SHOUT OUT: New bricks will be dedicated at Van Saun Park during a candlelight vigil to mourn victims of domestic violence and reaffirm the commitment to end such abuse this “Purple Thursday” night.

The second annual vigil, which begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Pathway to Self-Sufficiency, was organized by the former Shelter Our Sisters — which changed its name this month to Center for Hope and Safety.

“In recognition of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we gather to honor and remember survivors, victims, and families affected by domestic violence,” said Elaine K. Meyerson, the center’s executive director.

The Pathway has individual bricks honoring domestic violence survivors, remembering those who have died and recognizing the efforts of others to offer safety, strength, and hope.

The first vigil, held in December 2013, honored several Bergen County women and children killed by abusers.

“We need to keep raising awareness and remind people that domestic violence happens right here, in our own neighborhoods, often with devastating results,” Meyerson said. “We need to ensure that we all keep working hard to create a world in which violence in the home is simply not tolerated.”

Shelter Our Sisters, founded 38 years ago in Bergen County, changed its name “to reflect the growing array of both emergency and non-emergency services it offers to local families,” the agency said.

It focuses “not only on providing shelter in the moment of crisis but also offering support and guidance to help people lead independent, vibrant, self-confident lives, free of violence and the fear of violence.”

Earlier this year, the agency moved into a newly renovated building at 12 Overlook Avenue in Rochelle Park, consolidating all non-emergency services in one location for the first time.

MORE INFO: (201) 498-9247 / http://hopeandsafetynj.org/

SHOUT OUT: Another brisk but sunny fall day drew 100 teams with over 1,800 participants who raised more than a quarter-million dollars during today’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at Overpeck Park.

One of them, Ladies in Blue Fighting in Pink — comprised of female police officers and others — this year adopted the motto: “Cancer is a word, not a sentence” (photo, above).

Their team emerged four years ago as a gesture of support by Washington Township Officer Heather Castronova and Old Tappan Officer Katie Weaver. They quickly signed up fellow Officers Shane Broglia of the Ridgewood PD, Rachel Morgan and Christine Udis of the Paramus department, and Edgewater Officer Christina Rae.

Participating were female officers from, among other departments: Hillsdale, River Vale, Englewood, Woodcliff Lake, Parsippany, Newark, the Bergen County Police Department and the Rutgers Newark campus police, as well as their counterparts from New York — with some retirees included.

Some have faced issues of their own, as have their mothers, aunts or grandmothers.

Together, they hope to educate and empower both men and women to live healthy lives and reduce their cancer risks through regular screening that could find trouble “when it is easiest to treat,” Castronova said.

“I believe that one day breast cancer will never steal another year from anyone’s life – and we will live in a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays,” she said. “That’s why I’m walking.”

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is a fundraiser, an awareness booster and a celebration of those who’ve survived, as participants and supporters share the determination to make this breast cancer’s last century — one literal step at a time.

Millions of people in more than 300 communities nationwide will take those steps — the largest network of its kind. The include survivors, caregivers and others touched by the disease.

Some today thought of Gordon “Gordy” Klatt, M.D., founder of the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life event, who died earlier this month at 71 after battling stomach cancer.

Others carried the photos and names of loved ones lost and those who’ve survived.

Castronova said the funds raised go toward “finding cures and promising new treatments through funding and conducting research,” as well as into lobbying efforts geared toward “working with lawmakers to help all women get access to screenings and care.”

It will help uninsured women get better access to mammograms, provide free rides for cancer patients to and from treatments – and, of course, fund more intensive research, she said.

“I’m so happy that all of us are coming together like this for something so good,” Castronova told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “It isn’t often that we get a chance to do something like this.”

SHOUT OUT: “America’s Got Talent” hip-hop violinist Damien Escobar will be one of the featured performers at this Sunday’s red-carpet fundraising gala concert, “Night of Wonders,” to help provide no-cost wigs to women and children with cancer.

The guest of honor will be one of America’s most loved, admired and respected newspeople, Pat Battle, a breast cancer survivor and Teaneck resident who anchors “Weekend Today in New York” on NBC.

“Do Wonders,” the non-profit organization hosting the 5 p.m. program at the Teaneck Marriott at Glennpoint, was created by Lillian Lee, who owns and operates the Teaneck Road salon that bears her name.

Wigs made of real human hair can cost more than $1,000, which is an additional expense that families of cancer victims often are unable to afford.

So Lee for years has been collecting, refurbishing and customizing donated wigs.

She took her charity to a higher level by establishing Do Wonders as a 501(c)3 designated non-profit, and launching last year’s inaugural coming-out fundraiser.

The event not only broadened the organization’s reach and connected it with many new recipients: It also allowed Do Wonders to begin buying brand new wigs for children instead of adapting adult versions.

“It’s all because of this loyal and caring community,” Lee said.

A longtime Teaneck resident, Lee was inspired by Superior Court Judge Deborah Ustas — which made for a shock when she got a call asking for one of the wigs from the judge herself. Lee has since dedicated “Hope Cuts” charity events to Ustas, who died in 2009.

