Archive: Around Town

April Fool's Day may be a day of silliness for some people, but one Lansing High School senior has decided to mix fun with a serious purpose tonight.  Senior Class President Nina Lindberg is heading up a seven-hour event called 'Night of Life' that will benefit Camp Good Days, a camp for children who are battling cancer. 

"I think every family has someone who is affected," Lindberg says.  "A lot of families are hit by cancer.  I've had two grandparents pass away from cancer and friends who currently have it or have suffered from cancer.  While they haven't attended Camp Good Days I wish that they had been able to.  That's why this money that will help kids pay tuition to go to Camp Good Days is a great thing.  Even if we only help two kids go it will still make a huge difference."

Camp Good Days was founded over 30 years ago to help children with cancer.  It provides a place for them to go to have a good time with kids who are going through the same challenges they are facing.  In its first year 63 children attended.  Since then it has grown considerably, serving over 1,500 children from the United States and several foreign countries last Summer.  Lindberg says she was aware of the camp, but didn't really understand the scope of it until the Senior Class was approached with the idea of a fundraiser at the high school by Frank and Melanie Towner.

"I had heard of it because kids in our school attended it," she says.  "I knew that it helped kids with terminal illnesses, but I wasn't sure how it worked and how amazing it is.  People from several countries come to Camp Good Days, and it reaches a lot of families.  I never realized that."

Night of Life runs from 3pm to 10pm tonight.  The event is set up for different age groups.  Starting at 3pm a kid carnival for Kindergartners through 6th graders will be run by high school helpers.  The next segment will be aimed at high schoolers with 'Finding Tomorrow' playing until 6:45.  At that point the Seniors versus Teachers basketball game will run until about 8pm, which Lindberg says will fold parents interest into the mix.  From 8 to 10 'Reporter.' will play, finishing the evening until 10pm.  During that concert babysitting will be available for $3.  The pool will be open, and Lindberg says there may even be video games for kids in the wrestling room.

"This is more of a come and go event," Lindberg says.  "But once 5 o'clock hits we're hoping you're going to come and stay.  It's a family day and everything will key into some sort of family interest."


Lindberg is the bass player in the band 'Finding Tomorrow', which also features Luke Kutler (Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals), Tom Arleo (Drums, Vocals), and Yusong Liu- Keyboard (Keyboard, Synth).  The band is a local favorite.  The band performs Kutler's original songs and 'covers', and recently released a new CD.  The Rochester-based band 'Reporter.' also features a local bass player, Lansing Superintendent Stephen Grimm.  It specializes in classic and contemporary rock and pop.

"I really wanted to keep it student related and community related," Lindberg says.  "So having Dr. Grimm's band play is huge for us, as well as having my band play.  If we had more slots I would have tried to get other student or community member bands to play."

Lindberg stood in for Grimm for one song when Reporter. played at Myers Park last summer.  She says it would be fun to have a 'battle of the basses'.

"Bring it on," she says, then adds, "He would do it, too!  He can slap, though.  That's my downfall.  I can't slap bass yet."

What she can do is bring a lot of people together to make an event happen.  She interested senior class officers in volunteering, as well as class advisor Cathy Moseley, members of the Principals Council that includes virtually all student leaders, and other student volunteers.  She has coordinated with the Ithaca Camp Good Days office to get publicity and prepare T-shirts and other things for Night of Life.  To lead up to the event a school-wide assembly Monday featured college students who work at Camp Good Days.  That was calculated to get students in a frame of mind to participate in today's event.

Lindberg says she hopes to raise about $1,000, and that she hopes Night of Life will become an annual event.

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