I know it has been quite
some time since my last post, and I do apologize for that, but there has just
been so much going on and all of a sudden here we are, at the end of May and
coming up on Memorial Day Weekend!
Some of the highlights of
the past couple of months include the Annual Florida Fun Fest trip and the
Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and Auction Dinner.
On Thursday, April 25,
2013, a group of approximately 30 campers and volunteers departed from the Greater
Rochester International Airport and embarked on the Annual Florida Fun Fest
Trip. We started in St. Petersburg,
where we stayed at the beautiful Tradewinds Resort and everyone had the chance
to take part in all they have to offer including swimming in the Gulf of
Mexico, swimming in the pool, playing miniature golf, going on the giant,
inflatable water slide and more. On
Thursday night, everyone was the special guests of good friends, Steve and
Patty DiGennaro and their neighbors.
Steve and Patty, along with their friends, put on an amazing cookout
dinner at their home and the campers had the chance to swim in the pool, fish
off the dock, and play games. Once again
this year, Steve and Patty and their friends went above and beyond in welcoming
the campers and volunteers and everyone had a great evening. On Friday morning, the group took a Dolphin
Watch Boat Tour during which we saw dolphins, sting rays and manatees. On Saturday, the Children’s Cancer Center in
Tampa welcomed Camp Good Days with open arms, hosting us for lunch and games at
their facility. It was a fun afternoon
and a great opportunity for some of our campers to meet the children that the
Children’s Cancer Center serves. We are
looking forward to a long relationship with Patty O’Leary and her staff and to
having some of their children attend a program at Camp Good Days this
summer. The group headed to Orlando on
Saturday afternoon, checking into the Seralago Suites. On Sunday morning, John and Linda Mongoven,
and some of the residents of Hunter’s Creek put on a fantastic brunch for the
group and had Chief Rowley do his Snake Education Show for everyone. As in the past, Chief Rowley’s show was a hit
with the campers and John and Linda, and everyone who helped made it a great
morning for us! After Hunter’s Creek we
headed to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure and then rounded out our
trip on Monday by spending the day at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.
The Camp Good Days’ Florida Trip has taken
place since 1985 and was originated when Rochester businessman, Wayne Meisenzahl, who
was completing his own treatment for cancer, wanted to give children
touched by cancer the opportunity to experience firsthand, the magic of Central
Florida. The Annual Florida Trip has
continued because of the generosity of Ms.
Germaine K. Hess, one of Meisenzahl’s clients, who left a bequest to
Camp Good Days, through an estate, specifically to ensure that Camp Good Days
will be able to continue providing the Annual Florida Trip. In addition, the trip is made possible
through the Teddi Project at Camp Good Days.
The Teddi Project is supported through the annual Dance for Love, a 24-hour dance
marathon at St. John Fisher College. The 31st Annual Dance for Love
took place this past February 8-9, 2013. The trip is also supported by the Gary
Amendola Fun Fund, which was established in memory of Gary Amendola, who
was a good friend, supporter and member of the Camp Good Days’ Board of
Directors and lost his own battle with cancer.
The Gary Amendola Fun Fund provides the means for Camp Good Days to host
special outings, activities and events throughout the year.
If you want to see just
how much fun everyone had on the trip, check out the photo album on our
facebook page, www.facebook.com/CampGoodDays79.
Upon returning from the
Annual Florida Fun Fest trip, we headed right into the 13th Annual
Finger Lakes International Wine Auction Dinner, which was held on Saturday, May
4, 2013 at the Rochester Plaza Hotel and which, over the past 13 years has
become our largest fundraising event in the Greater Rochester area. The Wine Auction Dinner is the culmination of
months of hard work and features the medal winning wines from the Finger Lakes
International Wine Competition, which was held at the end of March. The Wine Auction Dinner begins with a Sponsor
& VIP Reception, followed by Wine Tasting, and Silent and Live Auction
Preview and the Auction and Dinner at 7:00 PM.
Rich Funke served as the Master of Ceremonies and Matthew Chung, Fine
Wine Consultant with Chai Consulting, LLC in San Francisco, served as the
Auctioneer again this year.
