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A Day Camp for Healing
Sunrise helps kids with cancer enjoy the
summer and feel they're not alone
(Newsday - Sunday, July 30, 2006)
Staff Positions Available
Do you know someone who wants to give children with cancer an outstanding
summer camp experience? Do you know someone who loves kids ages 5-16,
is talented, responsible and enjoys camp and all it represents? Are you
that someone?
Sunrise Day Camp is scheduled to open its doors to area children with
cancer on July 10, 2006 for six weeks of exciting programs and activities.
We are now seeking staff to serve as Assistant Director, Unit Heads, Counselors,
Assistant Counselors. We are also seeking specialists in art, music, drama,
dance, nature, yoga, sports, and archery…just to name a few.
To receive an application or find out more about Sunrise Day Camp, contact
Michele Vernon ext 106.
Michele Vernon - New Director of Sunrise Day Camp
for Children With Cancer
We are delighted that Michele Vernon has joined the JCC as Director of
Sunrise Day Camp. Most recently serving as Assistant Director of the JCC
of Central New Jersey, Michele comes to us as a seasoned professional
with over 25 years of experience in the JCC and camping fields.
 “This
position utilizes all of the skills I have honed during my professional
career,” says Michele. As a camp director of two overnight camps,
(Cleveland JCC’s Camp Wise and Young Judaea’s Camp Tel Yehudah),
and as a supervisor of three JCC day camps, Michele brings a solid understanding
of the important role that camp plays in a child’s life. “I
have a strong desire to bring the excitement and joy of a camp experience
to children with cancer. They deserve to have a summer of fun in a safe
and well planned camp environment where they won’t feel different.”
As the Assistant Director of three different JCCs, Michele has been responsible
for event fundraising, solicitations and grant writing, all core skills
essential to creating a camp that children can attend free of charge.
“I have always wanted to be in a position to make new and exciting
programs come to fruition. I think of myself as a creator, not a presider.”
This is evident by her receiving a JCCA Program of the Year Award for
developing a Baby Fair for the Houston JCC and in her being a founder
of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Cleveland amongst a myriad of other
programs and projects over the years.
Michele earned her undergraduate degree at Lehman College, followed by
her master’s degree at Yeshiva University, Wurzweiler School of
Social Work. She recently moved to West Hempstead where her husband is
the Rabbi at the JCC of West Hempstead. They have four children, two of
whom are married.
“I have a strong belief in JCC’s, summer camp and kids. I
am thrilled to be able to combine my passion and profession in working
to create an outstanding summercamp experience at Sunrise Day Camp.”
Weisenberg Pledges a Quarter of a Million Dollars
towards the Construction of Sunrise Day Camp
Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg announced that he would fund $250,000 of
the cost of constructing Sunrise Day Camp through a special grant from
New York State. Weisenberg, who has taken on the role of honorary chair
of Sunrise Day Camp, announced the gift at the JCC’s recent Golf
and Tennis Outing which was held at Middle Bay Country Club. At a ceremony
in which he was inducted as one of the inaugural members of the JCC’s
Jewish Hall of Fame, Mr. Weisenberg spoke of his decades-long involvement
in the needs of individuals who are chronically ill or disabled, and of
his support of Sunrise Day Camp as one of the most necessary and innovative
programs to ever be offered for children with special needs in New York
State.
Dr. Adam Levy to Oversee Sunrise Medical Operations
Sunrise Day Camp is proud to announce that Dr. Adam Levy has offered to
oversee medical services at Sunrise for the summer of 2006. A Long Island
resident, Dr. Levy is director of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology at Montefiore
Medical Center and assistant professor at the Albert Einstein College
of Medicine, specializing in the evaluation and management of central
nervous system tumors in children and adolescents. When asked to articulate
why he chose to volunteer his services to Sunrise, Dr. Levy explained:
“As a doctor, I have the privilege of working with children to help
them get through their treatment and illness. Working with Sunrise Day
Camp gives me the opportunity to help these kids realize their lives are
not just about getting through their illness; their lives are as they
should be -- about having fun, making friends, building the confidence
to try new things, and enjoying each day.”
United Homes to Donate Construction of Indoor
Facility at Sunrise
Their slogan is “we make dreams come true”, and that slogan
couldn’t be more on target than here at Sunrise Day Camp. As an
act of pure generosity and caring for others, United Homes – a full
service construction company based in Far Rockaway – will donate
all costs and labor associated with the construction of the cornerstone
indoor facility that will house Sunrise Day Camp. Although the campgrounds
boasts a tremendous number of outdoor facilities – including the
largest private swim complex in the country – the addition of indoor,
air-conditioned program spaces are essential for the children of Sunrise.
Thanks to United Homes, they will have it.
Under the direction of Mike Reznik, United Homes will reconstruct an
existing outdoor shelter into a multi-room, air-conditioned indoor facility,
complete with handicap accessible bathrooms, storage areas, a kitchenette,
and a multitude of program spaces. According to Lawrence Levine, who is
overseeing all campground construction for the Friedberg JCC, this generous
donation of labor and materials will save the camp over $200,000. United
Homes was recently featured in the New York Times for another charitable
project – the building of a $2.5 million public school in Far Rockaway
at no charge to the community.
Children Caring For Children
Erica Moore, a kindergarten teacher, and childhood cancer survivor from
Oceanside, each year plans three community service projects for her students.
This year, after reading about Sunrise Day Camp, she knew this would be
an opportunity for her children to help.
The Kindergarten students will be working to raise money for Sunrise
Day Camp by doing household chores that their parents will pay them for.
The “chore-a-thon” will last for two weeks and at the end
of that time period, the students plan to purchase something special for
the camp. The children talked about purchasing a Sony Playstation or X-Box
as well as games and/or books in an effort to personalize their gift.
A Party Fit for a President
President Caterers, the in-house caterers for both East Meadow Jewish
Center and Oceanside Jewish Center, are planning a party. Every summer,
the children of Sunrise will visit one of their catering halls for a fabulous
catered affair, complete with food, drinks (non-alcoholic, of course),
a DJ and party games. Sean Farber, who runs the East Meadow facility,
spoke recently about recently losing his beloved mother-in-law, and how
he and his father-in-law wanted to do something life-affirming for people
with cancer. Having read about Sunrise in a local paper, they decided
that this was the place to give – to take a single day each year
and celebrate life with the children of Sunrise Day Camp.
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