SCN Cares

SCN Cares SCN Cares is an affiliate of Syracuse Cruise Nights.Here we focus on helping others in our community.

National Zoo Awareness Day champions the critical role of zoos every August 31. These institutions are much more than to...
08/31/2026

National Zoo Awareness Day champions the critical role of zoos every August 31. These institutions are much more than tourist attractions; they are vital centers for wildlife conservation, scientific research, and public education. Support local zoos by visiting, donating, or learning about their endangered species programs.

The history of zoos dates back to the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. The intent, of course, was different. Back then, many rulers kept exotic animals — to either gift other rulers or for vanity’s sake. There was little to no effort in caring for the animals. Humans still lacked the requisite knowledge or will.

Over millennia, our understanding of the animal kingdom evolved. We saw animal trainers and zookeepers emerge. But the general idea of animals as exotic entertainment persisted. Gradually, new knowledge and tools for caring for animals became widespread; zoos and aquariums were born. Around the same time, the idea of humans caring for wildlife first took root and stayed.

By the 19th century, zoology became a popular field of science. Private animal collections were frowned upon, becoming less and less popular over time. The modern zoo as we know it today grew from this evolution of thought. Even so, not all of them are the same.

There are zoos open to the public, while others are purely for conservation purposes. Many private zoos run breeding programs to protect critically endangered species from extinction. Other programs take in rescued animals that can no longer survive in the wild for various reasons.

As conscientious citizens, we must critically examine the zoos in our areas. What is the intent? Are there programs that benefit the animals and conservation? Does the zoo educate the community on wildlife and ecosystems? Are the animal enclosures mimicking natural habitats? National Zoo Awareness Day hopes to instill fascination, love, and respect for animals; particularly when they are in human care.

National Grief Awareness Day dedicates August 30 to raising awareness of the myriad ways individuals cope with loss. It ...
08/31/2026

National Grief Awareness Day dedicates August 30 to raising awareness of the myriad ways individuals cope with loss.

It offers vital resources to those navigating personal losses and reminds us to support people we know who are grieving.

Founded by Angie Cartwright in 2014, the day encourages open communication on bereavement.

Grief is one of the oldest and most enduring aspects of the human experience. If you haven’t yet experienced grief, it’s unfortunately likely to happen. The term ‘grief’ encompasses all of the emotions around a loss, and ‘mourning’ is defined as the external expression of the pain. ‘Bereavement’ is another commonly-used term for grief. Throughout human history, there have been many attempts to describe and heal grief, and they have changed significantly over the years.

Due in part to our vastly improved physical and mental healthcare, grief is understood far differently today than even as little as 100 years ago. While we often have the privilege (for some, even the expectation) of only losing our loved ones when they are at a ripe old age, comfortable, and with family nearby, this has rarely been the case throughout history. The lack of modern transportation often separated loved ones, wars ravaged populations, and poor medical and sanitation knowledge led to too many untimely deaths. Throughout history, the deaths of loved ones have been far more common, and grief was understood differently.

Burials, often in family groupings, occur throughout the world. In many cultures, family and friends attend funerals or certain types of wakes to honor the deceased. Though mourning traditions vary from culture to culture, these aspects of the ritual often persist.

In part due to the frequency of death and grief, the topic was poorly researched or treated until the 1900s. In 1917, famous psychologist Sigmund Freud wrote: “grieving is a natural process that should not be tampered with.” This encapsulates the sentiment well: grieving is a part of life and needs no special attention. As the century wore on, however, there came to be more interest in grief and its stages.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross famously wrote her consequential book, “On Death and Dying,” in 1969. The book laid out the ‘Five Stages of Grief’ that many are familiar with today, under the name ‘The Kübler-Ross Method.’ This was easily accepted, and grief was managed along a distinct timeline for years. Simon Shimshon Rubin put forth the Two Track Model of Bereavement to further explain the phenomenon in 1981. However, it was only from 1996 to 2006 that great headway was made in the understanding of grief as something that resisted strict and chronological definition. In the 2000s, a more fluid understanding of grief, especially as a multifaceted and complex issue, has come to be understood and treated.

08/26/2026

Our page & group SCN Cares (Group) are still active, we’ve just slowed down on posting as much.

08/19/2026

Cruise by Lester’s!

With all the bad in the world these days, it’s easy to forget that there’s still good around.

Some of that good, is within the automotive community.

Today, we hosted a special cruise by a house for a veteran whose name is Lester.

Lester, a huge Pontiac & automotive fan, is an Army Veteran, heartbroken he couldn’t make it to the nationals this weekend, his daughter Mary reached out to the automotive community, asking for help setting up a drive by parade of cars for him, naturally, we jumped at the opportunity & helped to set up this special day for him.

Thank you to each and every one of you who were able to make it out tonight.

We made Lester, and his entire family, whole summer by doing what the automotive community does & showing up for him this afternoon.

Side note from Shelby: before we got to the house, I did not know who Lester was, in my mind, we were setting up an event for a stranger for a good cause. Up until we turned the corner, I saw the purple Pontiac in the driveway and almost lost it, I had to pull over and pull myself together. I apologize to everyone that was in attendance, I know we had planned on making a loop back to the plaza in case anyone showed up later due to traffic but when I saw the car, and it hit, I just had to take a minute.

A little back story, back when I was young and first started going to cruise ins, there weren’t many people who wanted to talk to “the young kid in a sports car probably just around to cause trouble”. Lester was one of the first people to be kind and reach out & made sure to say hi & talk for a while each time I saw him. Full of good advice and better stories, Lester is such an admirable human, so again, when I realized who it was, the shock hit me hard and sort of changed the plans & again that’s on me, and again, I apologize.

Sincerely, thank you again, to each and every one of you, without your help, we couldn’t have made such a special day for Lester, his family & even his neighbors.

Yesterday we dedicated our entire day to cars, between cruise ins and shows, it was a stacked day! We loved every minute...
08/16/2026

Yesterday we dedicated our entire day to cars, between cruise ins and shows, it was a stacked day! We loved every minute of it.

Today, we volunteered our time, resources & skills to paint a nursery for a local church in Cicero.

We may be rooted in the automotive hobby, however, we’re so much more than that & wanted to share what else we get up to when we aren’t cruisin’ around the CNY area.

Please note, these photos are not the finished product, we are going back at some time this week to solidify & finish up the edges and remaining areas.

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