Known as one of the
world’s largest charitable wine competition, the Finger Lakes International
Wine Competition is open to all commercial wineries from all wine-producing
countries. A record 3,504 wines were
entered from 842 wineries, representing 20 countries, 4 Canadian Provinces, and
all 50 United States. The competition judges awarded 104 Double Gold, 174 Gold,
1,204 Silver and 1,327 Bronze medals this year. Special award categories
included: the John Rose Award for the best in class Riesling, presented to
Chateau Fontaine 2011 Semi-Sweet Riesling; the Crystal Grape Award for the best
in class Icewine, presented to Znovin Ryzlink Rynsky 2009 Riesling Icewine; the
highest scoring Double Gold Chardonnay, presented to Bogle Vineyards 2011
Chardonnay and for the highest scoring Double Gold Cabernet Sauvignon,
presented to Merriam
Vineyards 2009 "Gloeckner-Turner Ranch" Cabernet Sauvignon,
Rockpile AVA. More information about the Finger Lakes
International Wine Competition and Auction Dinner, as well as the complete list
of medal winning wines is available at www.fliwc.com.
As
a special treat for all those in attendance, New York State Lieutenant
Governor, Robert Duffy, and his wife, Barbara, were our special guests and the
truly magical moment of the evening was when one of our campers, Katie Foster,
shared her story and experience with all of the guests and reminded them how
much their continued support means and how important that support is.
Overall,
the 13th Annual Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and
Auction Dinner was another resounding success and will ultimately help us to
provide some good days and special times for some very special children, adults
and families this summer!
From
a personal standpoint, I learned this past January that Lieutenant Governor,
Robert Duffy, had nominated me for the 2013 Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Sponsored
by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO.org), the Ellis
Island Medals of Honor are presented annually to American citizens
who have distinguished themselves within their own ethnic groups while exemplifying
the values of the American way of life. Past
Medalists include six U.S. Presidents, one foreign President, Nobel Prize
winners and leaders of industry, education, the arts, sports and government, as
well as everyday Americans who have made freedom, liberty and compassion a part
of their life’s work.
I then received word
earlier this spring that I was indeed selected as one of the recipients for
this year and Wendy and I traveled to New York City for the various activities,
events, Award Ceremony and Gala, which took place on Saturday, May 11, 2013 in
the Great Hall on Ellis Island. It is
hard to put into words how truly special the weekend was. It was a weekend full of wonderful
activities, events, and people that I will never forget. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to
attend a variety of events and meet many people from all walks of life, but I
can honestly tell you that the Ellis Island Medal of Honor Ceremony and Gala
tops the list.
I am truly humbled by this
unexpected honor. To be included as part
of the 2013 group of Medalists, for an award that has been presented to Bob
Hope, Mohammad Ali, former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and so many
more exceptional and amazing people is a reflection on this wonderful adventure
that has been Camp Good Days for the past 34 years. It is a reflection of the hard work,
dedication, and love of so many volunteers that have enabled us to serve more
than 44,000 campers from 22 states and 28 countries; as well as all those who
have helped us to establish and embark on our most recent initiative, CANCER
MISSION 2020…THE END OF CANCER BY THE END OF THE DECADE.”
In regards to CANCER
MISSION 2020, I am excited that we are soon moving into the Call To Action
phase of our plan, as we will be joining United States Congressman, Tom Reed,
in early June, to share the re-introduction of the CANCER MISSION 2020
Legislation into the House of Representatives.
More specific details about this important legislation, as well as ways
in which you can help and share this information, will be available in the
coming weeks. We also continue to build
our database of CANCER MISSION 2020 supporters, conducting CANCER MISSION 2020
Petition Drives and collecting signatures at all of the various activities and
events we are involved with.
We are now focusing on
getting everything ready to go for the summer camping programs and there is
still time to register for the various programs we provide, for children, young
adults, adults, and families. Check out www.campgooddays.org for the complete
schedule and online registration forms.