“My number one cheerleader, Debbie pushed me to take on new challenges in business, while her generosity and support of several charities moved me to form my own,” she said.

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5 p.m. THIS SUNDAY (Teaneck Marriott at Glennpoint): Night of Wonders will feature a silent auction of goods and services donated by local businesses, raffles, a cocktail hour, kosher food/dairy fare/sushi bar and the benefit concert, with all proceeds going to Do Wonders. Several planned performances are expected to draw raves, including Escobar’s. SEE VIDEO:

TICKETS/MORE INFO: Night of Wonders 2014

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“Losing your hair after cancer treatment becomes another frustration in a long battle,” Lee said. “This is one way of helping them cope.

“Feeling good on the outside helps you feel better on the inside,” she said. “With a customized wig, you can maintain your identity and dignity through such a difficult time.”

The history of Lee’s philanthropy has brought many touching stories.

There was teenager Rosa Holowen, for instance, who lost both of her parents to cancer and was diagnosed with bone cancer herself. The day of Rosa’s prom, Lee and her staff went to work, styling her wig, doing her makeup.

She had to have a leg amputated a short time later, but Rosa – a three-sport star at Hasbrouck Heights High School — kept her determination, grace and dignity, inspiring countless others, before dying in August 2010 at 20.

 

“I very often visit the Hackensack Hospital Cancer Center, where I see so many bald women as a result of the chemo that treats their cancer,” another woman wrote to Lee. “They look as if they were stripped of their femininity as they walk around with no hair.

“You helped me to be more positive and look at this experience from a different angle.”

“Because of your selfless benevolence, this is now one less struggle that has left my worries,” wrote another.

“I feel so much like my old self with a wig that looks exactly like my real hair,” the woman added. “I’m beyond thrilled to have been in your company.”

SHOUT OUT: It’s not too late to register for this Sunday’s Zombie 5K Run and 1-Mile Costume Fun Run/Walk at Bergenfield High School.

The event — presented by the Rotary Club of Bergenfield-Dumont and Bergenfield PBA Local 309 — features what’s billed as a “flat and fast” USATF-certified course and some spooky costumes.

The 5K begins at 9 a.m., with registration beginning at 7 a.m. Fee: $30

The Fun Run/Walk begins at 10 a.m. Fee: $15

Awards will be given to the top 3 male and female runners ages 12-70+.

SHOUT OUT: A Dominican lawmaker and a delegation of Latino officers presented an award to the Bergen County Police Department today for reaching across borders to combat domestic violence.

Antonio Hernandez, president of the National Coalition of Latino Officers, said he contacted BCPD Chief Brian Higgins (above, right) several months ago for advice on designing a program to train police in the Dominican Republic in appropriately responding to domestic violence calls.

STORY/PHOTOS: Mary K. Miraglia, CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter

“Chief Higgins immediately offered his assistance,” Hernandez said. “For that, we are thankful.”

Higgins, in turn, said that when he was looking for an officer to conduct the training, one name was on everyone’s mind: BCPD Detective David Saldana (above, left).

Since Saldana’s mother still lives in the Dominican Republic, Higgins joked, “it only cost us the airfare. He stayed at his mother’s house and ate her good home cooking.”

The training that Rodriguez provided included curriculum development, instruction, and operational support. He brought with him certificates from the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute for the Dominican police officers who completed training.

On hand to present the award today was Congressman Alfredo Rodriquez  (above, right), who said he represents not just Dominicans who live on the island but “Dominicans in the United States and Canada as well.”

A full 20% of all Dominicans live in other countries, said Rodriquez, who has a home in Old Tappan.

He emphasized that officials want to build on the immediate success of the partnership and invite more law enforcement personnel to his country.

“It was an honor to have your police officers there for training,” Rodriguez said. “You lifted up the honor of the Dominican Republic police with the courses you provided.

“I attended, and I learned a lot,” he said. “We hope to continue and build an ongoing relationship.

“We will invite you again.”

STORY/PHOTOS: Mary K. Miraglia, CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter

SHOUT OUT: A German shorthaired pointer found tied to a pole in a Closter park with an “ABANDONED” sign is looking for a new home while authorities search for the owner.

“His name is Oreo and he knows to sit, lay down and roll over — with treats of course,” said dog groomer Jenny Jay of Harrington Park. “He’s up to date on all shots and is neutered.

“I’ve groomed him many times and would love to be able to continue to see him,” she said.

While Jay and others seek a permanent home for the 7-to-8-year-old pooch, animal control officials are searching for the owner. Charges were likely, sources told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.

If you’re interested in adopting Oreo, call: (201) 401-0179

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REPORT animal cruelty or neglect in Bergen County (CALL 201-573-8900 or CLICK banner below)

SHOUT OUT: Police were looking for a Mercedes sedan stolen from the driveway of a Washington Township home bearing New Jersey State Police emblems on the windshield and rear window.

