February 22, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 15 Saddle River Valley Notes Lenten Directed Retreat offered A Lenten Directed Retreat will be offered by Saint Paul’s Church in Ramsey from March 17 through 24. This event is being co-sponsored by the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River and will include one half hour of daily spiritual direction for one week combined with a half hour of prayer. A group of experienced spiritual directors from the surrounding community will present this Lenten program. The retreat will begin and end with a group meeting from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the school library at Saint Paul’s Church. Saint Paul’s is located at 200 Wyckoff Avenue in Ramsey. Monday through Friday, each person will meet with his or her spiritual director for 30 minutes daily. These private meetings will be held at a mutually convenient time. Participants are asked to commit to a half hour of prayer each day to make this experience more meaningful. There is no charge for this program. A free will offering may be made at the conclusion. For information, call Ruth Harrison at (201) 934-1957 or e-mail ruthharr@optonline.net. Interested individuals are urged to enroll by March 11. Board of education to meet The Upper Saddle River Board of Education will meet on Monday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. in the media center at Cavallini Middle School. The school is located at 392 West Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River. Club sponsors Baby Shower benefit The Woman’s Club of Upper Saddle River will sponsor its Eleventh Annual Baby Shower to benefit the Strengthen Our Sisters Shelter in West Milford on Monday, April 23. This 6:30 p.m. shower will be held at the Brick House, 179 Godwin Avenue in Wyckoff. Tickets are $42 and include a buffet dinner. Attendees are asked to bring an unwrapped baby gift of clothing size newborn to 2T. Strengthen our Sisters is a grassroots, non-profit 165-bed shelter program serving homeless/battered women and children. For reservations, call Nickie Lisella at (201) 638-6765 or mail a check made payable to the Woman’s Club of USR to: The Woman’s Club of USR, Attention: Barbara Buehler, P.O. Box 645, Saddle River, NJ 07458. Church plans Taizé Prayer Service The Saint Francis Ministry of The Church of the Presentation will hold a Taizé Prayer Service on Wednesday, Feb. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Pastor Jeff Markay of Caldwell Methodist Church will lead the group prayer for reconciliation and peace. The church is located at 271 West Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River. Call (201) 327-1313 for more information. Benefit to boost headquarters fund The Saddle River Valley Junior Woman’s Club, in coordination with The New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs of GFWC, will hold “Luxury is only a Ticket Away,” a fundraiser to benefit the headquarters foundation fund. The grand prize in this contest is a 2012 Lexus CT200h. First prize is a 46” flat screen television. Tickets are $50 each; or three for $100. Only 3,000 tickets will be sold to the public. A reception will be held on April 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Lexus of Edison Showroom, 711 US Route 1 in Edison. The contest winners will be announced at 7 p.m. The goal of the NJSFWC is to enhance the quality of life within the local and state communities by transforming public interest and concerns into meaningful projects and programs, while serving as a grass roots volunteer resource in New Jersey. For tickets and information, contact Denise Mercier at (201) 825-1947 or visit www.srvjwc.com. Novels at Night book group to discuss ‘Nothing Daunted’ The Novels at Night book group will discuss “Nothing Daunted” by Dorothy Wickendin on March 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Saddle River Library. Wickendin will join the discussion via Skype. This group meets the first Wednesday of the month. Copies of the books may be picked up at the circulation desk. The library is located at 245 Lake Street in Upper Saddle River. Ash Wednesday service set Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Saddle River will hold an Ash Wednesday service on Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. The service will include Holy Communion and ashes. The church is located at 96 East Allendale Road in Saddle River. Zen meditation offered The Upper Saddle River Public Library will offer Zen meditation on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. Instructor Brian Loughnane will lead the group. Loughnane studied Zen at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in California and continues to practice and study. Attendees should wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes and bring two firm blankets to sit on. The library is located at 245 Lake Street. 5K to help fund ‘Susan’s Suite’ The Susan Zabransky Hughes Memorial Run, a 5K Family Run/Walk, will be held April 28. This event is being held in memory of Zabransky Hughes, a Saddle River resident who lost her battle with cervical cancer in 2011. The 5K will be held at the Saddle River Firehouse, 100 East Allendale Road in Saddle River, at 8:30 a.m. The course will be USATF certified. The day will begin with the 5K Family Run/Walk, which is being sponsored by The Friends of Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation, the Borough of Saddle River, and the Hughes and Zabransky families. Post-race activities for children and families will include an awards ceremony and refreshments at the finish located at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. Online registration is encouraged. Fees will be $25 per entry, and the cost will rise to $30 day of race. Proceeds from the 5K will be devoted to the cost of building “Susan’s Suite,” a dedicated treatment center for cancer patients at the Emergency Trauma Department at Hackensack University Medical Center. The goal is to have a 10-bed, cancer-only emergency room with its own staff and private rooms to streamline the treatment effort. For more information, or to make a donation, visit www.humcfoundation.com.