Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • July 27, 2011 Our hat’s off to: Girl Scout Troop 1202 headed by Marlene Griffin. Marlene and her fellow troop leaders came to our rescue by hosting a Food Drive and fundraiser in Wyckoff. Thanks, girls! Juliette needs your help. Juliette is a 16- year old girl who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (cancerous tumors in her leg) 18 months ago. Since her diagnosis, she has undergone seven surgeries, including the replacement of her knee and femur with a prosthesis, and several surgeries to remove cancerous tumors from her lungs. Despite ongoing chemotherapy treatments, malignancies continue to appear. Juliette’s mom has been told that the chemotherapy is not working and will be discontinued, leaving surgery to remove new tumors the only viable option for this young girl. The prognosis for Juliette’s future is grim. Juliette’s mother left her position at a doctor’s office in early 2010 to care for Juliette and her younger brother, who is 11. Mom struggles to pay the bills, but cannot return to work because of the care and supervision Juliette requires. To make matters worse, Mom’s unemployment benefits will end in a few months. Juliette’s father pays no child support, is barely involved, and is moving out of state. Juliette just had surgery to remove a cancerous lung tumor and is expected to remain in the hospital for three weeks due to complications. Mom splits her time between caring for her son at home and caring for Juliette at the hospital, often traveling back and forth multiple times during the course of the day. Mom’s spirit is strong, but the prolonged intensity of Juliette’s struggle and the care she requires has taken a huge toll on her. Mom’s wish is to be able to take her daughter to see their extended family in Puerto Rico one last time. She would be extremely grateful for a donation of frequent flyer miles on Continental Airlines to make this happen. In addition, Mom would like to be able to surprise Juliette’s brother with a birthday trip to Dorney Park. A donation of five or six tickets would enable Mom to bring her son, Juliette, and a few others on a welldeserved trip in order to bring a little bit of joy into their lives. We distribute 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 buy some extra items and drop them off for our families. 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 towards direct care for our families. If your company has a charitable giving program, please let us know. We are excited about joining our new friends at the Ridgewood Art Institute for our next big event: a November wine and cheese reception. We are also planning our Second Annual Bash, which will be held in early February. Call us if you would like to get involved. We are looking for volunteers to help us plan. It doesn’t matter if you work full-time or if you are a stay-at-home mom or dad. We just need a few hours of your time. Do you like to plan parties? Do you have experience in marketing or event planning? If you are interested, please call us. ECF is seeking bilingual caseworkers all over the state. Do you know someone who might be able to help? This is a paid contractual position. You can help in a variety of other 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 families like Conner’s 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. Emmanuel Cancer Foundation was named for a boy named Emmanuel who lost his life to cancer almost 28 years ago. ECF relies on the 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 representatives are available to discuss our programs at your next fundraiser or event. Just give us a call for more information. 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 (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. Visit us on the web at www.emmanuelcancer.org. As always, thank you for helping the children and their families!