I know it has been quite
awhile since my last post and I apologize for the delay, but to say that this
summer has been busy is putting it mildly.
I promised myself at the
beginning of the summer that I would try to spend more time at our Recreational
Facility during our programs. This was
the first time in seven years that I have spent a few days of almost each week
at camp and I needed that! I wish that
everyone had time to spend at Camp Good Days, as it is truly a magical and
spiritual place. It is how the world
should be – everyone is accepted for who they are - it doesn’t matter if you are skinny or
overweight, short or tall, a girl or a boy, if you have hair or not, if you
have a prosthesis or not. Everyone gets
three meals a day, plus snacks, and a roof over their head. And it all happens in a place as far away
from the sterile environment of the hospital, on the shores of beautiful Keuka
Lake. Where else can children who have
been dealing with cancer, enduring the most potent treatment available, and
spending way too much time in the hospital, get the chance to get back some of
their childhood that their illness has stolen from them? And they get to do it with the only ones in
the world who can truly understand what they are going through – other children
dealing with cancer.
To give you just a glimpse
of what it is like to spend a week at Camp Good Days, imagine waking up and
fishing from a boat; jumping in Keuka Lake as part of Polar Bear Swim; taking a
trip to Watkins Glen International as the special guests of Trackmasters, Inc.
and having the opportunity to not only see some great cars like Ferraris,
Lotuses, Porsches, Corvettes, BMWs, and Mustangs up close and personal, but
getting to ride with the drivers around the track; and then having an amazing
fireworks show by Young Explosives, just for you, on the shores of Keuka Lake
to end the day; waking up to the sound of a hot air balloon in the field and
having the chance to take a tethered ride 100 feet in the air and see the
beauty of the lake and landscape; and then having the Rochester Rhinos
professional soccer team visit and join you for lunch and taking part in a
soccer clinic conducted by the Rhinos and joining them for basketball games and
on the slip and slide.
There is no other place
that the campers from Camp Good Days will get that same experience, and we
provide all of these programs free of charge for the participants, which is
only possible because of the generous support from so many individuals,
businesses, and organizations, the success of special fundraising events and
activities, and the dedicated summer staff, volunteers and friends who give so
much of their time and their love to help make these programs possible.
It is hard to believe that
our 34th summer is coming to an end soon, and while the world is
certainly a much different place than it was when we started on this adventure,
it is nice to know that Camp Good Days is still driven by volunteers who do so
much to create the best experience possible for the campers, and willingly take
on the awesome responsibility of sending the campers home at the end of their
session in the same condition in which they arrived.
Last week, we were
fortunate to have a concession stand to man at the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak
Hill and we are forever grateful to the more than 100 volunteers who helped us
with that. We also had the opportunity
to conduct CANCER MISSION 2020 Petition Drives at the Greater Rochester
International Airport, and while all of that was taking place, one of my
favorite weeks of the summer, Teddi’s Team, which is for children with cancer,
ages 8-12, was taking place at the Recreational Facility. I am out of breath just sharing all of that
so you can imagine what it was like to live it.
I am forever grateful to
our dedicated staff of professionals who always put what is best for Camp Good
Days and the children and families we serve at the forefront, and who always
live our motto of adapting and adjusting.
Until next time…wishing
you a healthy, happy and safe remainder of the summer and only good days and
special times.
