas:
·
Education and
Awareness - educating residents about how to reduce
cancer risks
·
Prevention- working towards tobacco free policies
·
Screening- increasing colorectal cancer screening rates
·
Support
Services- ensuring that all cancer
patients have access to support services
This plan is presented as
a starting point for our community, to share information about where we
currently are, as well as to provide some initial recommendations for moving
forward in addressing this. It is the
hope that fellow community members will embrace this plan through action, by
finding ways in which they can help to address this serious and life
threatening issue. This plan can also serve as a model for other communities
across New York State and the country, as they receive the news that cancer is
the leading cause of death in their community and seek ways in which to respond
to that news. Cancer is already the
leading cause of death in the United States for those 85 and younger and many
believe that if something significant is not done soon, by 2016, cancer will be
the leading cause of death in the United States, regardless of age.
To learn more about the
plan and ways that you can get involved with the implementation, check out www.cancermission2020.com.
I hope that I have caught
everyone up on all that has been going on here at Camp Good Days and there will
be much more to come as we begin our new fiscal year this coming Monday,
October 1, 2012, and with that our 34th year of serving children and
families who are dealing with cancer.
I wish you all a safe and
happy weekend and based on the Camp Good Days’ calendar, a Happy New Year!
