Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • January 23, 2013 can donate either of these items, please let us know. Your contributions will help us continue to help this family. 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. Leslie, one of our teenage clients, will be our guest speaker. Call (201) 612-8118 to help or if you would like to receive an invitation. We rely on the local community to help support our families. Many of them do not have the financial or emotional support to help them get through a major illness like cancer. We do not charge anything for our services. We rely on you! 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. This support for the kids, their siblings, and parents is crucial. Get your kids involved, too. Some have held sales or events and donated the proceeds to ECF. Is your Cub Scout or Girl Scout Troop looking to earn badges? Call us for some ideas to get creative and have fun while learning about philanthropy! We are also available to speak about our programs at your next event. 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 (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! Our hat’s off to our two new volunteer food drivers, Joe and Francisco. We are very grateful to have both on board. Thanks to Amy K. from Ridgewood for bringing us a fantastic Lego table for one of our families in West Orange. Our families who were affected by Hurricane Sandy 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 boy’s clothing, for boys ages 10 and up, and new twin and queen-size 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. For more information, call Laura at (201) 612-8118. Meet David: David was four when he was diagnosed with leukemia. The news came after six weeks of a high fever and so much pain that he was unable to walk. He began chemotherapy treatments in the summer, and he was constantly feeling sick. As a result, he was not able to start school in September. He is getting occupational therapy to help him with his fine motor skills, all the while going back and forth to the hospital for numerous blood transfusions and high fevers. Despite everything David is going through, he continues to be an affectionate, friendly boy who just wants to play with his monster trucks and video games. David’s parents are struggling to make ends meet. They have both missed so much work caring for their son that they do not have the money required to keep up their household. This family could desperately use a new refrigerator, and David could use an iPod Touch. If you Ramsey High School’s acclaimed Jazz Ensemble will begin its season with a Jazz Symposium at the High School on East Main Street at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 1. This freeto-the-public event will feature New Jersey’s own trumpet player extraordinaire, Jim Hynes. Over the past two and a half decades, Hynes has established himself as one of New York’s premier studio musicians, having performed and recorded with a virtual who’s who of the pop, rock, jazz, and contemporary music worlds. He is a member of Paul Simon’s elite touring band, and has garnered acclaim from both critics and fans worldwide for his performances with Simon. He has recorded with everyone from Aerosmith to Tony Bennett to Michael Jackson. Hynes is known for his virtuosic trumpet playing, his creative and well-penned musical arrangements, and his internationally acclaimed work as a clinician in the field of music education. His passion and commitment to music extends well Hynes featured at Jazz Symposium beyond performing and recording. He has been lauded by music educators for his educational presentations and devotion to helping the next generation of talented musicians. Through his own personal experiences and education, Hynes is able to give students at every level invaluable insight into their own hopes and dreams. Hynes and Ramsey Band Director Cliff Bialkin have worked together on many occasions. Hynes’ inspiring, positive outlook is a big reason so many educators call on him time and time again to energize their students and their music programs. This will be Hynes’ sixth time working with the Ramsey High School Jazz Band. To learn more about Hynes, visit www. jimhynesmusic.com. A second night of jazz will be held at 8 p.m. on Feb. 28, when the Jazz Band will put its own spin on the winter blues with a Jazz Café in the cafeteria. The community is invited to enjoy this evening of music.