A spare key had been left in the center console of the four-door, silver 2006 Mercedes E500 taken from a Ridgewood Road home near the Garden State Parkway sometime between midnight and noon on Monday, authorities said.

The vehicle, similar to the one pictured above, has tinted windows.

Anyone with information that can help the investigation is asked to call the WTPD: (201) 664-1140

SHOUT OUT: Under a pall of cold, sometimes heavy rain, veterans, family members and elected officials gathered at the Bergen County Veterans Memorial Monument in Hackensack this afternoon to memorialize the 241 American military personnel killed by jihadists in Beirut 30 years ago today.

Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino (STORY/PHOTOS: CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter Mary K. Miraglia)

Calling the ceremony a solemn occasion, Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino recalled that 1,800 Marines were stationed in Lebanon when two truck bombs targeted barracks of Americans and French who were part of a multi-national peace-keeping force.

The death toll of 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers, and 58 French paratroopers included “the largest loss to the Marine Corps since Iwo Jima,” Saudino said.

Marine and law enforcement color guards presented flags and remained outside a hastily-erected tent for most or all of the ceremony outside the county courthouse.

“Here lie men who loved America because their ancestors helped generations ago in her founding — officers and men, black and white, rich men and poor together, Protestants and Catholics, Jews and Christians,” Rabbi Joseph H. Prouser said. “There are no quotas, how many are admitted or allowed. It is the highest and purest democracy.”

“The only thing left for us to do for these heros is to commemorate them, to learn a lesson from them, and pray for them,” Father Abuma Aziz added.

“Thank God the United States is leading the war against terrorism and extremism,” Aziz said. “They are working hard to establish peace all over the world. We should pray to the Lord to establish peace.”

Michael B. Ryan was master of ceremonies for the event, sponsored by the International Christian Union — a non-profit group that promotes “Christian solidarity to advance the causes of democracy, human rights, and religious freedom,” particularly in the Middle East. It was co-sponsored by the Legislative District 39 County Republican Committee.

Attendees included Demarest Mayor Raymond Cywinski, county Parks Director Ronald Kistler; Commissioner Richard Dahl (representing County Executive Kathleen Donovan); Andrew Lighthouse (representing Congressman Scott Garrett), and Corporals Bill Harris and Michael Schairrapone, representing various veterans’ organizations.

STORY/PHOTOS: CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter Mary K. Miraglia

TRIBUTE: Firefighters near and far today are mourning the death of former Tenafly Fire Chief Harvey Eisner, a former crime-scene photographer in the Bronx and national fire service figure.

Harvey Jay Eisner, 59,who suffered an apparent heart attack last night while recovering from an unrelated ailment, was a Tenafly firefighter for 35 years and its chief for 12 years before retiring in 2010.

He was a driving force in making the East Bergen Mutual Aid Association one of the leading groups of its kind in the state.

Eisner graced the national stage, as well.

He was an editor-in-chief of Firehouse Magazine and produced an iconic book, “WTC: In Their Own Words,” which assembled the stories of 95 firefighters who were at Ground Zero on Sept. 11, 2001.

Eisner spent 10 years researching and writing the book and got it released in time for the tenth 9/11 anniversary.

To no one’s surprise, he dedicated a portion of the profits to the FDNY Foundation and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

He talks about “WTC: In Their Own Words” here:

Eisner was fascinated with firehouses as a kid. He began working nearly 40 years ago as a photographer and videographer, getting his work published nationally and helping secure evidence for investigations.

His work was also used in hundreds of books — and adorn the walls of several New York City firehouses.

Eisner covered some of the most significant incidents of our time — among them, the World Trade Center attack, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Dec. 3, 1999 Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire in Massachusetts that killed six firefighters, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and the July 1, 1988 roof collapse at Hackensack Ford that killed five firefighters and injured dozens of others.

He also personally mentored hundreds of firefighters and fire officers, trained tens of thousands more and provided “leadership skills, knowledge of strategy and tactics” and composure to every call, former Englewood Fire Chief Robert Moran said.

Eisner was a firefighter in the Stillwater, OK, Fire Department for three years while attending Oklahoma State University.

He was an honorary assistant chief of the FDNY and program director for the Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World and Firehouse Central conferences.

CHECK BACK FOR ARRANGEMENTS

SHOUT OUT: A symposium designed to keep kids in school and encourage them to set reachable goals will be held at Ramapo College tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The Youth Symposium will be attended by students from Elmwood Park, Dwight Morrow, Hackensack, Leonia, New Milford, Paramus, Pascack Valley, Saddle Brook, and Teaneck high schools.

It is being hosted by the Bergen County Workforce Investment Board and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and will be held in Ramapo’s Student Center in the Friends Hall auditorium.

The program “is designed to help students have an increased understanding of the importance of staying in school and setting reachable career, personal, and educational goals,” organizers said. “Trained professionals from the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation will provide hands-on workshops.

“The program will also feature motivational speaker George Martin plus an Internet safety presentation from the Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit,” they said.

