Corey Ribotsky Info

Upcoming at the Sunrise Day Camp – the only charity in America that provides a camp for kids undergoing cancer treatment – is the Champions for Charity 2011 fundraiser.  On Thursday December 1, from 6 to 9pm, guests will be privy to an evening of entertainment, including cocktails, appetizers, and more.  Lainie Contillo and Cathy Krieger are inviting everyone to join.  Corey Ribotsky has been involved with this important charity and its vital work for many years.

There will be other events seeking to raise money for this charity around the same time.  From December 1^st to 3^rd, various Americana Manhasset & Wheatley Plaza stores around the nation will be participating in Champions for Charity though its annual holiday shopping event.  Anyone who shops at this event using their Champion Card, will have 25 percent of their pre-tax purchases donated to Sunrise Day Camp.  This is another great way to raise vital monies for this hard-working and important charitable organization.

As a volunteer at Sunrise Day Camp, Corey Ribotsky is someone who would no doubt be thrilled at the quality of staff members there.  For example, the current director of hospital and community relations, Bonnie Flatow, is also a medical technologist who works at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  She has three children and began as a volunteer – like Ribotsky – at the Sunrise Day Camp to help the organization “guide through the maze of hospitals and medical issues.”

For two years, Flatow was Sunrise Day Camp’s chairperson where she set up the advisory board, putting together new programming including Sunshine from Sunrise.  Today she is “pioneering the brand new position of Director of Hospital and Community Relations.”

In addition to these roles, she is the hospital liaison officer to 11 hospitals that are involved with Sunrise, while “reaching out to new medical and respite institutions to form new affiliations.”  She also sets up the children’s hospital visits and works directly with their parents.  Flatow is currently coordinating the Sunrise on Wheels project.

Out of everything she does, it seems that Bonnie is “best known for her warm smile, her engaging personality, and the genuine love and caring that she brings to each and every child whom she meets.”

Last Sunday’s Walk to Help the Sun Rise was a huge success for the Sunrise Day Camp.  They had the largest attendance ever with over 1000 people participating, and they raised a record $317,000 for children with cancer to attend the Sunrise programs.

They are keeping their Walk website open until June 30^th if people want to continue donating and helping to send 500 children to camp this summer.  Certainly, fundraisers of this sort, and donations from generous people like Corey Ribotsky, are what allow the camp to bring children to their programs for free.

This year’s Walk saw some extra fun and star power as George H. Ross, an adviser on “The Celebrity Apprentice” was the master of ceremonies and Ryan Star sang the national anthem and sang songs from his album, “11:59.”

The only day camp nationwide to be dedicated to children with cancer, anyone involved with Sunrise Day Camp – such as Corey Ribotsky – is truly engaging in a worthwhile action.  The camp has many events and currently upcoming is the Friedberg JCC 50th Anniversary Sunday brunch, to take place on May 15 at 11am.  What an immense milestone to be celebrating.
The event will take place at the Middle Bay Country Club in Oceanside, New York. For those interested in participating, check out the different sponsorship options available that range from Diamond Sponsor of $15,000 to a simple $25 raffle ticket.  Prices in between range from Pearl Sponsor of $1,800 to $100 individual tickets.

Sunrise Day Camp is a day camp supported by the NIR Group, with Corey Ribotsky, among many others, for children with cancer and their siblings. It works to meet the emotional, recreational, psychological, social and physical needs of these children, while enabling them to feel safe and comfortable in the own homes every night.

The ING New York City Marathon will take place on Sunday, November 7^th. This is one of the world’s biggest road races, with more than 100,000 applicants every year.  Lisa McKinnon, Caryn Tiger-Paillex and James Irish will be participating in the marathon on behalf of Sunrise Day Camp this year.

Sunrise Day Camp is the only dedicated camp in the country exclusively for children with cancer. It is able to continue running with the dedication of its employees, like Michele Vernon, the Executive Director, and with donations from people like Corey Ribotsky.

Michele Vernon has over 25 years of experience in the JCC and camping fields.  AS she explains, “This position utilizes all of the skills I have honed during my professional career.”  She was a camp director for two overnight camps and a supervisor of three JCC day camps.

She holds an undergraduate degree from Lehman College and a Master’s Degree from Yeshiva University, Wurzweiler School of Social Work.

Corey Ribotsky, as a supporter of Sunrise Day Camp (the camp that provides fun camp experiences for kids with cancer), is definitely someone who would understand the importance of having caring staff members work with these special kids. So when Michele Vernon joined the staff at Sunrise Day Camp, it sure made everyone, including supporters like Ribotsky, very happy. Vernon is the camp’s Executive Director and she comes to the position with over 25 years experience in camping and JCC fields.

Working with Kids with Cancer

On her appointment to the position, Vernon said, “I have a strong desire to bring the excitement and joy of a camp experience to children with cancer.” Well, this is exactly what everyone involved in the Sunrise Day Camp seeks to do, and usually does successfully. This is why someone like Corey Ribotsky got involved in the first place; to bring a bit of fun and lightheartedness into the lives of kids with cancer. And that is exactly why the camp is so successful.