Camp Good Days and Special Times, commonly called "Camp Good Days", is a residential
summer camp which provides summer
camping
Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...
experiences for children, adults and families whose lives have been touched by
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
and other life challenges. The camp is operated by a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, "Camp Good Days and Special Times Inc.", which is one of the largest organizations of its kind in the country. In addition to camping, the organization provides year-round events and activities in several locations.
History
Camp Good Days was founded by Gary Mervis after his daughter Elizabeth "Teddi" Mervis was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor at the age of nine, in 1979. Mervis believed that the loneliness of being the only child in her school and neighborhood dealing with cancer was as painful to his daughter as the treatments. To help alleviate this isolation, he organized a camping experience for Elizabeth and 62 other children with cancer.
After his daughter's death in 1982, Mervis, with the help of friends and organizations in his hometown of
Rochester, NY, continued to provide summer camp sessions for other children with the disease. As the program grew, Camp Good Days and Special Times was formed. At first, week-long camp experiences were held at private camps. In 1986, the
Branchport property, formerly cottage resorts "Campbell's Beach" and Pebble Beach", was purchased to provide expansion of the program.
Camp Good Days was the fourth organization of its kind in the United States and the first to be started by a lay person. As of 2010, the camp has served more than 43,000 campers from 22 states and 27 foreign countries. The camp has maintained accreditation from the American Camp Association, and has been inducted into the Safety 1st Hall of Fame by Markel Insurance Company.
This camp went on hiatus in 2020 & will return in 2021.
Programs
Camp Good Days provides activities and services for children, adults and families who have been affected by cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. These include programs for children, Adult Oncology Programs, Family Programs and Brain Tumor Family Retreats. All services are free of charge for participants.
Mervis has never charged to attend camp.
"I never wanted potential campers to be turned away by cost," Mervis says. "I never wanted people to have to choose between a car payment and going to camp."
Facilities
The camp's fifteen acre site includes lakefront facilities and a large
swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...
, a craft-lodge, a playground, a jumping pillow, a miniature golf course, an archery range, and additional sports, residential and recreational areas.
Location
Camp Good Days is located on the western shore of
Keuka Lake in
New York State
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
's
Finger Lakes region, at the southern edge of the
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
of
Branchport, New York
Branchport is a hamlet in the town of Jerusalem in Yates County, New York, United States. It is a "crossroads community" which contains about 85 dwellings, six stores, two churches, a library and a firehouse.
The name "Branchport" comes from its ...
. It is about 50 miles south of
Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
. Its headquarters and volunteer training center are located in Mendon, NY and the camp also maintains offices in Buffalo, Syracuse, and Ithaca, NY.
Fundraising
Camp Good Days holds several annual events including
Golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
tournaments, dinners and
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
s in efforts to fund its camping programs. One of its most famous fundraisers is the
World's Largest Disco
The World's Largest Disco is an annual event held at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center in Buffalo, New York each year the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The event, widely popular in the area, is a tribute to the disco era and features live perf ...
, an annual event held in Buffalo the Saturday after each Thanksgiving. The World's Largest Disco, which has taken place annually since 1994, regularly draws thousands of participants.
Cancer Mission 2020
On 2 December 2010, Mervis announced a new initiative to end cancer by the year 2020. This effort was the result of continued discussions, suggestions, and plans originally set forth in the Camp Good Days' Cancer Summit, held in 2009. The first step, according to Mervis, is to collect 1.5 million email addresses. From there, further summits will be held in an effort to bring together the necessary professionals from the medical, research and legislation fields.
Several notable public figures have stated their support of the cause, including the Lieutenant Governor of New York and former Rochester
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
Robert Duffy,
Congresswoman
A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...
Louise Slaughter, Congressman
Tom Reed Thomas or Tom Reed may refer to:
Politicians and military
* Thomas Buck Reed (1787–1829), senator from Mississippi
* Thomas Reed (British Army officer) (1796–1883), British general
* Thomas Brackett Reed (1839–1902), Speaker of the House of R ...
, Maggie Brooks,
James Alesi, and
David Koon
David R. Koon (born March 18, 1947)Project Vote Smart''Assembly Member David R. Koon (NY)'' retrieved September 16, 2008. is a former American Democratic politician who represented District 135 in the New York State Assembly, which includes the ...
.
By target year 2020, it was marred by
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, and summer camp was on hiatus until 2021.
References
External links
For the Love of Teddi: The Story Behind Camp Good Days and Special Times
{{Authority control
Good Days And Special Times
Good Days And Special Times
Cancer charities in the United States
Buildings and structures in Yates County, New York
Medical and health organizations based in New York (state)