“This is a valuable opportunity to motivate, encourage and empower our young people to stay in school while planning realistic career goals,” said Tammy Molinelli, executive director of the Bergen County Workforce Investment Board.

Funding for the program is being provided by a grant from the NJ Department of Education and the State Employment and Training Commission.

SHOUT OUT: The importance of early detection as the very best weapon against breast cancer bears repeating, a group of participants in a health forum at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck agreed this afternoon.

Toward that end, the attendees agreed that it’s vital to:

• Urge health professionals to counsel women to get screened;
• Encourage women to talk with their doctors about starting mammograms at 40;
• Organize events directed toward women 50 and over about getting mammograms every two years.

Participants included 51-year-old breast cancer survivor Laura Ayala and her team of physicians: Erika Brinkmann, Holy Name’s chief of breast surgery; Benjamin Rosenbluth, its chief of radiation oncology; medical oncologist Raimonda Goldman, and Joshua Gross, the HNMC chief of breast imaging.

“Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women,” said state Senate President Steve Sweeney, who joined two local fellow Democrat lawmakers, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg and Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle.

Roughly one in eight women in the U.S. get breast cancer at some time in their lives, no matter their age, he noted.

“Heightened awareness can make a real difference because it can lead to more screenings, earlier detection and earlier treatment,” Sweeney said. “The chances for survival are greater than ever, but early intervention is key.”

Also participating were Holy Name Executive Director Kathleen Erbacher and Michael Maron, the hospital’s president and CEO.

Held in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the public forum also drew surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, the head of the Oncology Department, advocates for prevention and treatment programs — and, most importantly, survivors.

SHOUT OUT: A pair of Bergen County fire academy instructors are in Israel this week training firefighters from Western Galilee in handling flashovers.

Chief Larry Rauch and Senior Fire Instructor Alfred Gerber of the Bergen County Fire Service coordinated and planned the visit — and worked with officials overseas to translate materials to Hebrew — in order to provide a Train-the-Train (TTT) course to 30 WGFD members.

“The equipment used for this training was first used by Israeli firefighters when they trained at the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute,” Bergen County Police Chief Brian Higgins said this afternoon.

They came away so impressed, he said, that they built an exact replica of the academy’s flashover container.

“Our instructors are teaching them how to use that equipment,” said Higgins, who is also the county’s public safety director.

A flashover is defined as “the near-simultaneous ignition of most of the directly exposed combustible material in an enclosed area.”

An example of flashover is when a piece of home furniture is ignites, producing a layer of hot smoke that spreads across the ceiling in layers.

The layers heat exposed surfaces of combustibles, which emit flammable gases.

When those gases get hot enough — ordinarily at 500°C to 1,100°F — they ignite.

For the past ten years, the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey has supported various exchanges among Bergen County emergency responders and instructors and Israeli firefighters, police officers, EMTs and others.

As Higgins noted, members of the BCPD Bomb Squad and K-9 units “have deployed on actual operations with the Israeli police in Israel.”

Rauch (bottom, right; top, left) and Gerber arrived this past weekend and are due to return on Saturday.

IMAGES: Courtesy BERGEN COUNTY PD

SHOUT OUT: The first-ever Trunk or Treat comes to Wood-Ridge tonight, courtesy of the local PTA and PBA.

Organizers are expecting more than 500 people at the Wood-Ridge Intermediate School, 151 First Street, beginning at 7 p.m.

WRIS

Parking will be on Second Street.

Children will walk through the school’s “haunted hallways,” dance in the gym and receive some treats.

All participating children must be accompanied by an adult. Organizers insist that children not be left off unsupervised.

CHECK BACK TONIGHT FOR PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT

SHOUT OUT: Bergen County Fire Marshal Bryan R. Hennig was sworn to another term this past week by the county freeholder board — one of three appointments the panel gets to make without the county executive (board counsel and board clerk are the others).

Bergen County Fire Marshal Bryan R. Hennig

Nearly three dozen fire professional from throughout the county turned out as Freeholder Jim Tedesco — the challenger for county executive in this Tuesday’s election against incumbent Kathleen Donovan — swore in the veteran firefighter.

Hennig nine years ago became county fire marshal, in charge of enforcing the state fire code at all county buildings and parks and serving as liaison to municipal fire departments.

SHOUT OUT: Friends and supporters have planned a blood drive for the weekend that marks a year since a Hillsdale mother of three lost her leg when she was struck by a car outside the Westwood Trader Joe’s.

“Sometimes good things happen when tragedy strikes,” says a flier announcing the drive in the name of 50-year-old Ruta Fiorino. “Even in our darkest hour, there is light.”

Canned goods also will be collected for the local food pantry at the Nov. 15 drive at Hillsdale Borough Hall, organized by the “Rooting for Ruta” campaign.

Ruta Fiorino

The group has staged a series of successful campaigns over the past year.

