The 34th Annual
Teddi Dance for Love, which took place at St. John Fisher College on Friday and
Saturday, January 29th & 30th, generated more than
$54,000.00 to benefit the children and families at Camp Good Days and Special
Times. It is amazing to think that this
event has been going on for 34 years and has become such a long-standing tradition
and important part of the St. John Fisher College campus, culture and community.
This year’s Teddi Dance
for Love had a lot of “firsts”, some good and some sad. This was the first year that Dr. Gerard
Rooney was there in the role of President of the college. He, along with his wife, Susan, helped to
carry on the tradition on behalf of the administrative team and we were so
happy to have had them in attendance. On
the sad side, this is the first year we were without the beloved Father Joe,
who passed away in July 2015. Each year,
Father Joe would be at the Teddi Dance for Love, but his most important role,
and one of everyone’s favorite parts of the event, is that he would bless all
of the dancers’ feet, prior to the dance beginning. We certainly felt his absence this year, but we
know that he was blessing all of those feet from heaven and smiling down, happy
to know the dance was going on.
Our kudos go out to this
year’s Teddi Dance for Love Chair, Bri Macaluso, who along with her Co-Chair,
Hilary Wilcox, and the entire student committee, who all worked so hard and
dedicated so much time, in addition to their studies and extracurricular activities,
to make this year’s Teddi Dance for Love a resounding success. In addition, we would like to thank Jennifer
Johnson, of 13WHAM TV for serving as this year’s Honorary Chair, and to all
those, from the dancers, administration, faculty, staff, and volunteers, who
all gave so much of themselves, to benefit the many children and families we
serve.
This year we had many,
many St. John Fisher College Alumni who came back to participate in the event,
one that meant so much to them when they were students. And, a large group of our campers had the opportunity
to attend on Saturday and meet the dancers and they all had a great time
together.
All of the proceeds from
the Teddi Dance for Love benefit the children and families at Camp Good Days
and specifically go towards helping to make the Annual Florida Trip
possible. This year's Florida Trip is
planned for April 21st through 27th and the campers will have the chance to
visit Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure, Disney's Epcot Center, LegoLand,
and St. Pete Beach.
The Annual Teddi Dance for
Love is one of my most favorite events held each year. The Teddi Dance for Love is a place where the
students, along with some of the faculty, staff and administration, come
together to celebrate life to the fullest, with some of the campers from Camp
Good Days who have learned to appreciate each and every day and the gifts that
many of us, so often, take for granted. As
Teddi’s Dad, they also give me something that words can’t describe. As Dr. Lou Buttino, who started the Teddi
Dance for Love when he was a Professor at St. John Fisher, said in his very
special book, Camp Good Days and Special Times: The Legacy of Teddi Mervis, ‘Immortality
is being loved by anonymous people.’
During the Teddi Dance for Love, Teddi’s spirit is alive and I know that
she has touched the lives of all those students, faculty, staff, administrators,
volunteers, and campers, who in some way or another have been a part of this
special event over the past 34 years.”
