May 18, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 15 Wyckoff Groups partner to raise youth depression awareness “It’s definitely an area that should be explored. Athletic directors always look at opportunities to reach athletes,” said a parent present at the “Crusade for Awareness” event cosponsored last week by the Wyckoff Municipal Alliance, Wyckoff Board of Health and the Wyckoff Family YMCA. Ann Ganley, a former Wyckoff resident who founded the Ganley Foundation after her 22-year-old son, Jimmy, committed suicide seven years ago due to undiagnosed depression, shared an emotional portrayal of her feelings at the time and since then, lamenting the fact that she may have missed obvious signs that led to her son taking his own life. “Why did I not notice? I chalked it up to teenage behavior and moodiness,” she said. “He hid it well from people who could have helped him. The best way to avoid suicide is to treat depression,” she stressed. Her Florida-based foundation educates communities about depression and challenges the stigmas that prevent proper intervention and treatment. The foundation’s Crusade for Awareness was Grace Carricarte, Jordan Burnham and Ann Ganley. created to promote mental health by educating youth and their parents about the signs of depression and ultimately save lives through mental health awareness. Grace Carricarte, the foundation’s executive director, pointed out that depression is the second leading cause of death among college students. “If it is diagnosed and treated, it can be managd. If undiagnosed, it can lead to suicide,” she said. Jordan Burnham, now 21, gave a first-hand account of his journey from being diagnosed with clinical depression as a tenth grader, to turning to alcohol to cope with his emotional pain, to leaping from a nine-story building to end his life. He survived and now travels the country telling his story in hopes of convincing others to seek help and develop healthy coping mechanisms. He said that suburban youngsters in affluent areas are sometimes hardest hit, because expectations from successful parents and peers are harder to live up to. “You need one or two good friends,” (continued on page 23) Raising awareness about the signs of depression in young people among athletic directors and coaches surfaced last week as an area to be explored by mental health advocates as a means of reducing teenage suicide. Digital signs (continued from page 10) Highway Beautification Act. That policy change enabled greater proliferation of digital billboards. Currently, about 1,800 of the 450,000 billboards in the United States are digital. Jakubowski reported that number is increasing, and industry experts anticipate that their use will grow in the future to about 75,000 billboards, or a 15 percent share of the total. Digital billboards are prohibited in about 14 states, some of which prohibit all billboards. In New Jersey, a state law requires a New Jersey Department of Transportation permit to install any billboard. Those permits generally balance aesthetics, public safety, free speech, and the need to stimulate economic and commercial activity in the state. That state law also gives municipalities the power to establish local zoning regulations on billboards. HARDING WINE & SPIRIT WORTH THE TRIP! HUGE WINE SELECTION Beer • Super Premium Spirits Party Planning • Gift Baskets Free Parking • Ice • Soda 5-4-11 janine Wow! We knew it was good, but not in TripleAAA_AutoHelmet4xColor(5-4-11) our wildest imagination did we think Coastal Vines wouldxbecome such 4 3.5” a success in our store. We have people ��������� Sheila Keane coming from towns all over Bergen County buying cases of Coastal Vines. per·son·al train·ing� (noun) a program conceived, Thanks to Coastal Vines and this created or devised specifically for you and your unique needs by newspaper, at our last count we have an educated, certified, experienced individual sold 8,232 bottles. Unbelievable but true! Remember it tastes like a • EDUCATED - MA in exercise science $10 bottle We now carry • CERTIFIED - ACSM, NASM, Post Rehab Specialist, of wine but White MAT (Muscle Activated Techniques) Specialist Zinfandel we are selling it for only • EXPERIENCED - 15 years one-to-one personal training, $5.01! Former educator of NYSC trainers KEANE FIT & WELLNESS 305 E. Ridgewood Ave Ridgewood, NJ DEBIT CARDS ACCEPTED 201-445-7122 Coastal Vines $ Pinot Grigio, Merlot, 750 ml Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & White Zinfandel No rain checks issued. Not responsible for typographical errors. 5 .01 Come experience the difference real personal training can have in your life. CALL NOW • 201-341-0183 Fitness, Weight Loss, Bariatrics, Geriatrics & Parkinson’s Programs ������������������������