November 20, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 31 Saddle River Valley Notes Ski trips planned for local students The Upper Saddle River Recreation Commission will sponsor three all-day ski trips on Saturdays in 2014. The trips include Windham Mountain on Jan. 11, Hunter Moun- tain on Jan. 18, and Mount Snow in Vermont on Jan. 25. This program is open to skiers in grades sixth through 12 who attend Ho-Ho-Kus schools, Brookside School and Northern Highlands High School in Allendale, Cavallini and Bogert schools in Upper Saddle River, and students who reside in Upper Saddle River and attend other schools. The cost of the three trips, including luxury coach trans- portation and lift tickets, is $370. Students may sign up for individual trips, the cost of which is outlined in the regis- tration form. Registration forms will be available on the Upper Saddle River website, www.USRToday.org, at borough hall, and at the schools. Space is limited. Those who register will be accommodated on a “first come” basis. Parents who are interested in becoming chaperones, Leo Club (continued from page 3) At this time, Verducci said over 20 students have signed up for the Highlands-based Leo Club and another 10 are involved in the application process. Alexandra Lesnik is the current club president, Clau- dia Carollo is vice president, Stella Wang is treasurer, and Samantha Wei is secretary. In January, the students will make a presentation to the SRV Lions Club regarding their current projects and their plans for the future. While conducting additional research into the Leo Club through Lions International, the local Lions learned that Leo Club members can be as young as 12. “We asked the Upper Saddle River Board of Educa- tion about establishing a club at the middle school, and the Saddle River Valley Lions approved it this month,” Ver- ducci said last week. If the board approves the establishment of Cavallini’s club, Verducci noted that its members would be able to “drop right into the high school club.” He added, “They will have built-in friends and sponsors at the high school.” Club members have a good deal of flexibility in their projects, Verducci said. “We (the Lions) don’t dictate what the projects are,” he said. The hope is for sight- or health- related projects, but students are encouraged to improve their local communities by meeting specific needs. “Our goal is to facilitate and encourage the value of ser- vice,” he added. He said teens do not attain instant adult- hood when they turn 18. As a result, he said students need early exposure to opportunities to made good decisions. According to the Lions Clubs International website, the Leo Club was launched in December 1957 by Lion Jim Graver, a baseball coach at Abington High School in Penn- sylvania. Graver worked with his fellow club member, Wil- liam Ernst, to get the club started at Abington High. The organization’s members created the Leo acronym, which originally signified leadership, equality, and opportunity. Equality was later changed to experience. A decade after the original Leo Club was formed, Lions Clubs International adopted this school-based community service effort as an official association program. Michota reported that there are now Leo Clubs in 139 countries. Last year, the SRV Lions Club was able to donate $80,000 to sight-related and other charities, Michota said. He explained, “Most of our money goes to St. Joseph’s School for the Blind in Jersey City and other sight-related organizations.” In April 2014, the local club will hold a celebration in honor of hitting the $2 million mark in donations since it was founded in 1958. For more SRV Lions Club information, visit www.srv- lions.org. The Saddle River Valley Lions Club serves five communities: Mahwah, Ramsey, Allendale, Saddle River, and Upper Saddle River. Meetings are held the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 7:30 p.m. at Doubletree Hotel, 180 Route 17 South in Mahwah. New members are welcome. and those who require additional information may contact Chairman Esau Ali at (201) 934-9075. Auxiliary hosts Holiday Luncheon & Boutique Members of the Valley Hospital Auxiliary’s Saddle River Valley Branch. The Saddle River Valley Branch of the Valley Hospi- tal Auxiliary will hold its Annual Holiday Luncheon and Boutique on Tuesday, Dec. 3. