United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Here I sit in my office in San Diego, thinking back to just a few hours ago when we were at Silver Bay, NY. The girls are attending their first day of school today, Elliott's in court doing lawyer things, and we're back in a routine, so to speak.

I'm playing Kenny Loggins "Outside from the Redwoods)...(Haven't unpacked my David Roth CD yet, but I'm putting him on next!), and feeling so grateful for all that we shared at camp.

THANK YOU to everyone who came to camp. I hope your experiences gave you and/or your families the information, support, encouragement, resources that brought you to camp in the first place. We laughed (Especially when Tim and Ralph tipped THEIR canoe trying to capture Judy, Kath and Nancy paddling away in the Lake!), we encouraged each other, we learned from each other, and we supported each other. That's what camp is all about. Now, you've expanded your knowledge and friendship base. I hope you stay in touch with the friends you made and find comfort in knowing you are not alone as you make tough decisions in caring for yourself or someone you love who has a brachial plexus injury.

THANK YOU to our amazing guest presenters. You gave your time and energy, traveling so far (Florida, Missouri, Texas, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, New York), and at your own expense, to impart your knowledge in support for those who need to know more about brachial plexus injuries. You prepared videos, power point presentations, hand-outs, and top-notch lectures. You were truly wonderful and the feedback we've had on each panel and guest presentation has just been fabulous!

THANK YOU to Silver Bay Association Staff, especially Heather Constant, Program Delivery Director, for housing us and taking care of every little thing that came our way during our stay. We sure appreciated the childcare staff and wish to acknowledge them in particular for doing double-duty to not only conduct their normal jobs at camp, but to work extended hours to play with our children and care for them so that parents could attend educational programs at all hours of the day and night.

THANK YOU to the UBPN InterACTION Program Volunteers, who investigated campsites nearly 2 years ago to decide upon Silver Bay Association for this year's campsite. You participated in online chats to discuss various aspects of camp, and you were the Camp Sponsorship Award Committee. You found underwriting and made donations toward camp gifts, many of which were enjoyed in the Camp Welcome Bags that greeted our campers upon their arrivals. Special acknowledgement to Ingrid (Soltys) Furby and her family and friends for the donation of the UBPN Bears that were placed on the bed of each child, 17 years and younger, at camp.

THANK YOU to a stellar Board of Directors for your tireless support and hard work to plan for and execute camp. You read boundless emails and responded
7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Not bad for a group of volunteers! Special thanks to Kim West for her efforts on the Camp Program. It was a huge job and you produced a fine document that we used every minute of the day while we were at camp.

THANK YOU to my friend and our president, Nancy Birk, for living the planning of camp with me. You did so much day and night to print labels, make charts, order items, sort and arrange Welcome Bags, handle the affairs of the UBPN Office and forward paperwork across the country and track the financials. Thanks go to hubby, Tim, as he was at Nancy's side, filling their basement with UBPN Camp items. Nancy, now that camp is over, I will miss receiving your humerous postcards of Lake George that were sent to me at odd times, like on your vacation in Hawaii, of support to endure the planning for camp. They're still up on my wall and I'm still smiling!

THANK YOU to Tim Birk and Ralph Mallozzi for having staffed the Albany International Airport as our UBPN Airport Greeters. You did a wonderful job of welcoming our travelers and insuring that they arrived safely and got on the shuttles as expected.

THANK YOU to Kathleen Mallozzi for having organized and coordinated Clinic and the Medical Panel Presentation. It was a huge undertaking and you did a fabulous job.

THANK YOU Karen McClune. You are a gem! Thanks for always being there. Registration wouldn't have been the same without you.

THANK YOU Peggy Ferguson, for having that great set of lungs! We sure appreciated your daily announcements to keep us on schedule.

THANK YOU Rich Looby for coordinating efforts with the Welcome Committee to welcome our campers and carry their luggage to their rooms. You, Kim West, David McClune, Elliott Kanter, Elyssa Kanter, Ryan McClune, and Brenda Friborg also deserve great thanks for having moved those Welcome Bags and UBPN Bears into the rooms before folks moved-in.

THANK YOU to my husband, Elliott Kanter, for having set up and staffed the UBPN Store during Camp. It was an on-going job and we sure appreciated your being there to do it.

THANK YOU to our very own Nurse Robin Hoppe, fellow camper and Home Health Care Nurse, for being on call 24/4 while we were at camp. Your humor and love for others shines through in everything you do. We were so fortunate to have you on call. Andie is one lucky little girl!

THANK YOU to the Capital District Brachial Plexus Support Group for serving as our Welcome Committee. Diana Mastropietro and Beth Kayser...you're amazing women. Thanks for the referrals to Albany-area experts, (therapy panelists), stores and hotels. Beth, thanks for always lending a helping hand at camp. It was great to have you all present at camp.

THANK YOU to those who provided funding/donations to support the efforts of hosting the camp, for without you, we could not have accomplished all that we did. Many of you are campers and this shows us that you want this to happen so much that you're willing to join us as we pound the pavement, seeking financial support to host camp.

As you can see, there are many folks to thank, as it took a village to make camp a reality. I'm grateful to my husband, Elliott, and our girls. They actually told me yesterday, twice on our trip home, that they were so glad I took the time to organize the camp. They wanted to know about plans for DC...I told them we hadn't explored too much of that just yet, but....

