JCC hosts annual SunriseWALKS to send children with cancer to camp

On Sunday, June 4, the Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island hosted its annual SunriseWALKS fundraiser benefiting the Lucille & Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island, a free camp for children with cancer and their siblings.

SunriseWALKS took place at Staten Island University Hospital “Community Park,” home of the Staten Island FerryHawks.

Before walking the bases in support of Sunrise campers, families enjoyed a fun-filled morning with carnival games, face painting, music, and more.

There were special performances by LA Dance, the SI Dance and Arts Center, and the JCC’s Cornerstone Hip Hop Crew and Royal Rebels step team. Students from Staten Island Academy, Susan E. Wagner High School, and Tottenville High School also participated.

SunriseWALKS is the JCC’s largest fundraiser for the Lucille & Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island. The walk is the culmination of a months-long fundraising campaign that also includes community outreach and several “Li’l SunriseWALKS” conducted at schools including the JCC’s preschool locations and Staten Island Hebrew Public Charter School. 

Operated by the JCC, Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island is the only day camp of its kind in New York City. The camp welcomes over 140 children from Staten Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and nearby New Jersey to its location on the campus of Staten Island Academy each summer.

Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island is a proud member of the Sunrise Association, whose mission is to bring back the joys of childhood to children with cancer and their siblings worldwide.

Orit Lender, CEO of the JCC, said, “Our Sunrise campers have been through so much, but from the moment they step off the bus at Sunrise Day Camp, they are smiling, laughing, playing games, and singing songs together. When you walk with us at SunriseWALKS, you are making an incredible impact on the lives of children with cancer and their families right here in our community.” 

Recognizing the extraordinary financial demands that a child’s chronic illness can have on a family, Sunrise Day Camp is offered completely free of charge.