LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending Sunrise Day Camp upon the occasion of
marking the 3rd Anniversary of the enrollment of its first camper

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor and commend
organizations of worthy cause and enduring commitment which devote their
energies and purpose to serving the less fortunate, advancing their
opportunity for a life of dignity and quality; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and fully in accord with its long-
standing traditions, it is the intent of this Legislative Body to recog-
nize and pay tribute to Sunrise Day Camp, the only full-summer day camp
for children with cancer and their siblings as, in March 2009, it proud-
ly marks the 3rd Anniversary of the enrollment of its first camper; and
WHEREAS, Each year in the United States, approximately 12,000 children
and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer; on Long Island alone, there
are 1,200-1,500 children who are either in active or follow-up treat-
ment; and
WHEREAS, These children, who require medical procedures and doctors'
appointments on a continuous basis, deserve an opportunity to enjoy a
summer camp experience filled with fun, friendship and hope, just like
their healthy peers; and
WHEREAS, Until the Barry and Florence Friedberg Jewish Community
Center, based in Oceanside, New York, with more than four decades of
experience in summer camp, infant day care, pre-school and after-school
activities and services for families, seniors, and people with disabili-
ties and a multitude of other health and wellness and cultural arts
programs, opened Sunrise Day Camp in July 2006, though there were over-
night camps for children with cancer, there were virtually no day camps,
and none in the entire northeast; and
WHEREAS, Located in Wheatley Heights on Long Island's Henry Kaufmann
Campgrounds, which borders Nassau and Suffolk Counties, Sunrise Day Camp
provides, on a nonsectarian basis, a day camp for children with cancer,
ages 3-16, and their siblings, designed to meet the emotional, social,
recreational and physical needs of the children while allowing them to
enjoy the comforts and safety of their own homes at night and, recogniz-
ing the financial burdens of many families with a chronically ill child,
does so at no charge; and
WHEREAS, Sunrise Day Camp serves nearly 300 children every summer and
in just the three years since it opened in 2006, the camp has grown to
include 11 area hospitals as affiliate partners and transports children
from four New York City boroughs, as well as Nassau and Suffolk Coun-
ties, for both camp and year-round programs, which include hospital
visitation, school vacation and holiday services, and a new, most
welcome program, Sunrise-On-Wheels, which brings camp-like activities to
children in hospitals as they wait for their chemotherapy and other
treatments; and
WHEREAS, Sunrise Day Camp's name as well as its motto, "Where children
with cancer find a new beginning every day ...," are well-chosen; the
experiences and memories the camp provides are indeed a simcha and the
pleasure the campers, and in turn their parents, experience and the
smiles they display are an exhilarating testament to the compassionate
and enduring commitment of Sunrise Day Camp and all those associated
with it; and
WHEREAS, Sunrise Day Camp has earned its outstanding international
reputation for innovative and effective programming; its caring concern
merits the recognition and esteem of this Legislative Body, which is
justly proud to commend and pay tribute to Sunrise Day Camp as it marks
the 3rd Anniversary of the enrollment of its first camper; and

WHEREAS, Recognizing the strength of its commitment and the quality of
its service and outreach to children with cancer and their families, it
is the sense of this Legislative Body to extend its grateful recognition
to Sunrise Day Camp, applauding its preeminent endeavors and paying
special tribute to the many individuals who have given so generously of
their time and efforts to its good works; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Sunrise Day Camp as, in March 2009, it marks the 3rd Anniversary
of the enrollment of its first camper, recognizing with appreciation its
significant and enduring humanitarian efforts; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Arnie Preminger, President and CEO of the Barry and Florence
Friedberg Jewish Community Center and Sunrise Day Camp, and to Michele
Vernon, Director of Sunrise Day Camp.