Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • January 9, 2013 Our hat’s off to the first grade members of the CCD Home Group Service Project who made giant stockings filled with goodies for our families. The kids are Joey, Bobby, Daniel, Matthew, Erin, Alexandra, and Joseph. We thank everyone who helped with the holidays, from the food baskets and gifts to the volunteers and drivers who made sure all 60 families received food, gift cards, and presents! Our thoughts are with our families who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy. They will continue to have many needs long after the repairs are done. Please call us to see how you can help. We are looking for gently-used clothes for boys ages ten and up, and new twin and queensize sheets. We need a few office volunteers weekdays from 1 to 4 p.m. who can help fill in when one of our regular volunteers is unable to make it in. Call Laura at (201) 612-8118 . Meet Joel: Joel has retinoblastoma, a rare type of eye cancer that usually develops in early childhood. In most children with retinoblastoma, the disease affects only one eye. However, one out of three children with retinoblastoma develops cancer in both eyes. Joel is one of these children. He has had several operations, but the mass behind his left eye is inoperable and has left him with partial blindness. In addition, Joel is diabetic and is restricted to lowsugar or sugar-free items. Joel is now 11 and in the sixth grade. He was transferred to a school 45 minutes from his home to escape relentless bullying due to his condition and appearance. Despite the fact that he has had to overcome much adversity in his short life, Joel is a cheerful, thoughtful child with an amazingly positive outlook. He enjoys music, movies, and football. He is unable to participate in many physical activities, but is looking forward to a sports-filled future. He loves meeting with his ECF caseworker and is always excited to give an update on his progress at school. Joel’s mother is incredibly involved and supportive of her son. She is currently unemployed because she fre- quently had to leave work to care for Joel. She is actively searching for work, but this small family is struggling financially. To complicate matters, they have been displaced by Hurricane Sandy. When asked what he would wish for this Christmas, Joel answered, “Food and warm clothes and blankets.” He didn’t even consider his own wants. When questioned further, he said he would like a portable DVD player and some movies. Joel’s sizes are as follows: 34/30 pants, M/L men’s shirts, and size 10 shoes. Joel would be incredibly grateful if his wishes were to come true. Our annual fundraiser will be held at The Brick House on Friday March 1. Please call us if you would like to be involved. We could use help in marketing, selling tickets, finding sponsors, etc. This annual fundraiser is very important to us. The proceeds help support our families in northern New Jersey. Tickets are $75 per person or $700 for a table of 10. Please join us for an evening of cocktails and buffet dinner, dancing, and auctions. One of our teenage clients will be our guest speaker. Call (201) 612-8118. Invitations will be mailed soon. Please call if you would like to receive an invitation and haven’t. You can help us in a variety of ways. Turn your event into a fundraiser, and collect checks or gift cards for our families. Your efforts help us to help families in many ways, including sending a case worker to visit the families at their home or in the hospital. Get your kids involved, too. Some have held sales or events and donated the proceeds to ECF. 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. Call us at (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 in Midland Park. Visit us on the web at www.emmanuelcancer.org. As always, thank you for helping the children and their families! ‘Creature teacher’ Master Potter Don Bradford hosts a demonstration for first grade students at Central Elementary School in Glen Rock. The students worked on their own ‘creature pots’ under the Bradford’s watchful eye. The pottery workshop is part of the ‘Artist in the Classroom’ initiative run by Project Impact through Arts in Education, which offers classroom workshops/day residencies in the arts run by professional artists in various media to public schools. The program was coordinated by art teacher Connie Cipolli and funded by the Central School Home and School Association.