Glen Rock November 13, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 9 Arboretum volunteer receives prestigious award to attending class, Master Gardener candidates are required to complete 100 hours of volunteer service their first year. Living in Fair Lawn close to the Glen Rock border, Malka dedicated her volunteer time to the Thielke Arboretum on Doremus Avenue. After spending some time in the fern garden, Malka responded to Carol Thielke’s request for docents. This was a natural choice for Malka, who is a former teacher. Malka increased the number of docents, provided con- tinuous training for them, spearheaded the writing of five outdoor classroom programs with the education team, and served a large number of school children from Glen Rock and other Bergen County communities. From the end of September to the end of October 2013, 209 school children have participated in programs at the Thielke Arboretum as part of their school curricula. Malka has also been active as part of the Steering Com- mittee for the summer children’s workshops at the arbore- tum, the Fall Festival, and the Moonlight Walk. In addition to her local work at the Thielke Arboretum, Malka also is the Garden Club liaison for Bergen County, which entails gathering program information from active garden clubs and disseminating it to Bergen County Master Gardeners through the newsletter, The Potting Shed. With her exuberant energy and sharp mind, Malka con- tinues to provide inspiration to Thielke Arboretum docents and volunteers. Her mission is to spread the word to people of all ages about the value of wetlands and the role of humans in maintaining and preserving this important part of nature. Kind kids Lucy Malka at work in the garden. Lucy Malka, education department co-chair of the Thielke/Glen Rock Arboretum in Glen Rock, was one of two individuals from Bergen County to receive the prized Award for Excellence in Bergen County from the Master Gardeners Association of New Jersey. The award was presented last month at the Annual Fall Conference held at the Rutgers/Douglass campus in New Brunswick. The MGANJ consists of representatives from all current county programs and designated Rutgers Cooperative Extension faculty and staff. Malka graduated as a Master Gardener through the Rut- gers Cooperative Extension program in 2005 after hearing about the program through a newspaper notice. In addition The third grade Brownie Troop at Academy of Our Lady in Glen Rock recently held a fundraiser to benefit The Kelly Creegan Memo- rial Fund, whose goal is to spread kindness through- out the community. The girls made rainbow loom bracelets at their troop meetings and sold them at the school’s annual Trunk or Treat fair. Kelly attended Academy of our Lady for pre-school and was class- mates with many of the girls. Additional information about the memorial fund is avail- able online at http://www. kecfund.org.