WHAT: Rooting for Ruta Blood Drive
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 15 (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
WHERE: Hillsdale Borough Hall
SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT: (201) 251-3703

(REMINDER: You must be at least 110 pounds, eat beforehand and bring identification.)

Free non-fasting glucose and cholesterol testing will be offered.

“[H]elp us to make Rula smile, knowing that blood donations are being made in her name, to commemorate the love and support that will always be with her,” the flier says.

It was just after 3:15 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2013, when Fiorino, a ski instructor who also worked at the supermarket, had finished her shift and gone out front to get a cart to do some shopping.

Maryanne Lewis of New Milford had emerged from shopping moments earlier and was helped putting the packages in her Toyota Camry by an employee.

Lewis told police she got behind the wheel intending to back out of a handicap space in front of the store when her car suddenly lurched forward, slamming Fiorino through a store window and pinning her against a metal rack.

Bystanders helped tie a tourniquet around her leg to try to stop the bleeding.

Fiorino was airlifted by Air-Med 1 to Hackensack Medical Center, where doctors removed her right leg from just above the knee. She’d lost two-thirds of her blood but survived.

Fiorino is “a wonderful, caring woman who always puts a smile on everyone’s face,” a co-worker told CLIFFVIEW PILOT moments after the crash. “We are like a family at Trader Joe’s.”

Lewis later pleaded guilty in Municipal Court in Westwood to operating a vehicle in an unsafe manner. She was fined $136, in addition to a $250 state surcharge and $25 in court costs by Municipal Judge R. Alan Karch. Although it was her first offense, Karch also required Lewis to requalify for a driver’s license.

Ruta, meanwhile, returned hom to find the neighborhood adorned with purple ribbons — her favorite collar — and a special ramp built for her by Hillsdale firefighters and other volunteers.

A series of fundraising events tied to a “Rooting for Ruta” Facebook page have been staged for Fiorino. Other pages have garnered donations and messages of love and support.

Hilldale firefighters and other volunteers also united to build a special handicap access ramp for her.

SHOUT OUT: Benjamin’s Hope 4 The Future is teaming up with Buffalo Wild Wings in Secaucus for the entire month of November to raise funding for pediatric cancer research.

Either show the flier below from your phone or print it and present it at the restaurant and the foundation will receive 10% of the proceeds on your food and beverages, including alcohol.

There are no time or day restrictions and you can use it more than once.

You can start with tonight’s Giants game versus Indianapolis.

Linda and Richard Venezia are the driving force behind Benjamin’s Hope 4 the Future foundation — named for their first-born son, who was 13 when he died AML leukemia in December 2012, nine months after he was diagnosed.

The 501(c)3 organization has helped families in need, raised funds for research and established an annual scholarship for young community volunteers.

“Childhood cancer is not that rare,” the Venezias said.

Money for research, unfortunately, is.

“Only 4% of funding is allocated to pediatric cancer research, and only two new drugs for children have been developed within the 20 years,” the couple said.

The Venezias received Benjamin’s leukemia diagnosis in late March, 11 days after his 13th birthday, when he was admitted to the hospital with a white cell count over 219,000.

* * * * * *

• 1 in 330 children are diagnosed with cancer;
• 1 in 5 children will die;
• 3 in 5 will develop secondary longterm side effects;
• Childhood cancer receives only 4% of the NCI budget for cancer research;
• Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children;
• Only 2 new pediatric cancer drugs has been developed in over 20 years.

* * * * * *

He was later diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a high-risk disease that’s difficult to treat.

After several rounds of ineffective chemotherapy, Benjamin had a bone marrow transplant that November. He was determined to graduate from 8th grade, but he didn’t make it to Christmas.

“Mom, my body aches,” he said to his mother after doctors sent him home to die. 

Among the many life-shattering lessons for the Venezias, they said, was the fact that Benjamin was being treated for “a very aggressive cancer that standard drugs do not cure.

“A computer system chose our sons treatment plan, not his doctors, not his parents but a random selection made by a computer program,” they added. “As luck would have it, the computer system chose the standard treatment plan, leaving the clinical trial he was participating in pretty useless.

“We now are left to wonder whether the outcome could have been different had Benjamin been chosen for the alternate treatment which offered a different drug. We struggle to understand how our society could or would allow life and death decisions to be made by a computer system.”

The Venezias blame no one for Benjamin’s death.

“The lack of pediatric cancer drugs for AML killed our son. The lack of funding for pediatric cancer killed our son,” they said. “It is very frustrating to know that children are treated with adult drugs. It is frustrating to know that as a parent your hands are tied.

“We live in a world where the impossible is possible,” the Venezias said, “yet we still have no cure for cancer and thousands of children die from cancer every year.

“We cannot continue to avoid funding pediatric cancer research and need to start developing new drugs that actually cure cancer,” they said. “We need to fight for our children.”

You can join the Venezias in their fight to turn the tide.

GO TO: BenjaminsHope4TheFuture.org

SHOUT OUT: One of the largest toy drives in the Northeast is under way again, and a record 40 Bergen County police agencies hope their enormous “Santa Response Team” will build the biggest mountain of presents ever.