I feel this is a great opportunity to plug Washington, DC, A City Camp in 2005, so here I go...

If anyone is interested in helping us get started with fundraising for 2005 Endowment (to sponsor others to attend camp) or to underwrite activities/events for 2005, please email Nancy at nancy@ubpn.org, or me directly at cathy@ubpn.org.

Now, I'm going to close my eyes and remember how wonderful it felt to sit in that Adirondack rocker, with my feet propped up, on the Verranda of The Inn, staring at the beauty of Lake George through the trees, which I did get to do before I left the camp yesterday.
Cathy

Cathy

Thank You and your family for all of the precious time you gave to make this camp such a great success. Camp was an amazing experience.

You & Nancy worked so well as a team and you managed to coordinate our board so graciously. I have such fond memories and I know the visuals will go on and on when I think of camp.

It is a pleasure to serve on a Board of Directors with such great people.

But I did not get to see you sit! That would have been a Kodak moment but my camera was still wet - LOL-Hope you're all resting now.

I met so many great families at Camp I can’t begin to list them all - I had an amazing time!

Kath

Actually, I kept my camera in my room the whole weekend... but when I finally took it out, I was witness to the most incredible moment... and Cathy - since you so eloquently described it, I just have to share it... because this moment was SO well deserved!!

http://www.injurednewborn.com/cathykanter.html

You did an incredible job!!

STANDING OVATION FOR CATHY KANTER!!!

big hugs for all that you did and all that you continue to do for this community!!
-francine

Thanks Francine and Kath...but it really took us all to make this happen. Planning is one thing, but executing is another! We have a great and extended group of people who love what we do. Francine, I just have to point out the photo album you posted about on the General Board for those who haven't gone there. The photos are worth a thousand words. Thanks again for posting them and for sharing them with us all. It was truly a magnificent campsite. Cathy

I would like to echo your many thanks, Cathy, and to add your name to the list. A big thank you to your family and to the families of the other volunteers who not only helped out too, but willingly gave up time with their family member. The goody bags left for us in our rooms were so thoughtful! Thank you! I love the cute teddy bear that will be a great keepsake for Nicole to enjoy! I'm sorry I didn't thank you in person when we spoke, Ingrid. I guess it was an oversight on my part that you and your family had provided the bears. Nicole really hit it off well with Emma!

When Nicole didn't feel well on the boat, it was great to have a nurse right there to answer a medical ? for me. Thank you, Robin!

Cathy, I'm glad that you finally got a few minutes to relax and put up your feet. You certainly deserved it! Also, as I told you, I really enjoyed watching your girls climb the wall. They are both very determind and persistent!

It was so great to have babysitting services available so that we could both attend sessions w/o having to bring along a babysitter. I know that Nicole enjoyed playing with her new friends. Thanks again to Ralph for personally escorting Nicole so I wouldn't be late for the therapy panel.

Our whole experience started off well from the moment we pulled up and got a warm greeting. We weren't even out of our car yet and were made to feel very comfortable and welcome. Thank you to all of the Cap. Dist. BP Support Group!

Thanks so much to everyone who shared a part in making this successful!

Sincerely, Tina, Troy & Nicole

I can't start listing names because I don't want to exclude anyone unintentionally so this is for ALL involved who made camp such a great experience (both organizers and attendees):

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTAKE IN SUCH A REWARDING EXPERIENCE! Camp for us was everything we could hope for...Medical experts, people who understand, great friendships, beautiful scenery, sharing, caring, etc.

And, a very special thanks to the organizers for making it happen, and also to UBPN for being here for us (Cathy, thanks for starting it all!).

Nancy, Mark & Eric

Tina,

Thanks for all your help early on when I had no direction. It was a pleasure meeting you....and Troy is a riot! We absolutely loved him!

Your fellow CT BPI'ers

Nancy, Mark & Eric

Nancy,
You give me too much credit! But, thanks for the recognition! Actually, I did invision a united organization and the good news was that it turns out that I was not the only one who had been thinking about doing this. However, I did make the initial calls and convened the meeting in Colorado with very successful folks, parents of people who had bpi's, and had made significant contributions to the bpi community, and WE decided we could do this thing we wanted to call UBPN!

Also, the Lesters, Pam and Davy, actually held 2 camps under their organization's name, EPIRG, back in the 1990's... From the beginning, the Lesters were a part of UBPN, and we agreed we wanted to continue to offer a camp for the bpi community... A little historical recount! Cathy

This was a life changing weekend for our whole family. Thank you to all the organizers. You have had a positive impact on many people's lives. A special thank you to Cathy who allowed us to squeeze in at the last minute. WE are forever grateful.
Signed, The Refreshed Quackenbush family

Well all I can say is Thanks for the wonderful time. I learned so much. I can't say thank you enough to all the people involved in making camp happen. Cathy thank you for all the support you gave me. I really enjoyed meeting everyone. Connor even met his future wife!!! Ciera didn't want to leave and Dave said it was the best vacation ever. We are so glad we went and we are looking forward to the next camp. Again thank you Cathy. You are truly a wonderful person.

Linda,Dave,Ciera and Connor Swetof