CHAI LIFELINE ANNUAL GALA – THE ROADS TO HEALING

Annual Gala

New This Year! For Alumni & Staff
We’re having our own reception at the Gala.

It’s our time and space for meeting and catching up. Join us at the alumni reception on the 9th floor of the Marriott before the dinner. (Register on the 8th floor.) The dessert reception begins right after the dinner at 8:45-10pm
on the 6th floor. Come for one or both.

The virtual Urban dictionary defines the word Nachas as: ”Pride or joy one feels for another’s success or accomplishment, esp if one took part in the process of achieving that success.” When it comes to the achievements of former campers at Camp Simcha, I could not agree more.

In July of 2001, a young 5th grader named Eitan Levine made his way through the front gate of Camp Simcha displaying his own original perspective of a child at war with cancer. With a feisty but charming attitude this young man who was diagnosed with painful Ewing’s Sarcoma in his left tibia waged his battles loaded with rounds of chemotherapy, follow-up surgeries and his own unique brand of encouraging humor. He didn’t just tell jokes, or spin a situation in a funny way, his style included a brand of physical comedy to that rivals the late John Ritter and Robin Williams.

Over the summers I got to know him, Eitan grew to become a most talented entertainer. His antics as a college student at Yeshiva University even landed his face on a section cover in the New York Times, soliciting the attention of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. A couple of months later when he took a semester off to recover from surgery, Mr. Levine received a get well card on Alaska State letterhead handwritten by the hockey mom herself.

Steadily cultivating a reputation on the NYC comedy circuit, trouping with improv theather groups and hosting his own sports comedy radio programs, I couldn’t be prouder of the intelligent entertainer that has emerged.  Last year, he even joined a group that preforms for the kids back in camp every summer.

Childhood cancer survivor and CS alum Eitan Levine has made it to the final voting round for one of 10 spots in the 2013 MLB Fan Cave, where he hopes to represent his favorite New York Mets – a team we know well. Thousands of applicants have been narrowed down to a select few from which to be chosen for the job via online voting until February 13th.

Polls open until February 13th – see Eitan’s video and Vote Here! http://bit.ly/TTV5zC

In anticipation of the impending storm, we felt it would be helpful to provide advice to parents how to prevent undue fear and panic among their children. With awareness that every child and situation is unique, please tailor and apply this advice accordingly.

• Convey urgency not panic. The children should know that this is a serious situation but convey it in a manner that is proportionate with the actual threat.

• Be sure you yourself are not experiencing undue dread that, in turn, you may be trying to hide. When scared or feeling threatened, children read every nuance of parents’ words, voice tones and facial expressions. They will readily detect your attempt to conceal real sentiments and that can exacerbate their fears.

• It may be helpful to look at this situation as an opportunity to teach our children reasonable precaution and safety.

• Adequately explain any changes in your home or behavior. Without excessive details and repetition, explain what a hurricane or storm is and why these precautions are being taken.

• For school age children and older, you can specify that some of your actions are in the event of something rare or highly unlikely to occur. Younger children can gently be told that these changes are not something to be scared of.

• If there is a loss of electricity and no imminent danger, you can mitigate the fears through explanations and transforming the situation into an adventure with flashlights, candles and the like.

• Have prepared non-electrical forms of entertainment, games, art activities and the like that can serve as a distraction in the event of a blackout.

• Portray this occurrence as an opportunity to spend time together as a family and use the time in some productive fashion such as discussion, studying, organizing the house, or any such activity that has been hopelessly postponed and delayed.

• Night can be a more scary time for children in general and forecasts are predicting the height of the storm over Monday night. If a child is markedly scared and needs an adult to stay with them while sleeping, please feel free to accommodate him or her but do make it clear that this is only because of the circumstances and will not be continued once the storm subsides.

• As previously noted every child and situation is unique and please feel free to contact us if we can be of any further help.

We hope and pray that everyone emerges from this storm unscathed and that we are spared any current or future danger. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact any of the members of the Chai Lifeline Crisis Team listed below.

Dr. Norman N. Blumenthal

nblumenthal@chailifeline.org – 646-763-0627

Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Klar

jklar@chailifeline.org – 917-710-7857

Zahava Farbman, LCSW

zfarbman@chailifeline.org – 516-993-0430

It was a dream come true for our very own Luke when he joined Matisyahu on stage to sing “One Day.”  Read all about and watch the amazing video.

Huffington Post: Matisyahu Performs ‘One Day’ With Boy Battling Cancer

Thank you Matisyahu, and all those who helped make Luke’s dream come true!

The Annual Weekend Winter Retreat, sponsored by LH Financial, provided much needed rest and relaxation, friendship and support, professional guidance and family time for Chai Lifeline families battling cancer. Special thanks to Yossi Schwartz, Nachman Maimon and the entire CLL staff for making an amazing weekend in East Windsor N.J.!

Dear Alumnus:

As we celebrate 25 year of Simcha, one thought comes to mind: WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU! For the past 25 years, the relationship between camper and counselor made Camp Simcha the very special place it continues to be.

Though we may have lost touch, Chai Lifeline has never forgotten how much you gave to your campers and the organization. We’d love for you to be part of Chai Lifeline going forward.

In that spirit, it is our pleasure to invite you (and your family) to Chai Lifeline’s Gala Chanukah party on Sunday, November 28^th, at Tiferes Mordechai, 600 McDonald Avenue, Brooklyn. Hundreds of current campers and their families will be there, and we are sure you will add to that special camp magic that makes the event a family favorite. There is entertainment, music, and of course, delicious food. It all begins at 3:30 PM. RSVP (info below) to let me know you’ll be there.

For those of you who love the chance to win big prizes, Chai Lifeline’s annual Chinese Auction has great offerings this year. All camp alumni and spouses are entitled to free admission to this fun-filled evening. This year’s Auction takes place on Saturday night, November 20^th at Shaare Zion Congregation in Brooklyn. For more information, go to www.chaiauction.org.  You must reserve your free tickets in advance by calling or emailing (info below).

Please RSVP for both events by emailing afoxman@chailifeline.org or calling  212-699-6615 or 646-265-9036.

P.S. Watch your email. We’re unveiling a new alumni program and chance to connect to Chai Lifeline’s kids and their families soon.

Chanukah Invite 2010_Alumni