Frogbridge campers help children with cancer Sportsathon nets more than $6,500 for Pediatric Cancer Foundation MILLSTONE - Hundreds of local campers plunged into helping kids with cancer this summer. For this year's Sportsathon, the Millstone day camp partnered with the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and asked several hundred campers to swim laps on behalf of children who have cancer. The camp held a ceremony Aug. 9 to celebrate those who collected more than $6,500 for the foundation through their participation in the fundraising event, according to camp staff. The money raised by Frogbridge Day Camp will be combined with funds collected at other camp sportsathons and will ultimately be used to purchase special instruments designed to treat small patients. These tools allow for minimal access for laparoscopy and are used for neonatal surgery and often for small children with abdominal tumors, according to information provided by the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. The foundation is a nonprofit organization that funds treatment, research projects and acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment needed in the field of pediatric cancer research and surgery. Because the organization is not federally funded, the doctors it funds - at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, The Stephen D. Hassenfeld Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at New York University Medical Center, Schneider Children's Hospital at North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center - depend on contributions such as those from Frogbridge, according to information provided by the foundation. Sportsathon Chairwoman Audrey Appelbaum said, "From the bottom of our hearts and the children we serve, we are very grateful to J.R. Pugliese and Frogbridge campers and families for their commitment to children with cancer. We are deeply grateful." When asked about why Frogbridge Day Camp annually participates in the Sportsathon, J.R. Pugliese, the camp's director, said, "The ability to make a difference in a child's life has always driven me." Throughout his 16-year career as a camp director, Pugliese said he has searched for new and innovative ways to enhance the lives of children and provide them with a memorable experience. "My introduction to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and its Sportsathon program to help benefit children with cancer was just what I had been looking for," he said. "Frogbridge Day Camp's campers and staff will not only be able to contribute to a worthy cause, but [will] also be left with a memorable life-changing experience." Pugliese said he hopes other camps and organizations around the world will share in Frogbridge's "excitement for and intrigue in such an absolutely incredible cause." "Helping children not as fortunate as ourselves is the very least that we could do," he said. "We look forward to holding the hand of a child with cancer." To find out more about the Pediatric Cancer Foundation, call Nancy Joselson at (914) 777-3127 or visit www.pcfweb.org.