Now into its 26th year, the PBA Toy Drive is an act of charity that many look forward to each year.

Santa Response Team at the Sanzari Center (CLIFFVIEW PILOT photos)

After weeks of collecting presents large and small, officers from all of the participating departments will truck them to the Closter firehouse. Military members also come up from the Teaneck Armory to collect presents for families of soldiers overseas.

Officers and others at the firehouse then sort the massive piles according to age and sex.

Many of the presents are then packed into a bus and a UHaul and taken to the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center and Englewood Medical Center, where they’ll be delivered by – who else? – Santa Claus.

Organizers are hoping other celebrities and popular athletes will show up, as in the past, to surprise the youngsters.

Toys also will be delivered to various other locations in the area.

Some families sponsor others — for instance, when a family is displaced by a fire or flood or someone gets sick or loses a job. Police produce a list, and a generous family buys all the presents for their neighbors in need.

PBA Toy Drive (CLIFFVIEW PILOT photo)

The story of a man who sold everything because his baby girl had brain cancer touched now-retired Closter Sgt. Don Nicoletti, one of the driving forces behind the program since its inception. Police have been helping the family, including the girl’s older sister, for several years.

Another family had two children with a rare immune disorder. The officers give to the family every year.

The program originally targeted impoverished areas when Nicoletti and his department’s PBA launched it, but the poor economy has created a greater need in the valleys, as well.

It’s been expanded through the years — for instance, to include children in Newtown, CT, following a mass shooting there, and at the Jersey Shore and various other points in New Jersey struck by Hurricane Sandy.

“What makes it so successful is that it never comes back to one town,” Nicoletti said. “It has grown because of the help of so many men and women who contribute to it.”

Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino (CLIFFVIEW PILOT photo)

The drive attracts dozens of officers of all ranks, firefighters and other emergency responders and their families.

“It really makes the holidays feel right,” said one of them, Westwood Police Officer Jim Quaglino.

The organizers ask everyone who can to drop off an unwrapped present or more at any of the police departments listed below or to participating local stores and high schools. Boxes with flyers are being placed in dozens of locations.

It’s not just about Christmas, either. What most people don’t know: Other toys go into reserve to be distributed to Tomorrow’s Children kids who come into the hospital throughout the year.

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• A FATHER WRITES: “Tomorrow’s Children” held a different meaning for the grieving father who sobbed this afternoon as he told the veteran police officer at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital that his young son will die five days short of Christmas. READ MORE….

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Participating PBAs:

Alpine 
Bergen County Sheriff
Bergenfield
Closter
Cresskill
Demarest
Dumont
Emerson
Englewood
Englewood Cliffs
Fair Lawn
Franklin Lakes

Garfield 
Glen Rock
Hackensack
Harrington Park
Hasbrouck Heights
Haworth
Hillsdale
Little Ferry
Lodi
Mahwah
Maywood
Moonachie
New Milford 

CVP PHOTO

Northvale
Norwood
Old Tappan
Oradell
Paramus
Park Ridge
Ramsey
River Vale
Rochelle Park
Saddle Brook
South Hackensack
Tenafly
Washington Township
Westwood
Woodcliff Lake

SHOUT OUT: Call it vindication, or revenge, but Saddle Brook Deputy Police Chief Robert White’s defeat of incumbent Mayor Karen Chamberlain pleased his boss as much as anyone.

“This is a great victory not only for him but for the township as a whole,” Police Chief Robert Kugler told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “Saddle Brook will be well-served with such a professional leader and genuine person.”

With his victory, White must retire before he is sworn in Jan. 1, under state law.

He then becomes Kugler’s boss.

“I welcome it,” the chief said this afternoon. “At the end of the day, if we do disagree, it will be nothing like what went before. It’s not personal.”

White — who soundly defeated Chamberlain by a count of 2496 to 1750 — has a stellar record.

A lifelong township resident, he’s been with the police force 33 years, the last dozen as deputy chief, and served as School Board president.

He has a masters degree in criminal justice, was graduated from the West Point Command and Leadership program as well as the FBI National Academy and FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development program.

White also has been chairman of Saddle Brook’s Drug and Alcohol Alliance and Citizens Against Substance Abuse.

The conflict between Kugler and Chamberlain grew so intense that she at one point last year “ordered” him to run any and all information, comments or correspondence to the media through her or the township business administrator first.

It drew the attention of the NJ State Association of Chiefs of Police, which threatened to sue Chamberlain “for interfering with the day-to-day operations of the agency” in violation of the Chiefs Responsibility Act (NJSA 40A:14-118).

It also flew in the face of New Jersey Executive Order 69, which requires public agencies to provide timely information to citizens.

The mayor eventually backed off.

Three years earlier, Chamberlain ordered Kugler to “cease and desist” from dealing with the media – including production of an interactive “Chief’s Chat” online program – unless she approved his remarks in advance.

