October 10, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 13 Some of our families could use prepaid phone cards for Cricket Mobile and gift cards for TJ Maxx, Marshalls, IKEA, and gas stations. Our families need new sheets for twin and queen size beds and Good Night Pampers - Stage 4. They also need new pillows, dish towels, bath towels, and an air purifier. It’s not too early to think about Thanksgiving! Please call us to see how you can help. We need turkeys and “Thanksgiving in a Bag” to go out with our deliveries. Meet Evan: Evan is a very active and delightful fouryear-old who was diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma of the kidney, a rare form of cancer, just before his third birthday. His first chemotherapy treatment was on his third birthday, but Evan was not upset that he was in the hospital with cancer. Instead, he was very excited since he was able to celebrate his birthday at the hospital with cake and presents and his family. He has three older sisters who range in age from five to 14. The girls adore him and are very supportive of him and all the time their parents have had to give to Evan during his chemotherapy. Evan is now on a maintenance protocol, and has started attending Head Start preschool. He is enjoying the relatively normal life of an active four-year-old. His mother had taken a leave of absence from her job when Evan was diagnosed, and his father was laid off at about the same time. Even though things have been difficult financially, this family is very grateful that Evan seems to be doing well at this time. Their children are Mom and Dad’s primary focus, and they have expressed their gratitude for their family and the support they have received from ECF. Evan’s mother, realizing that her son recently had a growth spurt and started to gain some much-needed weight, needs long pants and shirts for the winter in a size 5T. She could also use gas cards to help with the trips they make to the hospital for his checkups and maintenance treatment. They are hopeful that Evan will remain in remission. You can help in a variety of ways. 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. Each month, we distribute about 140 bags of food to our families. You can help us fill our pantry. When you go grocery shopping and something non-perishable is on sale, please grab some extra items and drop them off at our outreach center. Staples such as sugar, flour, salt, cooking oil, detergent, pancake mix/syrup, and rice are always needed. 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 case worker to visit the families at home or in the hospital. Kids can help, too. Many have held sales or other events 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. 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. This September, we will need a volunteer on Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m. 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 at www. emmanuelcancer.org. As always, thank you for helping the children and their families! Our hats off to: Midland Park Girl Scout Troop 433 for the food and personal care items they donated as they work toward their Junior Bronze Award. This sixth grade troop consisted of Allison, Angela, Claire, Courtney, Helena, Olivia M., Olivia P., Noelle, Sabrina, and Sarah. We also thank Mathew, age 11, of Midland Park, who earned credit for his Boy Scout badge when he camped outside the supermarket and collected donations for the northern regional food pantry. We thank the anonymous donor who gave us tickets to Six Flags. One of our Bergen County families will be going. Thank you, Abundant Life Church, for the groceries. We are currently looking for volunteer drivers to deliver groceries to families in Bergen and Essex counties. Volunteers must have a valid driver’s license, undergo a background check, and complete an orientation at the regional center.