Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • May 8, 2013 she was somewhat behind because of her cancer treatment and her isolation from others during that time. The teacher suggested that having a computer at home would allow Ami to catch up with her classmates. In January, a fire in this family’s home wiped out everything – including Ami’s computer. Ami, her mom, and her baby sister were all safe, but they had nothing left. The family has since found a new place to live and, with the help of their family, some of their things have been replaced except for Ami’s computer. Ami has been going to the library after school to use a computer. When asked what the family needs at this time, Ami’s mother said if Ami could get a computer it would be wonderful and would help Ami recover from the loss of their home and continue to feel good about herself and her difficult young life. She is concerned that some of Ami’s gains at school will be lost. Ami’s mother expressed that it doesn’t matter what type of computer. She expressed gratitude for anything that can be done for her daughter. Anyone who can donate a new computer, or gift cards or funds toward the purchase of a computer, is asked to contact Laura at the Northern Regional Center. The community can help 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 rely on our 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. Please remember, we do not charge anything for our services. We rely on you! Emmanuel Cancer Foundation is now celebrating 30 years of providing exceptional free services to families all over New Jersey. We welcome members of the community to make a contribution to honor this milestone. Just imagine how much good we could do with $30 from every reader! ECF is seeking volunteers to help with a 2013 holiday party for our families. If you can provide food, gifts, activities, or crafts for our kids and their families, please call. 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 (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: Christian Health Care center for their fantastic Food Drive. We also thank the fifth grade CCD group for bringing food for our pantry. The kids came to visit and learned about what we do. They included Zach, James, Patrick, Sara, Kayleen, Taylor, Grace, Abbie, Sarah, and Kaitlyn. Our families, including some who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy, need the following items: • New or gently-used clothing for boys ages 10 and up • New twin and queen size sheets • Stage 3 diapers and baby wipes • Cake mix and icing for birthday bags • A computer hard drive • DVD players • Microwaves and toaster ovens • Test strips for one of our diabetic children • New or gently-used air conditioners Meet Ami: Ami is a nine-year-old girl who was diagnosed with leukemia when she was only three. She went through over three years of chemotherapy treatment and now her cancer is in remission. When she started school,