Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • April 9, 2014 We thank Ramapo High School for hosting a Food Drive for our families. We are also grateful to all the Girl Scouts who brought cookies for our families. Thank you for all the Easter baskets that have been coming in! This will be so special for all our families. We will continue to accept Easter food baskets and children’s Easter baskets until April 15. We have a new family that is in need of kosher food. Gift cards to Zadies Kosher Bake Shop and Food ShowCase, both in Fair Lawn, would be appreciated. Meet Francis: Francis is a 17-year-old boy who was diagnosed with leukemia about three years ago. Since his initial diagnosis, Francis has been in and out of the hospital for intensive treatments including chemotherapy, radiation, sur- geries, transfusions, and physical and occupational therapy. Due to his delicate condition, he is usually heavily sedated, which affects his ability to stay in school for the majority of the academic year. Although his con- dition improved steadily for a while, he suddenly fell very sick again and had to undergo all kinds of procedures that kept him out of school. He is unable to keep up with his academic work and has fallen two years behind his peers. During good times, Francis engages in sports such as football and basketball, although only for brief periods. He has a very strong and supportive family. Recently, he began to experience sei- zures, one of which led to his current hospitalization. His parents have been taking turns driving between New Jersey and the hospital in Philadelphia on a daily basis. As a result, there has been a con- siderable decrease in family income, and now the family is barely making ends meet because of the backlog of outstand- ing bills. Gift cards to Walmart, Shop Rite, Save a Lot stores, and Sunoco will be of great value to this struggling family, and will go a long way to ease their financial burden. ECF is a nonprofit organization that provides a variety of specialized services, at no charge, to any New Jersey family facing the challenges of caring for a child with cancer. ECF does not raise money for cancer research, but provides direct in-home care to its families. Many fami- lies do not have the financial or emotional support to help them get through a major illness like cancer, so ECF provides fam- ilies with counseling by a professional case worker, material goods (such as household items, toys, and monthly gro- cery deliveries), and emergency financial assistance. These individually tailored services are critical in helping families get through the crisis of pediatric cancer. ECF does not receive any government funding, and relies on donations from the community. Call the Northern Regional Center at (201) 612-8118 or e-mail Laura at laura@emmanuelcancer.org to help. ECF needs volunteers who can deliver groceries to families in Bergen and Essex counties. Spanish-speaking drivers are in particularly high demand! Individuals and groups are encouraged to help by hosting fundraisers or collect- ing food or gift cards for ECF’s families. The Northern Regional Center at 174 Paterson Avenue in Midland Park wel- comes volunteers and visitors. Call (201) 612-8118 before you stop by. Because storage space is limited, please do not leave items at the center without checking with us first. For more information, visit www.emmanuelcancer.org or “like” ECF on Facebook: EmmanuelCancerFounda- tion. As always, thank you for helping the children and their families!