The Help Sami Kick Cancer Foundation has been named this year’s Canton Chamber of Commerce Recognition Award recipient. The foundation’s current project is building The Lodge @ Dreaming Tree Ranch, 85 Wilkinson Rd. The Lodge is a place where a family can reconnect with each other through nature and all the beautiful nature-inspired blessings that living in the foothills of the Adirondacks gives us each day of the year. Photo submitted by Canton Chamber of Commerce.

CANTON -- The Help Sami Kick Cancer Foundation has been named this year’s Canton Chamber of Commerce Recognition Award recipient.

The Chamber’s Recognition Award honors a local group or organization for exemplary contributions to the Canton community.

The Help Sami Kick Cancer Foundation was formed in honor of Samantha “Sami” M. Curtis, who passed away in 2017 after a two-year battle with cancer at the age of 18.

The mission of the foundation is to enrich the lives of a family who has received the dreaded news of a pediatric cancer diagnosis and create a place where this family can reconnect with each other through nature and all the beautiful nature-inspired blessings that living in the foothills of the Adirondacks gives us each day of the year.

The foundation’s current project is building The Lodge @ Dreaming Tree Ranch, 85 Wilkinson Rd.

The Lodge is a place where a family can reconnect with each other through nature and all the beautiful nature-inspired blessings that living in the foothills of the Adirondacks gives us each day of the year.

“We are honored to be receiving the Chamber’s recognition award. We are so thankful for all of the support we have received from this community. Without that support, we would not be able to make our dream of creating The Lodge come true,” said Karen

Curtis, vice president of the Help Sami Kick Cancer Foundation.

The Curtis family will receive a second honor at the Canton Chamber’s annual dinner on Feb. 6 at the Best Western University Inn.

This year’s Chamber Member of the Year is LeBerge & Curtis, owned and operated by the Curtis family for decades.

“They are very deserving of this award. From one long-standing business to another, it’s a real tribute,” stated Carol Spadaccini, president of the Canton Chamber’s board of directors. “The business and the Curtis family have always been community oriented because that’s how small-town businesses function.”

Mrs. Spadaccini always issued praise to the Curtis family for taking the initiative to create such a magnificent retreat.

“It’s amazing what they’ve done out there and what they are doing for other people,” she said. “It’s definitely keeping Sami’s spirit alive.”

The annual chamber dinner kicks off Canton Winterfest that runs Feb. 6-16. For more information about Canton Winterfest, or to make a reservation for the annual dinner, call 315-386-8255.