We are excited to announce that our 5th Annual SunriseWALKS, which was scheduled to take place early next month, has transitioned to an online event due to the COVID-19 crisis. The Virtual WALK will take place on Sunday, June 28th at 10am.
 
The walk supports the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island, which is celebrating its fifth year of service to children with cancer and their siblings. The event will bring together the Sunrise community for an interactive celebration that will feature special guests and performances while highlighting Sunrise campers.
 
Recognizing the extraordinary financial demands that a child’s chronic illness can have on a family, Sunrise Day Camps and its year-round and in-hospital programs are offered completely free of charge to all children being treated for cancer and their siblings, on a non-sectarian basis. The JCC raises funds for the camp through community events, including the annual SunriseWALKS.
 
“Unfortunately, we are all now experiencing firsthand what it feels like for a family of a child with cancer. The fear and uncertainty that we are feeling now is what our campers and their families have felt every day since their diagnoses,” said Orit Lender, JCC Deputy Executive Director and Incoming CEO. “That’s why, now more than ever, it is important for us to continue to support our Sunrise families. We ask you to join us in supporting our Virtual WALK and hope to see you on June 28th!”
 
The JCC of Staten Island operates the camp through a partnership with Catholic Charities of Staten Island. It is the only day camp for children with cancer in New York City and serves families from Staten Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey. This year, to safeguard the children, many of whom have compromised immune systems, camp will take place virtually.
“Sunrise Day Camp plays a very important role in the lives of children with cancer and their siblings. Although our campers and staff will not have the opportunity to enjoy camp face-to-face, the program will be designed to maximize fun at home for the children,” said Sunrise Day Camp Director Sandy Haft.
A member of the Sunrise Association, Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island is one of several camps in a growing network dedicated to providing safe, fun summer camp experiences for children with cancer and their siblings.
 
To register for the Virtual WALK or donate to the cause, please visit sunrise-walks.org/StatenIsland.

On March 14th, my birthday, two weeks after the fundraiser began, we had hit my goal. To me, this was incredible, and I was ecstatic that it happened so quickly. Once I hit the goal, I announced that I would be dying my hair purple right before the camp season.

I encourage everybody to create a fundraiser like this for Sunrise Day Camp, and there are a few reasons as to why the fundraiser was as successful as it was. First, my friends and family are the reason that it was so successful. I give full credit to my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, cousins, and friends for not only donating, but sharing the fundraiser and getting people that I do not know to donate. Secondly, there is incentive for someone to donate as the money is going towards a cause mixed with the intent for me to do something beyond a normal fundraiser.

The people that see these fundraisers saw my passion for Sunrise through my short video and how much I was sharing this video and promoting the fundraiser. Also, the idea of giving people a choice as to what color is a major reason why people donated. People that donate feel incentivized when they spend their money and then get to make a decision on what you get to do. This really helps with people that only have a small amount of money to donate because there is a little more personal incentive for people to donate. ​

Finally, I made sure to offer colors. While some people believe it is because I was willing to do those four colors, which is true, there is actually a different reason. I chose to do this because I wanted people to physically see the color, to visualize me with that color hair, and, most importantly, to have something to resonate with. If I said pick a color, it would leave people to think about a color they may want. But by having four of the most popular colors, it allows people that love that particular color to donate. I had a donor tell me that they love the cause, but the reason they donated was because they saw purple. One other donor told me that they donated twice as much as they planned because they wanted to see me with green hair.

This year, I have a different plan, that I will be announcing on March 14th, but I’m not the only one that can do this. Everybody can because Facebook allows you to easily create a fundraiser for Sunrise Day Camp Staten Island, and anybody can set a goal and raise money for our camp. 

To start your own team or donate to Nick's team (Sunrise Staff) click here.

On January 26, we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon at the 4th Annual Sunshine Sunday Gala benefiting the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island.

At the event, we honored Marie DiTommaso; Rosemarie Stazzone, RN, MS, CNE; and the Sunrise Walk Basket & Event Committee: Dawn Petermann, Debbie Monello, Andria O’Leary, and Joanne Vitale. We are grateful to all six of these women for their devotion to Sunrise Day Camp and the children we serve. We also heard from Mercedes Rivera-Habib, the mother of two of our Sunrise campers, who spoke about what our camp has meant to her family. It was a moving reminder of why we work so hard to ensure that children with cancer and their siblings have a place to experience the joys of childhood each summer.
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Throughout the afternoon, we enjoyed musical entertainment by local favorite Cause and the Effects, who made sure everyone had a great time out on the dance floor. The event concluded with a live auction and over 30 raffles, donated by generous members of the community.

