March 13, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 19 Team Up to Tidy Up Day scheduled for April 6 by John Koster Wyckoff residents will have a chance to tackle litter on Team Up to Tidy Up Day, April 6, from 9 a.m. until the cleanup has been completed. Volunteers are asked to meet at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 6 in the second floor court room of Wyckoff Town Hall to receive their assignments and cleanup supplies, including litter bags and other gear. “Child-friendly” assignments will involve cleaning up safe areas while adult teams will tackle litter zones near the active highways and other sites exposed to traffic. Team Up to Tidy Up started many years ago when the people who later formed Partners in Pride were taking a casual walk and noticed how many lots that were neither private property nor municipal land were choked with paper and plastic litter and other debris. The group they formed led the initiative to clean up those sites which were not under township or private supervision, such as the railroad right of way, the perimeter of Route 208, and vacant lots and closed commercial properties. The excursion became popular with church groups, Scout troops, and other residents who take pride in the appearance of Wyckoff. In recent years, 200 to 250 volunteers show up to help stuff waste paper and plastic in bags, collect cans and bottles, and break up and dispose of oversized tree branches. The Wyckoff Township Committee and the Wyckoff Environmental Commission are jointly sponsoring this year’s Team Up to Tidy Up and both groups urge residents and Scout leaders who want to take part to call Wyckoff Town Hall at (201) 891-7000, extension 101 and register early. The rain date is Saturday, April 13. Residents who are unable to participate in the organized cleanup are urged to control litter by placing their home trash in closed containers and making sure their own property is litter free. Nancy Schuring, owner of Devon Fine Jewelry, is seeking help from the community to help the people of East Africa. Despite the region’s natural gem wealth, many people live in poverty because they lack marketable skills. The Devon Foundation, which Schuring created, has allied with a reputable lapidary school to provide scholarships and equipment to help educate the local populace. Students learn to cut and polish gems – skills that dramatically improve their own lives and those of their families. “I recently returned from Africa, where I visited the Arusha Gemological Vocational Center in Tanzania where we have been providing scholarships for young adults to learn gem-cutting and gemology,” Schuring said. “My personal visit to the school was very emotional, meeting the students we have sponsored and hearing about their new careers.” Schuring is now involved in a fundraising push to fund Foundation raises scholarship funds additional scholarships. Her goal is to provide 10 scholarships at a cost of $1,500 each by June. “We also assessed equipment needs of the school and hope to be able to send more funds to help in that way, too,” she added. “So far, our Devon customers have been very generous and we are receiving donations every day! Our $20 to Change a Life campaign has struck a note with people. This small amount of money to us -- multiplied by many people -- adds up to enough money to really have an amazing impact on the people we are educating.” The Devon Foundation is a 501c3 organization, and donations are tax-deductible. Checks should be made payable to The Devon Foundation and mailed to: Devon Fine Jewelry, 303 Franklin Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ 07481. Donations may also be made via PayPal: Click on the donation page at devonfoundation.com. For more information, call (201) 848-8489 or visit devonfinejewelry@aol.com.