Courage Bowl Proves Again to be More than Just a Game

An annual tradition for St. John Fisher University, the Courage Bowl remains proof that sports can create community for the children of Camp Good Days and Special Times.

Held on Saturday, Oct. 5, the 19th Courage Bowl once again raised funds for Camp Good Days and Special Times. The Fisher Cardinals football team faced off against SUNY Brockport. And as the players took the field, they had four very special guests on their sideline, cheering them on.

The Courage Bowl provides children connected with Camp an opportunity to serve as honorary coaches and cheerleaders. The honorary coaches for Fisher were Zachary Lewis and Michael Maldonado and the honorary cheerleaders were Reagan Cutler and Alanna Kahley. 

Lewis is no stranger to the football field, having played for the Greece Olympia High School team before being diagnosed with cancer last December. He became involved with Camp following his diagnosis. After his treatment, he returned to sports this past spring. Seventeen-year-old Maldonado has been a part of Camp Good Days for eight years, first coming to camp as a camper who had a parent diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, he too was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and now attends the Doing a World of Good program at camp, a program for teens. When not with camp friends, he is also on his high school's football team, with dreams of studying sports management in college.

Cutler attended Camp Good Days just one month after being diagnosed with cancer in 2022. Since then, she attends every Camp Good Days event possible. A new member of Camp Good Days, Kahley became involved following a cancer diagnosis. Both Kahely and Cutler have become fast friends as they engage in camp activities together. They both attended the 2024 Teddi Dance for Love and other activities, including summer camp. 

This article was written by James Bruneau, a senior media and communication major and marketing minor. Bruneau currently serves as a public relations writing intern with the Office of Marketing and Communications at Fisher for the fall 2024 semester.