Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • September 8, 2010 Emmanuel asks... Can You Help? Our hat’s off to the Vannelli family. When eight-yearold Justin Vannelli of Midland Park read our piece about having a party with a purpose, he knew he had to get involved. Justin is a perfect example that one is never too young to start helping and giving to others. Justin recently had a pool birthday party with about 20 of his friends. Instead of receiving gifts, he collected contributions for ECF. Justin personally brought his contribution of $520 to our office, and we could not be more proud of this young man and his friends. His parents, Marianne and Edward, must be so proud of their son’s decision. The money raised will go toward providing services at home for kids in New Jersey with cancer. Come celebrate with us: We invite the public to come out and celebrate the Northern Satur4-29-09 karen/janine to 1Regional Center onsee our day, Sept. 25 from 10 a.m. p.m. Stop by and EmmanuelHelp2x.75(4-29-09) is all about. There is office and pantry, and learn what ECF no .75 3 xobligation to do anything. Just help us celebrate the 27 years that we have been serving children and their families in our region. Light refreshments will be served. This family needs help: Alicia is six years old and will soon start first grade. She was diagnosed with leukemia when she was two, and for the next few years she went through treatment. Although she has been cancer-free since, Alicia is now having problems with attention and with certain learning skills. Her teacher recommended a computer to help her. Alicia needs Internet access so she can do additional work at home via websites recommended by her teacher. Alicia’s mother, Felicity, is a single parent. Although she works, she is unable to afford a computer for her daughter. Another big need: We are in need of a new good quality copy machine for the Northern Regional Center. Save our van: A few years back, we were able to acquire a van due to the generosity of a local church. Since then, we have made countless deliveries of groceries and other items to the families we serve. Now we need your help to keep the van in operation (maintenance, licensing, gas, and oil). If you can help by contributing or by organizing a fundraiser, please let us know. To volunteer: You can help in a variety of ways. Turn your next barbecue into a fundraiser for us by collecting checks or gift cards, or donate your restaurant or business for a few hours to host a fundraiser of your choice. Your efforts help us to help families like Alicia’s in many ways, including enabling ECF to send caseworkers to visit the children at home or in the hospital. This support for the kids, their siblings, and parents is crucial. Your grocery donations also help to support ECF’s food pantry, where volunteers deliver food and other goods to many homes in the region. Get your kids involved, too. We have received proceeds from bake sales, yard sales, and lemonade stands. Is your Cub Scout or Girl Scout Troop looking to earn badges? Volunteering at ECF is a great way to get creative and have fun while learning about philanthropy. We rely on our local community to help support our families. Many of them do not have the financial or emo- tional support to help them get through a major illness like cancer. Please remember: We do not charge anything for our services. We rely on you! We are also happy to speak about our programs at local fundraisers and events. If you have a few hours a week to spare, consider becoming a volunteer, or just stop by and meet with us, take a look at our pantry, and learn about ECF. Call us at (201) 612-8118 before you stop by. Please do not leave items at the center without checking with us first. Our storage space is limited. The Northern Regional Center is located at 174 Paterson Avenue, Midland Park, NJ 07432. Please visit us on the web at: www.emmanuelcancer.org. As always, thank you for helping the children and their families! The 16th Annual Mahwah Day will be held on Saturday, Sept. 25 at Commodore Perry Field. The banner and float parade will step off at noon from Miller Road and continue down East Ramapo Avenue to Commodore Perry Field. DJ Chris will be on stage all day, along with a Kid’s Character Review at 1 and 5 p.m. Outraghiss pets will be on stage Mahwah Day coming to township at 2 p.m., a karate demonstration by Shido-Kan Karate will follow at 3 p.m., and a magic show will be presented at 4 p.m. Event highlights will include the Mahwah Fire Department’s smoke house, a hot air balloon, games, and activities. At 6 p.m., the band “Specturm” will offer a concert. Fireworks will follow at 8 p.m. Board, MEA in arbitration (continued from page 3) negotiations by the state’s Public Employee Relations Commission. In April, Beattie and Co-chair Meaghan Monahan met with Montesano and Deptula to discuss possible solutions, but none were reached. In June, the MEA negotiating team met with the mediator and the school board’s negotiating team from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., but the only result was an agreement to meet again in another session. On Aug. 19, there was a meeting of the school board with the mediator. The 2010-11 budget for the Mahwah K-12 school district that was prepared by the district’s administration and approved the board of education this spring involved staff cuts and some program changes in an effort to address a loss of $2,768,603 in state aid. The reductions in the budget involved the elimination of six teachers’ positions; two school custodians and one administrator and physical education staffs were to be shared at the Joyce Kilmer and Ramapo Ridge schools. A retiring secretary’s position would not be filled, and the funding of clubs and athletics at the Joyce Kilmer Elementary School, the Ramapo Ridge Middle School, and the high school will be reduced. In addition, the full-time paraprofessional positions were to be eliminated once again and replaced by part-time positions to save benefit costs of $600,000. That budget was defeated by the voters at the annual school board election, and the board of education accepted a $250,000 reduction in its budget that was recommended by the township council. Officials opted to take the entire budget reduction from the money allocated for salaries in the budget. Deptula explained at the time that the school board had decided to take the entire $250,000 from salaries inasmuch as there had been many more retirements from the district than normal after the budget was set, and the differential between retirement and entry level replacement salaries would allow the district to provide enough money to add some staff, particularly at the high school, and absorb the $250,000 budget cut. since 1978 LANDSCAPE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION, INC. Break the Highway Trend! ...not your community’s back. Italian Herb Bistro Night Wednesday, September 8th at 7 pm at our Saddle River Landscape Gallery We have partnered with Ridgewood Culinary Studios for a fun and informative evening. We will be hosting a hands-on demonstration of herb container planting and the ladies of the Ridgewood Culinary Studio will be preparing specialty appetizers. The cost is $10.00 (to be collected at the door) for supplies. Please call our office at (201) 891-1199 to register or email events@jacobsenlandscape.com. (Rain Date - Thursday, September 9th) Local businesses are the backbone of your community and the trend to shop the big guys on the highway hurts us all.Your local businesses have what you want... at the right price... and close to home. So, why hassle with the highways? L ABarnstablePCourt, Saddle River •D201.825.4440 S N D S C A E G A L L E RY A N G A R D E N 11 www.jacobsenlandscape.com ESIGN CENTER 413 Godwin Avenue, Midland Park • 201.891.1199 D Save Time! Save Gas! Save Money! SAVE YOUR COMMUNITY! We Need You SHOP LOCALLY. IT’S SMART. ...and besides, it’s so convenient!