We are also getting ready for the Volunteer Training Sessions, to ensure
that all those dedicated men and women who are willing to help us provide the
best programs possible for our campers are well-equipped with the tools and
information they need. There is also
still time to sign up as a volunteer.
Volunteer Applications are available on the website and can be completed
and submitted online. I can assure you
that volunteering at one of the Camp Good Days’ summer programs will be one of
the most amazing experiences of your life and one you won’t soon forget!
If you are not able to
commit to a full program at the Camp Good Days’ Recreational Facility but still
want to be involved and help out, there are many ways to do that as well.
We are again this summer
partnering with the Rochester Rhinos and Western New York Flash teams and
conducting Quarters for Cancer at all of their home games at Sahlen’s
Stadium. Volunteers are needed to help
collect quarters from game attendees and to help share information about Camp
Good Days. For more information and the
schedule, please email Laura Osborn, losborn@campgooddays.org.
We are thrilled and
excited that Camp Good Days has been selected as one of the beneficiary
organizations for the PGA Tour at Oak Hill Country Club, which will take place
August 5-11, 2013. This is a wonderful
opportunity for us to raise some much needed funds and to share Camp Good Days
with PGA attendees, but we are going to need many, many volunteers to help us
make this a success. To learn more about
how you can volunteer for the PGA with Camp Good Days, please email Nicole Jones,
njones@campgooddays.org.
We have a variety of
special fundraising events on the calendar and are looking for event attendees,
participants, supporters, sponsors, and volunteers. Some of the events include the Tournament of
Love Golf Tournament, which will be held on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at Monroe
Golf Club, chaired by our good friends, Rich and Pat Funke; Brew Ha Ha on
Friday, June 14, 2013; Just Clowning Around 5K on Saturday, July 13, 2013 in
Mendon; the Creative Black-Tie Gala, Great Wall of Courage, in Buffalo on
Saturday, June 22, 2013; Bocce Bash on Saturday, July 20, 2013; Soccer in the
Sand on Saturday and Sunday, August 3-4, 2013; the Syracuse Golf Tournament on
Monday, August 5, 2013; Corey-Coffey Golf Classic on Monday, August 19, 2013;
the Fashion Show in Buffalo on Sunday, September 22, 2013; Tour de Teddi on
Saturday, September 28, 2013; and Courage Bowl IX on Saturday, November 16,
2013.
As you can see, it has
been quite busy and eventful around here and we are now heading into our
busiest season, but we are excited about the coming summer programs and to
doing what we do best – providing the best programs and services, all in an
effort to improve the quality of life for children, adults, and families whose
lives have been touched by cancer and other life challenges and helping to
create some truly good days and special times for those who need them the most!
As I was going through the
mail today, I received a few things from long-time volunteer and friend, Larry
Sicurella. I read with great interest
one of the items he sent, which he wrote and dedicated to a fellow volunteer,
Craig Lawrence, who became a great friend and mentor to him. As we are getting ready to begin our 34th
summer, I thought I would share it with you…
Camp Good Days Creed
By Larry Sicurella
If you go to Camp Good Days, there’s some guide lines
to follow
Eat all the camp food till your very last swallow
Try all the activities they have at the camp
There’s no shame in trying, you’ll feel like a champ
Take off your wig, we don’t care about hair
Wear what you want no one will stare
Bring your best voice, there’s plenty of singing
And be ready to eat when the breakfast bells ringing
The week will fly by, savor each day
It starts with a service in which we all pray
Just remember at camp there are no limitations
The counselors are unique they have different
vocations
We are here together we’re a family for sure
And we’ll keep coming to camp till they find a cure
I promise you one thing Camp isn’t boring
And hopefully you’ll sleep through your counselors
snoring
You must take a shower during the week
We all sleep in a cabin and we don’t want it to reek
Pick out a great costume for a Camp Good Days Dance
There’s dresses, sport coats, and all sorts of pants
Each day we are here you will laugh till you cry
And at the end we will hug and say our goodbyes
As you leave on the bus and shed your last tear
You’ll be counting the days till you come back next
year
