This is your backstage pass to the Wildlife Rockstars, brought to you by Bridges for Brain Injury.
Today, the Rockstars rolled into Genesee Valley Park for one of their favorite events of the year: the Cure Childhood Cancer Association’s annual Survivors Day Picnic. Their mission? Bring animals, energy, and a whole lot of smiles to kids and families who have already overcome so much.
Watch the full episode of Wildlife Rockstars Spread Cheer at the Cure Childhood Cancer Association’s Survivors Day Picnic:
A Day to Celebrate Life and Resilience
Held on National Cancer Survivors Day, this annual event gives children who’ve faced cancer a chance to just be kids, laugh, play, and experience something joyful. Families gather from across the Rochester, NY area to enjoy food, games, therapy dogs, and a visit from the Wildlife Rockstars.
“We do this picnic every year for our families,” Carol, the C.U.R.E. Program Coordinator shared. “They look forward to it every year. It’s just a great event for them.”
Next year, C.U.R.E. will celebrate 50 years of serving the Rochester community.
Animals With a Purpose
As the Wildlife Rockstars team set up, members got to work introducing the crowd to some of their animal ambassadors.
“We brought about five to six different animals,” Kathryn said. “Each member has an animal or shares facts about the animals while meeting the community.”
From golden retrievers to giant rodents, from tenrecs to “not your typical cockroaches”, and even a tegu lizard and snake-skin biofact table, every animal brought something special to the day.
“A lot of the animals we bring, people have never seen or even heard of before,” Kathryn explained. “So it’s really cool to share that with the community.”
There was something for everyone. Kids could meet animals with “the wildest scales and the tiniest paws,” or feel the unique textures like kangaroo fur, beaver pelts, and shed snake skin.
Carlos, a Patagonian cavy affectionately described by many as a “giant rat,” was a favorite with guests. Whether it was a New Guinea singing dog, a fox-like “Chewy,” or a tenrec mistaken for a hedgehog, each animal sparked curiosity, connection, and smiles.
More Than a Visit
For the Wildlife Rockstars, this was more than just an event.
“There are so many people here telling us their stories,” Casey said. “And we get to share the stories of the people in our program. It’s a really good event.”
Bridges for Brain Injury has been part of this event for years. “They do a great job,” shares Carol, the C.U.R.E. Program Coordinator. “They are so wonderful. What they’re doing is wonderful.”
As Casey put it, “We’re all trying to serve people and help people feel better in this crazy world.”
Even the clowns at the event got in on the action. “We’re with Grease Paint Alley Clowns,” one performer said. “We’ve been doing this event for years. We make a lot of balloons, and we do a lot of charities around town.”
Nearby, therapy dogs like Finley, who “loves to hug people”, gave comfort and cuddles to guests.
The Pirate Toy Fund gave away thousands of toys, as part of a tradition that’s grown from 400 toys a year to over 46,000.
A Beautiful Day, A Bigger Message
As the day came to a close, Casey summed it up:
“We love doing shows like this because we get to come out and tell our story, and then hear everyone else’s story. It’s a loving connection. Just showing the love and the caring around. It’s beautiful.”
From cancer survivors to brain injury warriors, from animal lovers to educators, this day was about resilience, healing, and connection.
As one attendee said, “Stuff like this boosts your spirit. It kind of gets your morale back up to feel better and get better.”
The Wildlife Rockstars can’t wait to come back next year.
How You Can Help
If you’re in the Farmington, NY area and are interested in booking one of the ten Wildlife Rockstar programs we offer, please head to our Wildlife Rockstars page to fill out a program request form!
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