Night of Life sends child cancer patients to summer camp

There was a unique energy radiating through the hallways of Lansing High School last Friday night. It wasn’t an important basketball game or the homecoming dance; it was a night where students got together for something more important than school spirit.

It was a night to focus on celebrating every day that a person has on earth and making it special, even if circumstances seem overwhelming.

The Night of Life celebration, held March 4 at Lansing High School, raised $2,700 with the proceeds helping to send children with cancer and their families to Camp Good Days and Special Times over the summer.

Camp Good Days is a summer camp designed to give children with cancer a true camping experience. The camp started in 1979 when founder Gary Mervis’ daughter Elizabeth “Teddi” Mervis was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor when she was 9 years old.

Since then, the camp has served more than 50,000 campers from 22 states and 36 countries.

Night of Life was started by the Lansing High School class of 2014. It aims to give one or two children and their families the summer camp experience that so many children enjoy.

The event is planned and run by students at the high school, with occasional help from teachers and staff. Seniors Sophia Hull and Trevor Coates led the organizing effort this year.

Hull has fond memories of when she helped plan and organize the event during her sophomore year. Night of Life was canceled last year because of the pandemic, and she said it was a gift to bring the event back.

“I hope it gives the community a sense of unity,” Hull said. “We can come together for a common cause and give people who are struggling some hope.”

Coates’ brother worked on one of the first Night of Life events. Being a part of it this year is something Coates said is important not just for the families who will benefit from the donations but also the Lansing High School community.

“It’s great to get the community together for a cause that’s obviously worth it,” he said. “To know the effect the money is going to have on the families of a child who is suffering from cancer feels good. I think everyone came together and understood that this is a good goal that we have and we should put the time and work in to make it happen.”

And the students did make it happen. The goal was to raise $2,000, as it costs roughly $1,000 to send one family to Camp Good Days.

The event raised money with a general admission price and a pulled pork stand, as well as students paying to participate in volleyball, handball and dodgeball tournaments played in the gymnasium throughout the night. The highlight of the night in the gymnasium was a basketball game that pitted a group of Lansing High School seniors against teachers at the high school.

There was also a chance for students to play video games and participate in art projects and a dance held later that night.

Planning started in November and had to morph multiple times as COVID-19 rates spiked toward the end of 2021. Coates said the night’s success shows what the student body at Lansing is capable of.

“Lansing is a great school,” he said. “We have teachers who have helped us do all of this. Everyone kind of came together to make it happen. I would say we have a lot of leaders here.”

Hull said the school makes it possible for those leaders to emerge and do things like help raise money to improve the quality of life for children with cancer.

“I really appreciate the level of trust that the teachers put in us,” she said. “They just said, ‘Whatever you need, we’re here for you,’ and I appreciate all my friends helping to pull this off. The school is very supportive of kids who want to lead their own clubs.”

For the first time since last September, Lansing substitute teacher Frank Towner, also known as Crossroads the Clown, got to put on his makeup, overalls and oversized shoes he has used to entertain children for years.

Set up outside the gymnasium making balloon animals for students before they entered to watch the action, Towner has been a mainstay at Night of Life since it started. He’s also been involved in Camp Good Days since its first summer in 1980.

He has worked for the camp as a volunteer counselor from 1987 to 1994 and now again as a volunteer and board member.

Towner believes Night of Life is an important part of the Lansing community. Not only does he live in the community, he’s also seen the impact Camp Good Days has on the children and families who attend the camp.

“We’re excited that it continues here in Lansing and that we make a positive impact for families locally and support the camp that is state wide and international,” he said. “It’s part of the experience of students nowadays to have a volunteer experience that gives back to the community. My kids went here, and I know that Lansing [takes that seriously].”

Towner admitted he had a lot of emotions Friday night. It wasn’t just being able to clown for the first time this year; it was the tenacity of a group of high school students to improve the quality of life for children they’ve never met.

“It’s emotional because my kids went here and helped make this happen,” he said. “It’s emotional because of the longevity of Camp Good Days, and it’s emotional because these kids really care. To bring that type of spirit to other kids, I think that’s what makes the world go around. A small group of people light a spark, and it creates this fire, so all these kids are going to walk away with a better understanding of what Camp Good Days is.”

For those who were unable to attend Night of Life, Camp Good Days accepts donations at its website, campgooddays.org.

Lansing at Large appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

IN BRIEF:

“Bye Bye Birdie” starts this week

Lansing High School’s Musical Theater Club will perform the musical “Bye Bye Birdie” on March 9 through 12 in the Lansing Middle School auditorium, 6 Ludlowville Rd. Performances are at 6:30 p.m. March 9 and 10 and at 7 p.m. March 11 and 12.

Tickets are $5 for the March 9 show and $10 for the shows March 10 through 12. All tickets must be purchased at the door as of the time of this publication. Masks are required to be worn at all times. Email any questions to LTAPA@lcsd.k12.ny.us.

Come and enjoy an evening of great singing, dancing and acting by these very talented high school students.