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 30 p.m. at the Ridgewood Country Club at 96 West Midland Avenue in Paramus. The boutique will feature gift items from Neiman Marcus, Tiffany & Co., custom made Santas, Spring Lake toys, jewelry, Park Luxury sporting accessories, and more. Tickets are $55 and include lunch and valet parking. All are invited. Proceeds from the event will benefit the auxiliary’s $1.5million pledge for the expansion of the breast surgery program at the Luckow Pavilion of the Valley Hospital and Valley Home Care’s Butterflies Program, a palliative care and hospice program for children. Call (201) 745-8275 for tickets and additional informa- tion. Anyone who is unable to attend, but would like to sup- port the auxiliary, may make a donations at valleyhealth. com/auxiliary. Health coach to speak Natural foods chef and holistic health coach Christine M. Okezie will present “Why Blood Sugar Matters: Prevent- ing and Reversing Chronic Disease” to the Saddle River Valley Residents Club on Thursday, Dec. 5. This morning coffee social will be held at 10 a.m. in the adult solarium at the Upper Saddle River Library, 245 Lake Street in Upper Saddle River. For further information about the group’s activi- ties and club membership, visit srvrc.org or e-mail membership@srvrc.org. The club welcomes residents of Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, and neighboring towns. Learn holiday decorating tips Ken Norman of Colony Florist will create two center- pieces at a Tuesday, Dec. 10 program on decorating for the holidays. This 7 p.m. event will be held at the Upper Saddle River Library, 245 Lake Street in Upper Saddle River. Norman’s demonstration will feature a holiday table cen- terpiece and one featuring an urn. Registration is required; call (201) 327-2583. The centerpieces will be given as prizes at the conclu- sion of the program. Holiday Senior Gift Drive to begin The Jewish Community Organization of Northern Bergen County is collecting holiday gifts for area seniors in need. The annual drive will take place from Dec. 1 through 20. JCO invites the community to take a gift sug- gestion from the club’s board posted in the Saddle River Post Office located at 177 East Saddle River Road. Dona- tions will benefit Bergen County seniors in need. The JCO, a non-profit organization serving the Saddle River Valley area, supports local and national charities. For more information, contact: jconbc.info@yahoo.com. Green Voices to discuss ‘Flight Behavior’ Bergen Highlands United Methodist Church, Church of the Presentation, and the Upper Saddle River Environmen- tal Committee invite the community to the second program of the Green Voices Environmental Film and Book Series on Wednesday, Nov. 20. The program will provide a discussion of Barbara Kingsolver’s novel, “Flight Behavior.” Kingsolver’s book explores the scientific, financial, and psychological intri- cacies of climate change. The discussion will be held at Bergen Highlands UMC located at 318 West Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River. For more information, call (201) 327-3960 or visit bergenhighlandsumc.org. Residents invited to Holiday Party The Saddle River Garden Club and Valley Club invite residents of Saddle River to a Holiday Party on Dec. 8. This annual event will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. at Saddle River Borough Hall located at 100 East Allendale Road in Saddle River. The party will feature a poinsettia tree made up of plants sold by the garden club. Anyone interested in buying a plant may contact Linda Vernooy at (201) 327-8567. We welcome press releases from our readers. Items may be sent to editorial@villadom.com. Deadline is Wednes- day at noon the week prior to publication. Send/receive (continued from page 4) opportunities that could put Midland Park in a position to receive students from another smaller district,” he added. The board president had indicated previously that one district had inquired a while back about sending its stu- dents to MPHS but nothing had come of it. North Haledon’s efforts to pull out of the Manchester Regional district and send its high school students to Midland Park in the early 2000s were thwarted when the NJ Supreme Court ruled that dismantling Manchester would alter the racial and ethnic balance at the more urban school, harming the stu- dents’ education. Concern about the need for facilities upgrades in the district, Sullivan had pursued a study at the urging of residents who cited additional educational offerings and co-curricular activities, better athletic fields, and cost sav- ings as reasons for exploring options. Residents expressed similar reasons in person at a packed Midland Park Board of Education meeting earlier this month, but failed to per- suade the board.