When the “Chief’s Chat” storm broke two years ago, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli told CLIFFVIEW PILOT in writing that “to require prior approval before a Chief releases information that might be required of him under Executive Order 69 might not be appropriate as it might serve to defeat the intent of Executive Order 69 and probably runs afoul of our Court’s proscriptions in the SHORE V PARAMUS TOWNSHIP case.”

In that case, the courts found that Paramus violated the order by having the township clerk run all public-records requests through the municipal attorney first.

Two years ago, Chamberlain balked because she wasn’t told that CBS National News was reporting from Saddle Brook Police headquarters as part of its coverage of the DEA’s National Drug Take Back Program, an extremely positive initiative that got a lot of unused medications out of cabinets and drawers where innocent children could have found them.

In a previous stint as mayor 13 years ago, Chamberlain directly promoted officers without telling Kugler. Then-Councilman Louis D’Arminio — a former Hackensack detective sergeant who went on to become mayor himself — later insisted Chamberlain remove herself from all police business. She refused.

In 2003, D’Arminio terminated Chamberlain’s daughter from the Saddle Brook Police Department after determining that she was unfit for duty. A state administrative law judge later determined that the officer, Kimberly Perrelli, should be considered retired instead of fired, restoring her pension eligibility. Perrelli dropped sexual harassment charges she’d lodged against Kugler and others.

Once the shoe was on the other foot, Chamberlain objected to Kugler’s daughter, Shayna, as a township police officer — even though she finished in the top three on the civil service exam.

Kugler has been chief for 20 years. He’s a former president of the New Jersey State Chiefs of Police Association and the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association, belongs to the FBI National Academy Associates, and has served on the national and New Jersey DARE Executive Boards.

Kugler recused himself from the hiring process after his daughter decided to face potential opposition and apply to work in the place where she grew up, the town that she and her family love.

Shayna Kugler wrote a piece for CLIFFVIEW PILOT about the experience: Saddle Brook police chief’s daughter thanks officials for chance to become officer

After graduating from the Bergen County Police Academy in June, she joined the ranks of the county Sheriff’s Office.

“All I ever wanted to do is lead our great department in great directions to serve the people of the community,” her father told CLIFFVIEW PILOT today. “[Chamberlain] definitely hindered my ability to be proactive and set us back to a degree these past four years.

“I’m glad to see the return of a cooperative and collaborative relationship between the offices of the mayor and police.”

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A POLICE OFFICER WRITES: Jim Tedesco handily unseated incumbent Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan in yesterday’s election for a number of reasons — not the least of which were his promises to fold the county police into the sheriff’s office, give the sheriff’s officers the raises that Donovan had fought in court to deny and not close Bergen County Regional Medical Center. But there were other forces at work, as well.

One of the most powerful was a law enforcement officer, a policeman, a public servant — Bergen County Sheriff’s Sgt. Timmy Lindsay.

Lindsay

Fulfilling a vow to himself, Lindsay (top, far left, and immediate right) mobilized an electorate that swelled like a huge wave and crested yesterday at the polls.

In doing so, he unleashed the power of brothers-and-sisters-in-arms — from sheriff’s officers to local police  and beyond — as well as social media.

With his wife, Tracy, Lindsay created the Facebook group Women Voters Against Reelection of Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan — not the only reason for yesterday’s outcome in the executive race but certainly one of the most significant.

The page became a hearth, a town center of sorts, for not just sheriff’s officers but for loved ones and friends throughout the county to share thoughts and experiences, to buck one another up — to bitch, for sure — but, most importantly, to plan boots-on-the-ground tactics and strategies that took it beyond the average Facebook page.

Some of Lindsay’s brothers-in-arms at Tedesco HQ
(COURTESY: Marcelo Hagopian)

Supporters united, attended events, posted signs, made calls, sent emails and devoted countless hours spreading their “Dump Donovan” message and mobilizing voters any way they could.

It wasn’t only about what people disliked — or, to be honest, despised — about the Republican incumbent, who’d been at odds with Lindsay’s boss, Republican Sheriff Michael Saudino, almost from the day she first took office.

It wasn’t only about the repeated insults the sheriff and his officers said they endured through Donovan’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge them as genuine police, or an ill-advised move by her security detail to prevent opponents from wearing “Team Tedesco” shirts in the county administration building in the days leading up to yesterday’s election — an edict which a federal judge in Newark last week immediately ordered her to stop.

More than that, Women Voters Against Reelection of Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan extolled the virtues of its candidate (top, far right), a Democrat Bergen County freeholder who is a 38-year firefighting veteran and the deputy OEM director in Paramus,

Tonight, hours after the fanfare and hoopla had subsided, Lindsay gathered his thoughts and feelings and composed a letter to the vanquished Donovan (SEE BELOW).

Jerry DeMarco
Publisher/Editor

*      *      *      *      *      *

Kathe,

Four years ago you were catapulted to the top of county government. It was almost immediately that you decided attacking, maligning and demeaning my career was the direction your administration would take.

