Archive: Around Town

Lansing High School students have their eyes on raiding thousands of dollars so that children with cancer can go to camp with other kids like them at no charge.  That is what Next Friday's (March 6th) Night of Life is all about.  The Night of Life committee will be hosting a chicken barbecue and a basketball game that pits seniors against faculty, with the proceeds going to Camp Good Days and Special Times.

"The goal of Camp Good Days is to have the program be free of charge for kids," says Night of Life Committee President Ben Eisenhut, a senior.  "So we raise money to offset the cost.  We ask everybody on the committee to solicit local companies in the hope that three quarters will get donations.  This year we're hoping to get about 30 to give, on average, $100."

Night Of Life was founded by Lansing graduate Nina Lindberg in 2011.  Her goal t the time was to raise $1,000.  The event took on a life of its own, and now in its fifth year the organizing committee has grown from just Lindberg, currently an Ithaca College student, to 40 Lansing students who could raise more than five times that amount.  Committee members are required to do three hours of community service in support of the camp.  Many of them participate in volunteer to work at the kazoo fest, which raises money during the holiday season.  They are also required to attend all meetings.

"They're a real quality group, not just a bunch of people doing nothing," Eisenhut says.  "They are doing a lot of different things we need them for.  It's great how the kids in this school have embraced the great cause that we're helping to support.  We've even had kids volunteer at the camp in the summers."

Committee members also purchase their own pink pinneys, which identifies them as staff on the night of the event.  Kreydt says they view the pinneys as a badge of honor.

"They're really proud to wear them," Kreydt says.  "It has become the thing that everyone who wants to be part of the committee not only raises money for kids with cancer, but they love the pink pinneys and want to be a part of it."
In addition to sponsors and donations, the committee will raise money by selling chicken dinners for $10, basketball game admission at $3,  $12 for both, or  $50 for families of five or more.

Eisenhut and committee Vice President Cassidy Towner, also a senior, were in eighth grade when that first Night of Life was held.  Last year Eisenhut received Camp Good Days' Teddy Award for going above and beyond for the camp in the past year.  This year Towner, who has headed the fundraising committee for the past two years, will be granted that award.  Part of that effort is a series of mini-fundraisers, selling chuck-a balls at basketball games and hosting cake-wheels with cakes baked by students and faculty.

"Camp Good Days really hits home with me because my parents met there and my dad (who plays Crossroad The Clown) is pictured their logo," she says.  "We've been associated with them my entire life.  I've been up there since I can remember, so it's always been an important charity for us.  It's part of our family. So when Night of Life started it was just right."

"When I was in fourth grade my best friend's brother was diagnosed with cancer," Eisenhut says.  "She didn't have anywhere to turn to.  Her friends didn't understand what it was about so she felt alone.  I want to make sure that won't happen to anybody else.  It seems like a pretty terrible feeling, even if you don't have cancer yourself, to understand how somebody you love is going through something so terrible."

Camp Good Days and Special Times Southern Tier Office Coordinator Marcie Kreydt says that is exactly why the camp was created.  Gary Mervis founded the camp after his nine year old daughter Teddi was diagnosed with malignant brain cancer.  He realized that the worst part of it from his daughter's point of view was the isolation she felt because she was the only child in her school dealing with cancer, so she had nobody to talk about it with.  The camp brings such children together where they can share experiences without fear of being 'different' and with the assurance that other kids in the camp understand what they are going through.  Since it was founded more than 45,000 campers from 22 states and 29 foreign countries have attended at no charge.


That is a big deal to Eisenhut, and although he will be graduating this year he has big plans for Night of Life.  The plan was to step it up this year by expanding the dinner and ball game to a night-long lock-in.  That didn't work out this year, but Eisenhut says the committee plans to get to work on the paperwork early next year to make it happen in 2016.  

"In the future we're hoping to grow (the buy-in to help) Camp Good Days, and have it be Lansing High School's charity," he says.  "A school in Syracuse raises over $100,000 a year for the camp hosting a dance marathon.  So we're looking to build it over the next couple of years and turn it into something big."

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