Archive: Around Town

Last Thursday campers visited the Ithaca Sciencenter before bussing to Taughanock Falls.  These weren't just any campers -- they were kids who have or have had cancer from all over the world.  These children were spending the week at Camp Good Days , and spent the day in the Ithaca area because the camp has opened a regional office in the Village of Lansing.

"Because Ithaca is so beautiful we decided to bring Camp Good Days to Ithaca," says Southern Tier Office Coordinator Marcie Kreydt.  "We decided to visit the Sciencenter in the morning and then go to Taughanock Falls and have a picnic and hike the falls." International weeks bring kids from countries around the world to spend a week at camp along with American kids.  Last week the camp flew in kids from Mexico, The Bahamas, Germany, Spain, and the Dominican Republic along with chaperones and translators.

The purpose of the camp is to give kids with cancer other kids who are going through the same trials to relate to and to have fun with.  "That's the part that's lost with cancer," Kreydt says.  "I think most people only see the sadness.  And it is very sad.  It's horrible.  But what we try to do is bring happiness to those kids who have been through a really horrible time."


Kreydt says that the purpose is to keep the kids happy and busy for the entire week.  The camp is in Branchport, New York on Keuka Lake.  Activities include all the regular camp activities and movie nights, dances, talent show, motorcycle group shows motorcycles, a car show, campfires, a beach day.  The camp has facilities for kids to get treatment including chemotherapy if they need it, and a a pool outfitted with a special ramp that kids with wheelchairs can go into.

The camp started with 63 kids, and has grown to serve over 1,500 children in the past year.  Various programs target cancer sufferers, survivors, and family of cancer victims.  Donations insure that any kid that qualifies can go to Camp Good Days at no charge.  Qualifying means that a child has or has survived cancer, and family members.  The International weeks attract more campers each year.

"You would think they would be nervous being in another country," Kreydt says.  "But they really fit in very well.  Even though they couldn't speak English it was amazing.  They mixed with the American kids and fit right in."

Kreydt's job is to bring awareness about the camp to the Southern Tier.  She visits local schools, doctor's offices, hospitals, hospices, and events like Relay For Life and the Cortland Air Fest to spread the word about the facility and its programs.

"I get to go talk with the families and meet with the kids, but I don't get to be a part of it, being in this office," she says.  "So I like to get down there to be a part of it.  It really is life changing to be with those kids.  When you see how amazing those kids are -- the things that they have to deal with and you may never know it."

The Ithaca field trip was part of dealing with that, but mainly letting kids be kids.  The group of 160 people included 76 campers, plus staff, counselors, and interpreters.  They spent two hours at the Sciencenter, then had a picnic and hike at Taughanock Falls.

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