HAMILTON, N.Y. (6/11/07) - Colgate men’s basketball coach Emmett Davis was honored recently as the 2007 Wayne Sevier Memorial Award recipient at the Camp Good Days and Special Times Tournament of Love Celebrity Golf Invitational. This charity event is played annually in the Rochester area to benefit the many programs and services at Camp Good Days and Special Times. Camp Good Days is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and families touched by cancer through summer camping experiences and year-round events and activities.
The award is given in memory of Wayne Sevier, former Washington Redskins Special Teams Coach and great friend and generous supporter of the Camp Good Days program. Each year at the tournament of Love Celebrity scramble, the Wayne Sevier Memorial Award is presented to a person in the sports community who is an inspiration to the children, families and volunteers of Camp Good Days. Coach Davis was presented the award by Tournament Chairman John Gilmore, and Camp Good Days founder Gary Mervis, for his continued devotion and commitment to the camp exemplified by Wayne during his life.
Previous Wayne Sevier Memorial Award recipients include:
Mark Rypien – Former Washington Redskins All-Pro, Super Bowl XXVI MVP
Jim Boeheim – Syracuse University Head Basketball Coach, Hall of Famer
Steve Christie – Former NFL kicker, Buffalo Bills
John Calipari – University of Memphis Head Men’s Basketball Coach
Bruiser Flint – Drexel University Head Men’s Basketball Coach
“I am honored and deeply humbled to receive this award. Camp Good Days has provided smiles, laughs and hope to thousands of children and families with cancer, and Wayne with his great stories and infectious sense of humor always brought energy to this special charity event that he cared so deeply about” said Davis.
Camp Good Days and Special Times was founded over 25 years ago by Gary Mervis to provide a residential camping program for his daughter, Teddi Mervis, and 62 other children with cancer from upstate New York and has grown into one of the largest organizations of its kind in the world. Last summer over 1,500 children, including children with cancer from several foreign countries participated and experienced the magic of Camp Good Days firsthand. These programs and services provided by the camp are offered free of charge for the participants so as not to place any additional financial burden on the many families served.
“From the first moment that I became involved with this great event, I have been welcomed with open arms and made to feel like family by tournament chairman and friend John “The Gov” Gilmore and Gary Mervis (Camp Good Days founder) and his lovely wife Wendy Bleier-Mervis (Colgate class of ’88). Gary’s vision and passion has made an incredible difference for thousands of children fighting cancer and represents a living memorial for his beloved daughter Teddi.”
To learn more about Camp Good Days and Special Times and all of the wonderful work being done to help children cope with cancer, go to www.campgooddays.org.