Many of my brothers and sisters were angry. I was disappointed.

In the beginning, I made excuses for you. I tried to minimize the hate that you spewed. I did this because of our relationship. I did this because I didn’t believe it could ‘actually’ be you that harbored these feelings.

Yet, your hate filled, anti-BCSO rhetoric continued.

The tipping point for me came when you attended Aunt Libbie’s 100th birthday party. It was made clear to you that the ‘County Executive’ was not invited.
Rather, Kathe, friend of the family, was asked to attend alone.

But we were too late. Your ego had already ballooned astronomically.

You arrived with an armed security detail!

This was a family party for a friend. A friend that you’ve known for half a century! But my family had to celebrate with an armed guard standing in the corner of the room. How disrespectful.

Later in the party, you made a point to seek me out, and, in front of my small children, wife, and mother, once again inform my family that I was not a law enforcement officer. You played semantics (you’re not the only wordsmith, ya know).

It was at that moment that I made a promise to myself that you, Kathleen Donovan, WILL NEVER BE REELECTED.

I planned, organized and amassed a small group of very talented, motivated and loyal friends. We brainstormed and came up with some ideas about how to best destroy you.

Social media came to the forefront and on July 23rd the FB group, WOMEN AGAINST THE REELECTION OF BERGEN COUNTY EXECUTIVE KATHLEEN DONOVAN was born.

Two and a half month’s later, 7,000 people were standing with me.

103 days after the formation of MY group, you were defeated in your bid for reelection.

Not just defeated. Blown out. Destroyed. 17,000 votes.

You lost by 17,000 votes.

Let’s dissect that.

7,000 people were in my group. Almost all of the people that I had in the group are [R]epublican. They may not pay attention to politics, but when asked, they say they vote [R]epublican all the way, all the time.

I also made a concerted effort to get volunteers to help in the canvassing, signing and calling phases of the Tedesco campaign.

When you look at the polling numbers, my FB group numbers and amount of people who I coordinated to help with the other aspects of Team Tedesco, it’s clear that I beat you. I made you lose. I sent you into retirement. I got rid of you.

And… You know it.

Sincerely,
Timothy Lindsay, Sergeant
Bergen County Sheriff’s Office

HOW YOU CAN HELP: Protect children, advance victims’ rights and give homeless and neglected kids reason to hope by attending this weekend’s Joan’s Joy Dinner & Dance Party.

The Saturday night event features appetizers, a buffet dinner, cake & beverages (wine, beer and soda). Bella Campania is donating food and Inserra ShopRite the soda and centerpieces.

Joan D’Alessandro white butterfly monument Hillsdale

A short documentary will also be shown on the creation of a white butterfly garden at the Hillsdale train station in the name of Joan D’Alessandro, a 7-year-old Brownie Scout who was murdered by a neighbor on April 19th (Holy Thursday), 1973.

Proceeds will go towards the lighting system, bulb plantings and maintenance of the White Butterfly Sculpture and Garden, which represents child safety awareness.

Funds also will go to at-risk youth at the Holley Center in Hackensack and the YAP program in Park Ridge.

A “White Butterfly” song and another written specifically for Joan will both be played. Speakers inclued a retired Parole Board chairperson and the author of a book on child safety.

There will also be a silent auction, raffles, door prizes and more.

Rosemarie D’Alessandro established the foundation in memory of her daughter and was the driving force behind the sculpture and garden.

“Her life and death inspired a movement to keep her killer in prison and spurred four law changes,” D’Alessandro once told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “Joan’s legacy is more alive today than it ever was.

“It is a force for good in today’s society.”

Joan D’Alessandro

WHEN: 6 – 10 p.m. THIS SATURDAY 
WHERE: Elks Lodge, 523 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood
DONATION: $65/adults; $30 children
CONTACT: Rosemarie D’Alessandro at (201) 664-9140 or rosebd@email.com

IF YOU CAN’T COME BUT WANT TO CONTRIBUTE, MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:
The Joan Angela D’Alessandro Memorial Foundation, Inc. 45 Florence St., Hillsdale, NJ 07642

Joseph McGowan, a former high school science teacher, was convicted of raping and murdering Joan D’Alessandro before dumping her body in Harriman State Park, where it was found on Easter.

McGowan lived three houses down in their Hillsdale neighborhood, and the youngster had come to his door looking to sell her last two boxes of cookies.

Her murder prompted the passage of Joan’s Law, signed by Gov. Christie Whitman in 1997 and by President Clinton in 1998. It mandates life in prison for the killing of children under 14 during a sex crime.

Because it was adopted after McGowan was sentenced, the law doesn’t apply to him. But he remains in prison for his crimes, having repeatedly been denied parole.

Meanwhile, Rosemarie D’Alessandro has made helping other parents and abused children her life’s mission.

“Inside I knew great things were going to come out of Joan’s life because of the special energy she had, and has, and the fact that she was found on Easter Sunday,” D’Alessandro told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.

Helping others, she said, “is why I was put on this earth.”