A lifelong resident of Monroe County, New York, Gary Mervis is recognized throughout the community for his many accomplishments, both personally and professionally. A product of the State University systems of New York and New Jersey, Mervis holds a Bachelors Degree in Recreation Administration and a Masters Degree in Urban Sociology. In 2005, Mervis was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from St. John Fisher College. Mervis has also been inducted into the Rochester City School District’s Brain Power Hall of Fame and the Monroe Community College Hall of Fame; was a recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Award from Monroe High School; the Award for Outstanding Public Service from the SUNY Brockport Alumni Association; the Outstanding Alumni Award from SUNY Brockport, Department of Recreation & Leisure Studies; and was selected as a Notable Alumni for SUNY Brockport.
In 1979, Mervis’ youngest of three children, Teddi, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Mervis spent months searching for the best possible medical care for his daughter, traveling from Massachusetts General in Boston to the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco, and also visiting Columbia Presbyterian, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Roswell Park, MD Anderson, the Mayo Clinic and the National Institute for Health. Despite all of this, he returned home unable to find the answers he had so desperately been searching for.

It became very evident that the cruelest part of Teddi’s battle was not the craniotomy, chemotherapy or radiation that she had to undergo, but it was the loneliness and the fact that the disease was robbing her of her childhood. So, in late 1979, with the help of many caring and generous individuals in the Rochester community, Mervis founded Camp Good Days and Special Times to give children suffering from cancer, the opportunity to regain some of their lost childhood.

What was started to provide a residential camping experience for Teddi and 62 other children with cancer has grown to become one of the largest organizations of its kind in the country. Many of the programs and services, started at Camp Good Days have been used as models for childhood cancer treatment centers and organizations all across the United States, Canada and the world. In his role as Chairman & Founder of Camp Good Days, he has led the organization to international prominence and has raised approximately 60 million dollars to help Camp Good Days further its mission and goals. Since its founding, Camp Good Days has received donations from all 50 states and has served more than 41,000 campers from 22 states and 25 foreign countries.

Camp Good Days has been featured in the New York Times, the Toronto Star, New York Daily News, USA Today, McCalls, Family Circle, Ladies’ Home Journal, MAMM Magazine, Seventeen Magazine, as well as the several major medical journals, newspapers and magazines throughout New York State and Central Florida. Camp Good Days has also been the focus of award-winning television documentaries and was featured in a primetime half-hour special on NEWS10NBC to commemorate the 25th Anniversary Year in 2004. The Camp Good Days’ story is also featured in the book, For the Love of Teddi: The Story Behind Camp Good Days & Special Times, written by Dr. Lou Buttino, a longtime friend of Mervis’ who was a Communications Professor at St. John Fisher College and now is a Professor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

In recognition of his efforts, Mervis has received numerous awards and honors, including being the recipient of The Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service; being presented the Decade of the Child Award by former Governor and Mrs. Mario Cuomo; being selected as the Community Hero Torchbearer for the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay; and most recently receiving the Morrie Silver Award for extraordinary contributions towards promoting sports in the Rochester area.

In 1993, Mervis started Camp Good Days’ Partners Against Violence Everywhere (PAVE) Initiative with several programs under those auspices, including Creating Kids with Courage & Compassion, the Sharing & Caring Program, which is a residential camping experience for children who have lost an immediate family member to homicide, and Project Exile, which was brought to Rochester in September 1998. Rochester was the second city in the country to adopt this community and law enforcement initiative to remove illegal guns from the streets of Rochester and Mervis has served as the Chairman of the Project Exile Advisory Board since its inception in Rochester. Mervis is also the driving force behind the very successful Project T.I.P.S., which stands for Trust, Information, Programs & Services, and includes community agencies and law enforcement personnel working in selected neighborhoods to rebuild trust amongst residents and share information. Mervis has successfully completed the City of Rochester’s Citizen Police Academy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Citizen’s Academy and has also received numerous awards for his leadership of Project Exile from the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, as well as local and state law enforcement agencies.

In addition to his work with Camp Good Days and Special Times, Mervis has also been involved for many years in local and state politics. In the political arena, Mervis worked as an Administrative Aide to former New York State Assembly Speaker and Minority Leader, Perry B. Duryea; worked as Executive Assistant to former New York State Assemblyman, James F. Nagle; and served as Executive Assistant to former New York State Assemblyman and Monroe County Republican Chairman, Don W. Cook. Over the years, Mervis has earned a reputation as an effective political strategist, and has personally directed or helped to plan the strategy for nearly 100 campaigns including: Supreme, County, Surrogate and Family Court Judgeships; City and Town Council; County Legislature; County Executive; Sheriff; State Assembly; and most recently helping to coordinate the successful campaign for Rochester Mayor, Robert Duffy. He has been a guest speaker at local high schools and colleges, and has conducted numerous seminars on campaigning.

In his spare time, Mervis also serves as an Assistant Football Coach with the St. John Fisher College Cardinals as well as the Huddle Coach for the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) Huddle at Fisher. Through Mervis’ leadership, both at Camp Good Days and St. John Fisher College, the Annual Football Game between the St. John Fisher College Cardinals and the University of Rochester Yellowjackets, became known as the Courage Bowl in September 2005, dedicated to the many children of Camp Good Days and Special Times. In 2007, Mervis was inducted into the St. John Fisher College’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Mervis married Wendy Bleier on June 10, 1995 and they currently reside in Pittsford, New York. Mervis’ son, Tod, is married with three children of his own and Mervis’ daughter, Kim, is also married, with two children.