Thank you to all who attended and worked hard to make this event a wonderful success—thanks to your generosity, we can give our amazing campers a summer full of sunshine and laughter! 

​To see pictures from the gala, click here 

​On Sunday, December 29, our Lucille and Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp families celebrated the holidays together at a special Sunrise Sunday event.

Sunrise families were led in a series of fun games and challenges such as a tug of war, a dance contest, and a tough round of Simon Says. Everyone loved playing the “Brain Challenge” trivia game show, which pitted kids, parents, and counselors against each other in the ultimate test of wits. The kids really wowed everyone with their knowledge!

Later, the campers headed off to the gym for other fun activities. Some played gaga, one of their favorite camp games, while others played ball and played with a parachute. Our CEO David Sorkin even got in on all the fun—check out the video below!

The highlight of the afternoon was when all of our campers received holiday gifts. Parents and staffers loved seeing the kids’ faces light up as they unwrapped their presents. We are thankful for all of our generous donors who make Sunrise Day Camp and year-round events like this possible. We are especially grateful to IAmEmpowering and the David Harris Collection for donating the gifts that brought so much joy to our campers and their families.
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To conclude the event, Sunrise Day Camp Director Sandy Haft announced this year’s camp dates—July 6-August 13. We can’t wait to see all of our campers again, but, until then, we’re gearing up for walk season to raise the funds needed to give these kids the best summer ever!

We've got several great upcoming events in January and February!

First is Sunshine Sunday, our annual event benefitting Lucille and Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp! This year, we are proud to recognize Marie DiTommaso; Rosemarie Stazzone, RN, MS, CNE; and our Sunrise Walk Basket & Event Committee: Dawn Petermann, Debbie Monello, Andria O’Leary, and Joanne Vitale.  The event will take place on Sunday, January 26th at the Old Bermuda Inn from 1-5pm.
Learn more and buy tickets here

We will also host the #RememberMe Brunch on Sunday, February 23rd from 10am-1pm at the Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC. At the event, which benefits the JCC’s Family Solutions to Memory Loss, we will honor Cherine Hanna, Adele McMahon, LCSW-R, Jackie Reiter, LMSW, and Rabbi Stephen Stern, PhD.
Learn more and buy tickets here

We hope to see you at our events this winter!

​Two very special events took place this month to raise much needed funds for the Lucille & Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island. The first, Sunrise Freestyle Dance Party, gave fans of freestyle music a chance to dance while raising money for a good cause. The party took place at Angelina’s Ristorante on Thursday, July 11th. At the event, we honored two Sunrise nurses, Jennifer Deddo and Nicole DePaulo, for their incredible work. The evening was capped off with a performance by special guest Cynthia, a freestyle artist. 

The second event, Sunrise Night in White, took place at the Stone House on Thursday, July 18th. The elegant evening on the water honored restauranteurs Peter Botros and Phil Farinacci. Those who attended were treated to a performance by opera singer Evangelos Giamouris. The event was presented by the United Federation of Teachers.
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Click here for more pictures of Sunrise Freestyle Dance party.  
Click here for pictures from Sunrise Night in White. 

​Day camp is a JCC tradition that dates back to the 1930s, and in 2019, it’s still going strong! In addition to our traditional day camp, we also have Marvin’s Camp for Children with Special Needs, also located at Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds. Sports camps based out of our Bernikow and Avis Buildings instruct children in soccer, basketball, aquatics, and gymnastics. Sunrise Day Camp, which runs out of Mount Loretto, is a camp for children with cancer and their siblings that is completely free of charge to families. The JCC also operates camps at our Beacon sites and Cornerstone Community Centers.
Check out photos of our happy campers from several of our locations!

SunriseWALKS raises over $320,000 to send kids with cancer and their siblings to camp.
On Sunday, June 2nd, the 4th Annual SunriseWALKS Staten Island was held at Mount Loretto to benefit Lucille & Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island. Following the walk, children participated in a family carnival.