February 1, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 23 Ridgewood Notes Kate Shoemaker to speak Director of Policy & Special Projects for the President Kate Shoemaker will provide an overview of the Harlem Children’s Zone model on Friday, Feb. 10. The program will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, 113 Cottage Place in Ridgewood. The Harlem Children’s Zone model is a new paradigm for breaking the cycle of poverty in poor communities. The program inspired the federal Promise Neighborhoods program. HCZ’s work focuses on 97 square blocks in Harlem, offering children and families comprehensive support from the time mothers are pregnant until the young people graduate from college. Shoemaker will discuss the full gamut of programs including HCZ’s work with both traditional and charter public schools in the Children’s Zone. Shoemaker leads HCZ’s policy work at the city, state, and federal levels with a particular focus on Promise Neighborhoods, the federal initiative inspired by the Harlem Children’s Zone. This program is sponsored by the Social Responsibilities Council and the Education Justice Task Force at the Unitarian Society. Child care may be reserved by e-mailing Carol Loscalzo at closcalzo2@aol.com. Nursery School holds Open House West Side Nursery School, located at 6 South Monroe Street in Ridgewood, will hold an Open House on Friday, Feb. 10 from 10 to 11 a.m. Eighteen classes are offered at the school, ranging from special “Parent and Me” classes for two-and-a-half-yearolds to five-day preschool classes for four-year-olds. Morning and afternoon programs are available, as are Lunch Bunch and Lunch and Learn options for parents who wish to extend their child’s day. Kindergarten enrichment classes are available for morning and afternoon sessions. Step Up, a transitional kindergarten, is offered as a five-day morning class. The school is well equipped with large classrooms and the program features developmentally appropriate activities that encourage individual creativity, learning, and socialization. Daily play time on the half-acre playground, and weekly music and physical education sessions are also part of the curriculum. To register for the Open House, or to schedule a private tour, contact Cindy Hardt at (201) 447-3501 or cindy@westside.org. Tennis for Life seeks participants Tennis for Life welcomes breast cancer survivors to join its free indoor tennis program. All levels of players, especially beginners, are welcome to join at any time. This nonprofit organization offers tennis lessons, organized tennis matches, peer networking groups, and professionally-facilitated discussion groups to assist breast cancer survivors in their recovery. Winter/spring sessions are held at 1 p.m. on Sundays. Tennis for Life is offered year-round at The Ridgewood Racquet Club, 249 Ackerman Avenue in Ridgewood. The group is sponsored by the USTA and EATF. For more information, visit www.tennisforlife.org. Immigration justice series continues The Immigration Justice Film Series at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood will continue on Friday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. with “Lost in Detention.” The second in a three-part series of films and discussions of current immigration issues, this film investigates President Obama’s enforcement strategies and journeys into the secretive world of immigrant detention, with a penetrating look at who is being detained and what is happening to them. The film will be followed by small group sessions with detention visitors who will share their experiences; the members and staff of First Friends/IRATE, a group that organizes detention visits; and representatives from the Sanctuary program, which assists people seeking or holding asylum. The film series is free, but contributions are welcome. Refreshments will be served. For child care, contact closcalzo2@aol.com in advance. The next program in the series, a premier of a video on the life of one of the Guatemalans who live and work in Eastern Bergen County, will be held on Feb. 24. The series is sponsored by the Immigration Justice Task Force of the Peace and Justice Committee, Social Responsibilities Council of the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood. The society is located at 113 Cottage Place in Ridgewood. For more information, visit www.uuridgewood.org. Egan to speak at Author Luncheon New York Times best-selling author Jennifer Egan will be the guest speaker at the Friends of the Ridgewood Library’s 23rd Annual Author Luncheon. The event is scheduled for March 15 at The Woodcliff Lake Hilton. Egan’s 2011 novel “A Visit from the Goon Squad” won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Egan’s other works include “The Invisible Circus,” a novel that became a feature film starring Cameron Diaz; “Look at Me,” a 2001 finalist for the National Book Award in 2001; and “The Keep,” which became a national best-seller. The author will speak and sign copies of her books. Authors who have previously appeared at this event include Alexander McCall Smith, Elizabeth Strout, Lisa See, Khaled Hosseini, Sue Monk Kidd, Anita Shreve, and Ridgewood’s own Harlan Coben. Proceeds from the event, which will include an auction, will benefit the Ridgewood Public Library. Seating is limited, and advance reservations are required. Reservation forms are available at The Ridgewood Public Library, or by visiting www.ridgewoodlibrary.org. For information, call (201) 670-5600, extension 180 or e-mail annualauthorluncheon@ridgewoodlibrary.org. Learn about obtaining energy efficiency funds Homeowners are invited to learn how to obtain New Jersey Clean Energy funds to help offset the costs of making energy efficiency improvements to their homes. Clean energy expert “Eco” Ed Schwartz will present this informative talk at the Ridgewood Library Auditorium, Sports honors Former Ridgewood High School guidance counselor and long time track coach Mike Glynn, right, received a Special Achievement Award for an outstanding career coaching cross country and track from the YMCA of Greater Bergen County. RHS 2011 graduate and athlete InSoo Hwang, left, received a 2010-11 Male High School Student/Athlete Award. The awards were presented at the 46th Annual Sports Awards Banquet. 125 North Maple Avenue on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. Schwartz is chairperson of Ridgewood’s Environmental Advisory Committee, and co-founder of Green Living Solutions, a Century Award winner within the Clean Energy Program. He will speak about energy use, energy savings approaches, along with how to make the dollars spent on utilities go further. He will also explain how to take advantage of the significant subsidies that are currently available to New Jersey homeowners. Registration for the program is recommended but not required. To register, send your name, address, and e-mail address to thegazda5@aol.com. Have you filled out a “requester” form yet? If you have, we thank you. If you have not yet done so, please take a moment now. It’s only necessary to respond to this request one time, but more responses are still needed. These “requester” forms help us save on postage and assure a higher level of service for our readers as the U.S. Post Office reduces its services. Please remind your friends, co-workers, and fellow organization members to respond, too. We need thousands more to achieve our goal. 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