EUSTIS, FL –
Last week, the Chiera Family Foundation presented a record check to Camp Boggy Creek for $250,000, and also christened a new ball field they built for kids battling cancer. For 31 years, the Chiera Family Foundation based in Coconut Creek, FL has had a strong relationship with Camp Boggy Creek, helping send children with cancer to the five-day sleep away camp every summer.
“N.I.C.K.’s Field of Fun” is a brand new baseball diamond and multi-sports field funded by the Foundation and created in memory of their father, Nick Chiera, who passed away from cancer. “N.I.C.K.” is used in the name of the foundation’s programs in memory of Nick Chiera, and the acronym also stands for “Nothing is Impossible for Cancer Kids.”
The ribbon cutting was held on July 10 at the field located within Camp Boggy Creek , a camp in Eustis, FL for children with serious medical illnesses. N.I.C.K.’s “ Field of Fun” has a scoreboard, base paths, bases, team benches, and will be used for children of all abilities hosted by the camp. The field will be a permanent tribute to the Chiera Family Foundation’s mission of helping kids who have cancer. The field will also serve other children with various illnesses who attend Camp Boggy Creek, who can enjoy kickball, wiffleball, softball and baseball.
Nicholas Chiera loved sports and was Commissioner of Recreation and Parks in the family’s hometown of White Plains, NY. for eight years from 1970 to 1978. In this role, he built and was in charge of all ball fields, camps and recreation programs. In total, he dedicated 22 years to serving in the White Plains Recreation Department. In 1989 he passed away after battling cancer. To honor their father, the Chiera Family Foundation raises money to bring joy to children with cancer by sending kids to Camp Boggy Creek, awarding college scholarships, and teaching kids to play golf and ice skate.
“The idea for the field was born after last year’s camp visit,” says Lou Chiera, Board Member and Trustee of the Foundation. “Watching children who are battling cancer play ball and run the bases was an emotional but heartwarming experience. I know that our Dad is looking down and smiling.”
Dr. Dan Jurman, President and CEO of Camp Boggy Creek, noted, “This field is such a fitting tribute to the life of Nick Chiera. Already this summer a child who lost the ability to play sports because of his illness cheered when he saw the field. It’s a magical addition to Camp Boggy Creek and we couldn’t be more grateful to the Chiera Family Foundation.”
A loyal community of supporters near and far help make the Chiera Family Foundation successful. In April, the Foundation held its annual fundraising gala, N.I.C.K.’s Masquerade Ball and its signature Golf Classic, which together raised over $350,000. Honored at the fundraiser were Mr. Steve Benjamin and Mr. Mel Zucker, board members of the Chiera Family Foundation. Their company, KSM Electronics, was a longtime presenting sponsor of the annual fundraiser for the past 30 years. Scholarship awards were presented, and silent and live auctions helped raise money to support the children.
Cancer is the leading cause of death for children, and it is estimated that 17,000 children are diagnosed with this horrible disease each year. To date, the Chiera Family Foundation has raised $5 million in support of kids battling cancer.
About The Chiera Family Foundation
The Chiera Family Foundation began as a tribute to the family’s patriarch Nick Chiera who passed away from cancer. The organization’s annual event has since evolved into one of the area’s largest fundraisers for children who battle cancer.
Each summer, the foundation helps send 150 kids to experience N.I.C.K.’s Camp at Camp Boggy Creek in Eustis, Florida while N.I.C.K.’s Scholarships offer young adults a chance to attend the college of their choice. The foundation also offers N.I.C.K.’s Golf through The First Tee of Broward to teach kids who are undergoing chemotherapy how to golf. Through a generous grant from The Florida Panthers Foundation, the foundation offers N.I.C.K.’s Ice Skating. Taking place at the Panther’s IceDen, kids fighting cancer and their siblings learn to ice skate. The foundation sponsored and dedicated a sports field, N.I.C.K.’s Field of Fun, in Camp Boggy Creek in 2024.
For more information about the Chiera Family Foundation or N.I.C.K.’s Field of Fun, please call 954-480-8809 or visit https://www.chierafamilyfoundation.org.
