Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • August 29, 2012 tious, and her attitude about her hair loss is inspirational. Esme told her case worker Stephanie, “I don’t care about my hair loss. That will grow back. All I care about is my health.” 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 hat’s off to the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Ramsey for the much needed food contributions. We want to give a big thank you to Miss Patti’s School of Dance. Patti and Darryl generously donated dinner and show tickets to “Peter and the Star Catcher” to several families. We appreciate their thoughtfulness! Fall needs: We need window air conditioning units that are new or in good working condition for our families. Some of our families could use prepaid phone cards for Cricket Mobile. We would also appreciate gift cards to TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and IKEA. We will give these cards to our families for fall and back-to-school clothing, and some much-needed furniture. In addition, we can use gas station gift cards. We need new sheets for twin and queen size beds and Good Night Pampers Stage 4. We also need new pillows, dish towels, and bath towels. One family could really use an air purifier. Meet Esme: Esme is a vivacious 17-year-old who has leukemia. Esme has a twin brother she adores and who has been suffering a great deal since she was diagnosed and has undergone intensive treatment. Esme was also diagnosed with diabetes as a complication of the chemotherapy and has to be very diligent with her diet and testing her blood sugar. Esme’s family finds it very difficult to afford the test strips needed to test her blood sugar. They pay $30 every eight days in order to buy the strips (Accu-Check). Since Esme does not have medical insurance, her family has to struggle with purchasing the medical items needed to ensure that Esme’s diabetes does not cause her more medical issues than she already has. Esme loves to shop and do her nails. Her smile is infec- Highlights in Leisure Time’s Patio Picnic has been set for Sept. 13 at Ridgewood Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue in Ridgewood. This event is for members only. A boxed lunch will be provided to members who sign up at the Stable by Sept. 5. Entertainment will be provided by Dr. Dubious and the Agnostics, a Dixieland band, between noon and 1 p.m. In case of rain, the event will be moved into the Community Center/Anne Zusy Youth Center. On Sept. 20, the group will travel to the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms, a National Historic Landmark in Parsippany. Attendees will tour the 1911 home of Gustav Stickley, one of the patriarchs of the American Arts and Crafts movement. Stickley is known for his popular furniture designs, sometimes called “Mission Style.” This museum has been Highlights in Leisure Time events set voted one of the best heritage sites to visit in New Jersey. Please note that this trip includes walking and stair climbing. Lunch will follow at the nearby Tabor Road Tavern. The cost is $48 for HILT members and $53 for non-members. The bus will depart from Graydon Pool parking lot at 9:15 a.m. For more information, call (201) 670-5560. Ridgewood residents who are 55 and older are invited to join Highlights in Leisure Time, a senior organization under the auspices of the Ridgewood Department of Parks & Recreation. Monthly meetings include entertainment and informational presentations followed by refreshments, and a variety of monthly trips. Annual membership dues are $15.