Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • April 17. 2013 Area One of the area’s best-known spring fundraisers, the Volunteer Center’s Derby Day Party, is scheduled for Saturday, May 4. The event will be held from 3:30 to 7 p.m. at Apple Ridge Country Club, 269 East Crescent Avenue in Mahwah. The volunteer center’s 21st annual Derby Volunteer center to host annual Derby Day Day party promises a winning combination of savory southern food, signature cocktails, wine tasting, great music, prizes and special auctions, the famous Winner’s Circle and Wine Pull, and the viewing of the Kentucky Derby on monitors throughout the venue. A new feature will be a cigar rolling demo on the outdoor patio courtesy of Maxum Cigars. Guests are encouraged to dress in festive, casual-elegant attire. In the spirit of the Kentucky Derby, trophies will be given for the “Most Elegant Hat” for the women and “Most Outrageous Tie” for the men. A preview of the auction items can be viewed at http://bergenvolunteers.org/ derby_day.htm. Auction items include a Sharp Aquos 52” Sharp LED Smart TV, weekend getaway at Burn Brae Mansion in Glen Spey, New York, tickets to area events, and more. The event is sponsored by TD Bank, Compensation Solutions, 201 Magazine/ Bergen.com, Inserra Shop Rite, OritaniBank Charitable Foundation, Synetek Solutions, United Water, Atlantic, Tomorrows Office and numerous benefactors of the Volunteer Center of Bergen County. Funds raised at this event will support the work of the Volunteer Center of Bergen County, which for 46 years has strengthened the community by connecting people with opportunities to serve, operating direct service volunteer programs, building capacity for effective volunteering, and participating in strategic partnerships that meet community needs. The Volunteer Center of Bergen County’s programs include: • Two mentoring programs are helping more than 100 abused or neglected children and over 50 overwhelmed mothers see and take steps to achieve a brighter future. • The Chore Volunteer Handyman Service, which is keeping more than 1,500 seniors safe in their own homes. • Bergen LEADS, with monthly seminars led by former County Executive William “Pat” Schuber, is developing a new Attendees making their selections from the buffet at last year’s Derby Day Party. The Community Relations Advisory Board of Ridgewood and Glen Rock will meet on Wednesday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the first floor Garden Room at the Village of Ridgewood Municipal Building, 131 North Maple Avenue in Ridgewood. Committee meetings are open to the public and provide a safe environment for community members who are experiencing or witnessing bias-related crime to be Community group to meet heard. Currently, the board is currently working on a program entitled, “Respect,” that empowers bystanders of bullying to make a difference. The Community Relations Advisory Board, appointed by the mayors of Ridgewood and Glen Rock, was created to overcome bias attitudes toward persons or groups based on their race, color, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. generation of community leaders schooled in issues of critical importance to Bergen County. • The Business Volunteer Council sponsors initiatives that benefit children and families in need. The work center’s initiatives include: • The All Wrapped Up holiday giving program which generated over $400,000 in resources for people in need during the recent holiday season. • An expanded roster of training geared toward helping nonprofits increase their management capacity. • The 2013 Guide to Volunteering and the searchable online database link to thousands of prospective volunteers with 1,100 volunteer jobs at over 330 agencies. • Youth service activities that help students, schools, and groups become engaged in the community. “A movement growing is growing out of the current economic climate, an interest in civic engagement, an appetite by Americans to pull together to help their neighbors,” said Janet Sharma, the volunteer center’s executive director. “We are uniquely positioned to play an important role in shaping how Bergen County residents respond to needs in our community.” Tickets to the Derby Day event are $100 per person. To make reservations, to inquire about corporate sponsorship, or for further information, call (201) 489-9454 or visit www.bergenvolunteers.org and click on the Derby Day link. The Volunteer Center of Bergen County strengthens the community by connecting people with opportunities to serve, operating direct service volunteer programs, building capacity for effective volunteering, and participating in strategic partnerships that meet community needs.