Volunteers tidy Teddi's Place ahead of Lilac Festival

Rochester, N.Y. — Volunteers from Camp Good Days and Special Times teamed up once again Wednesday to clean up Teddi's Place at Highland Park ahead of the 127th annual Rochester Lilac Festival.

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The section of the park, as well as Camp Good Days, were both established in 1979 by Gary Mervis in memory of his daughter, Teddi, who lost her battle to cancer in 1982.

Teddi's Place is filled with flowers and benches where people can remember loved ones impacted by cancer or other diseases.

"It's really dedicated to all children who are dealing with cancer yesterday, today and tomorrow," Gary explained. "Over the years, I've had a lot of people sending notes and calling with messages that they've been at the park, they saw the rock with a plaque on it, and they just sat down and thought it was so nice, and it is."

Volunteers have been sprucing up Teddi's Place for the past several years, preparing it for people attending the 10-day festival, which kicks off Friday and runs through Sunday, May 18.

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