Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • December 22, 2010 Emmanuel asks... Can You Help? making a food donation, volunteering to drive, or starting your own fundraiser, I cannot say thank you enough. The local community is simply amazing and we truly appreciate your help. We know our families do, too. Thank you to everyone who called to adopt a family for the holidays and to everyone who made a holiday basket. You are making a difference to a family in crisis this season. Thanks also to those of you who brought us gift cards and other great items for the families. There is still time to get tickets to the Northern Region’s A Hollywood Bash fundraiser, which will be held at the Woman’s Club of Ridgewood. This Jan. 8 event will include a live band, food and beverages, an auction, and other surprises. Come get treated like a star! Proceeds from this event will be used to assist families in the northern region. If you are interested in volunteering your time or donating an item, call Laura Savage at (201) 612-8118 or email laura@emmanuelcancer.org. Help this family for the holidays: Jade’s family is desperately seeking support from local agencies to assist with rental assistance. The family has three children, a seven-year old diagnosed with cancer, a five-year old sister, and a newborn. The Our hat’s off to Sal and Donna Picheria of Mahwah. For the past seven years, Donna has been bringing in holiday gifts for ECF moms. This year, she brought in 57 holiday bags with some relaxation goodies. Thanks, Donna. We really appreciate all that you do! A special thanks to the Bergen and Morris East Coast Tsunami Girls Softball Team. The members of this team made six beautiful holiday baskets for our families. The girls include Melanie, Emily, Karissa, Alex, Maddie, Danii, Melissa, Deijah, Alyssa, and Mae. Thanks, girls, you are awesome! 4-29-09 karen/janinePatMcGraw from A special thanks to 4-29-09 karen/janinein Upper Saddle Pat McGraw Moving EmmanuelHelp3x.75(4-29-09) River. Pat went above and beyond to pick EmmanuelHelp3x.75(4-29-09) 3 x .75 up a live Christmas tree and deliver it to one 3 our families. of x .75 We also acknowledge: Douglas Cronk of Omega Settlement Services, Clemente Orthodontics, and Araya Rebirth, all of Ridgewood’ The Fountain Spa of Ramsey; and Harvest Bistro of Closter, for supporting our upcoming fundraiser, A Hollywood Bash, which will be held Jan. 8, 2011. Thank you to the many generous people who walk in our doors. Whether you are dropping off a birthday bag for a family, family is scheduled for court due to non- cards, groceries, birthday and holiday gifts, payment of their rent. ECF is able to provide and the counseling the family receives are some small relief, and we are working with vital. The kids are just amazing and all are Catholic Charities to provide additional so grateful. When ECF receives funding, the conhelp. As of today, the total bill is $1,512, with the breakdown as follows: Rent for tributions are used to provide free services Nov., $706; rent for Dec., $706; two late to any child in New Jersey who has cancer. fees for November at $50 each and another Our services are provided at no cost. late fee to follow as the days pass. Approximately 70 cents from every dollar Jade’s mother is suffering from post- goes towards direct care for our families. partum depression and has been in and out It’s hard to do all the fundraising ourof the hospital due to child’s admissions. selves, and that is why we get so excited Dad’s unemployment ran out and he just when someone helps us along the way. got a job four days ago. There is no house- These articles have resulted in families hold income at this time. Any help is truly receiving so much: from a new roof for one needed and appreciated. Please consider a family so they could bring their boy home, monetary gift to help families like Jade’s to tires for another so they could take their child to treatments, to a princess bed, a gift who have nowhere else to turn. A caseworker’s experience (from ECF card, and an art easel to ease Sophia’s jourRegional Director Laura Savage): Before I ney. If the family’s life is too hectic to write moved into the regional director’s position, a thank you, we still hear from our caseI worked here a caseworker for three years. workers and volunteers how thrilled they In that role, I primarily visited the families are. Thank you, and please continue to help in their homes, but sometimes the visits us help these deserving families. took place in hospitals and clinics. Most of Help a family for the holidays: We are our families do not have the support of their looking for Santa drivers to deliver holilocal community. It is the exception that day gifts to our families in Bergen, Essex, families are lucky to have local fundraisers Morris, and Passaic counties. Please volunto help them through their crisis. Most do teer to spend a few hours dropping off some not live in a community where meals are gifts. You will need proof of a current backdelivered from neighbors and local stores ground check, or we can help you get one. collect change. The majority of our families How about preparing a holiday basket � consist of two working parents whose lives� for one of our families? You pick the trim��� are completely turned upside down when �������� couple stopped in last week with mings A ������������ their child is diagnosed with cancer. This is a huge basket, complete with candles and because����������������������������������� �������������� many were struggling financially a tablecloth, and the family was thrilled to ������������������������������������������ before cancer entered their lives. receive it! The families I have worked with are A special request: The administrative incredible. They somehow make it work; offices of the Emmanuel Cancer Foundathey have to. They are so appreciative of tion, located in Scotch Plains, oversee the �������������������� They are so management of this and three other regional everything we do for them. ���������������������� come to their centers, along with all of the caseworkers happy to have a caseworker house to visit and talk with them. 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