Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • December 21, 2011 keeper, was just diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer and will begin cancer treatment shortly. Margareta worries about her mother’s health, and about how the family will survive if her mother cannot work. Last month, the apartment building where this family lives had an infestation of bed bugs. The family had to hire an exterminator to treat the apartment for $600, and the landlord refuses to reimburse them. In addition, the family had to dispose of their sofa and other items that were infested. Just this week, the bed that Margareta and Justine share broke. Mom and daughter are currently sleeping on inflatable mattresses in the living area. This family desperately needs a bunk bed to replace the bed that broke, as their one bedroom apartment is too small for two beds. In addition, as so much of Carmen’s income went to pay for the exterminator, Margareta cannot afford to purchase Christmas gifts for the children. The girls are easy to please. Dulce loves the movie “Tangled” (because of the main character’s long hair) and could use a pair of sneakers: size 11 ½. Little Justine loves Jessie from “Toy Story” and anything with princesses. Any help that you could offer this family would be appreciated more than you know. We rely on our local community to help support our families. Many of them do not have the financial or emotional 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! ECF uses monetary contributions to cover the costs associated with providing free services to any New Jersey child who has cancer. Approximately 70 cents from every dollar goes toward direct care for our families. If your company has a charitable giving program, please let us know. ECF distributes about 140 bags of food to our families each month. You can help us fill our pantry. When you go grocery shopping and something non-perishable is on sale, please pick up some extra items and drop them off at ECF. Sugar, flour, salt, cooking oil, detergent, pancake mix/syrup, and rice are always needed. You can help in a variety of ways. Consider turning your next event into a fundraiser for ECF, and ask guests to bring checks or gift cards to be used by our families. Your efforts help us to help our families in many ways, including sending a caseworker to visit the families at home or in the hospital. This support for the kids, their siblings, and parents is crucial. Kids are welcome to help, too. Many have held sales or lemonade stands and contributed the proceeds to ECF. If your Boy Scout or Girl Scout Troop needs to earn badges, visit us in Midland Park. Scouts can get creative and have fun helping our families as they learn about philanthropy. ECF representatives are available to discuss our programs at your next fundraiser or event. Just give us a call for more information. Our Second Annual Hollywood Bash will be held on Saturday, Feb. 4. Please call if you would like to get involved. We are also looking for donations for our auction and for ad placements. 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 see what ECF is all about. 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. We are looking for a Friday volunteer from 1 to 4 p.m. We are also looking for a few food drivers who are willing to go to Bergen and Essex counties. A background check with an $18 fee is required. The Northern Regional Center is located at 174 Paterson Avenue, Midland Park, NJ 07432. Visit us on the web at www.emmanuelcancer.org. As always, thank you for helping the children and their families! Our hat’s off to: Girl Scout Troop 76 of Waldwick, the Wyckoff Seniors, and Eastern Christian School for their food donations. A special thank you goes to Mrs. Donna Picheria for buying all of our moms a generous holiday gift. This is Donna’s eighth year helping them. Thank you, Donna! We thank Brownie Troop 94298 from Wyckoff for visiting us. The girls came by to learn about ECF and helped us stock our pantry. The girls were: Elizabeth, Emily, Julia, Madison, Lily, Lily, Lucy, Mia, Avery, Angelina, Madison, Sophia, Sara, and Paige. What a great group of girls! Thanks also go to the folks at Eisenhower Middle School in Wyckoff who held a Jeans Day fundraiser for us. Thanks to Eileen Avia for organizing this event. We also say a special thank you to the companies, groups, and the amazing people in the community who bought our children gifts and holiday baskets. It’s not too late to support families for the holidays. Please consider making a special contribution sot we can help our families enjoy the season. Meet Dulce: Dulce is a four-year old girl who was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia last December. Dulce has been hospitalized several times in the past year with pneumonia and other illnesses that she succumbed to as a result of many rounds of chemotherapy that compromised her immune system. She is currently taking daily oral chemotherapy that leaves her tired and cranky and requires her to follow a strict dietary regimen. She is only four, yet is able to discuss her treatments and the procedures she has endured with great understanding. It especially upset her to have lost her hair to chemotherapy; as a result, she speaks of one day having long, luxurious hair like her three-yearold sister Justine. Margareta is a single parent to Dulce and Justine. She gets no support from the girls’ father, who is unemployed. Margareta’s mom, Carmen, lives with Margareta and the girls. Carmen is the sole breadwinner in the family since Margareta had to take a leave from her job to attend to Dulce’s care. Carmen, who earns $300 a week as a house- The Practice Community at Franklin Lakes, a Buddhist practice and meditation sangha, will meet on Mondays from 7 to 9 p.m. and Fridays from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. at the Presbyterian Church at Franklin Lakes, 730 Franklin Lake Mediation group announces new hours Road. Each zazen features a dharma talk or reading, and guided, walking, and silent meditations. Call Jan at (201) 337-6478, Cynthia at (973) 310-3504, or Scott at (201) 394-8359.