Drizzle Fog/Mist 45°
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One Snack At A Time, Wyckoff Boy Fights Hunger One Snack At A Time, Wyckoff Boy Fights Hunger
One Snack At A Time, Wyckoff Boy Fights Hunger WYCKOFF, N.J. -- A third grader in Wyckoff is on a mission to feed the hungry, one snack at a time. Jake Scoropanos, 9 years old and a student at Lincoln Elementary School, is ready to hit BJs with his parents and begin assembling over 400 "Snack Packs" with the almost $2,400 he raised on a GoFundMe page he launched Jan. 14. "I’m surprised seeing how much money I keep raising," said Jake, who said he will keep at this even after he surpasses his goal of $2,500. "Even people that don't know me donated. I was shocked." A school lesson about community service go…

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by Cindy Capitani
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Suffern Great-Grandmother Featured On Smucker's Jar For 100th Birthday Suffern Great-Grandmother Featured On Smucker's Jar For 100th Birthday
Suffern Great-Grandmother Featured On Smucker's Jar For 100th Birthday Former Poughkeepsie resident Sylvia Becher, who now lives in Suffern, got a sweet surprise for her 100th birthday. The great-grandmother, born Jan. 10, 1917, was pictured on a Smucker's jar. It started as a joke five years ago, said grandson Mark Goldstein of Demarest, who recently opened a wellness center at Retro Fitness Hackensack. "We said, 'Come on, Grandma! We want to see you on a jar," Goldstein said. "'We've got this!'" With help from  a family friend at NBC, the joke became a reality for the family. Becher, who was born in Russia, has two daughters, four gran…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Dumont Church Raises Funds For Little Boy With Eye Cancer Dumont Church Raises Funds For Little Boy With Eye Cancer
Dumont Church Raises Funds For Little Boy With Eye Cancer DUMONT, N.J. — The Cavalry Methodist Church in Dumont will be holding a Tricky Tray auction for a 5-year-old with eye cancer. "Lil' Ryu," from Little Ferry, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma in 2015, which metastasized to his brain.  The youngster spent Christmas and his birthday in the hospital this year, though the efforts of local moms and Girl Scouts helped lift his spirits. RELATED: Allendale Duo Restores Confidence In Cancer Patients SEE ATTACHMENT BELOW FOR MORE.

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by Cecilia Levine
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Bergen Quadriplegic Stands Strong 17 Years After Freak Accident Bergen Quadriplegic Stands Strong 17 Years After Freak Accident
Bergen Quadriplegic Stands Strong 17 Years After Freak Accident BERGENFIELD, N.J. — Lauren LaPorta of Bergenfield isn't even on the treadmill and she's already shaking.  The 28-year-old had just hoisted herself out of her motorized wheelchair and — ever so slowly — climbed the stairs up to the second level of Retro Fitness Hackensack. All that was left for her to do was step onto the machine. "I don't know what's wrong with me today," said LaPorta, several minutes into her second failed attempt at stepping onto the belt. Her legs are quivering. Her back is hunched. She doesn't know if she's going to make it onto the treadmill this time. REL…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Rockland Nonprofits Mark MLK Jr. Day Through Acts of Service Rockland Nonprofits Mark MLK Jr. Day Through Acts of Service
Rockland Nonprofits Mark MLK Jr. Day Through Acts of Service More than 380 volunteers turned out on Saturday and Sunday to take part in the 7th annual Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service hosted and organized by Volunteer New York! The MLK Day of Service, which is organized nationally by the Corporation for National & Community Service, is a day meant to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, create solutions to social problems, and move all closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community. “For the 7th year, I’m thrilled that so many families and individuals chose to come together, inspired by a message of hope…

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by K Reakes
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Hi Tor's Harry The Hairy Hound Was Lost, Found And Needs A Home Hi Tor's Harry The Hairy Hound Was Lost, Found And Needs A Home
Hi Tor's Harry The Hairy Hound Was Lost, Found And Needs A Home A dog left on the front doorstep at Hi Tor Animal Care Center in Pomona is, well, a new dog, thanks to a clean-shaven appearance he received from his caregivers. The 2-year-old, a Havanese mix, Harry, was found looking "disheveled" and "matted" by volunteers of Paws Crossed animal rescue organization in Elmsford. They had gone to the Pomona shelter to deliver blankets. Harry was still in his carrier when found, said Jennifer Angelucci, Paws Crossed President/CEO. “Paws Crossed has a wonderful relationship with Hi Tor and we assist each other in our shared goals. We had …

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by Donna Christopher
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11 Rockland Organizations Off To Israel for 'Innovation Education' 11 Rockland Organizations Off To Israel for 'Innovation Education'
11 Rockland Organizations Off To Israel for 'Innovation Education' ROCKLAND COUNTY, N.Y. --  Members from 11 Rockland Jewish agencies will travel to Tel Aviv, Israel from Feb. 5 to 9 to attend a seminar on innovative thinking. Made possible by the Lily Steuer Fund of the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Rockland County, the seminar, “Challenge, Innovation, and Renaissance,” will be led by Systematic Inventive Thinking (SIT), an Israeli firm that helps companies and organizations succeed by achieving self-sustaining innovation.  Gary Siepser, CEO of the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Rockland County, says the seminar will teach the Jewish organi…

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by K Reakes
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Rockland Widow Starts GoFundMe After Husband's Untimely Death Rockland Widow Starts GoFundMe After Husband's Untimely Death
Rockland Widow Starts GoFundMe After Husband's Untimely Death GARNERVILLE, N.Y. -- A Garnerville woman is facing eviction after the sudden death of her husband and has started a GoFundMe page to help with her situation. Lorraine Smash, who grew up in Westchester's Sleepy Hollow, said she's been forced to reach out to strangers because of a painful and difficult situation.  "This is something I never would have believed I’d have to do," she writes. "I've had to swallow my pride while I still have a roof over my head." Smash's husband of 33 years became ill in early September 2016 and, after four days in the hospital, died unexpected…

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by Jeanne Muchnick
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Can't Get To The Dentist? Spring Valley Native Will Come To You Can't Get To The Dentist? Spring Valley Native Will Come To You
Can't Get To The Dentist? Spring Valley Native Will Come To You GLEN ROCK, N.J. -- David Schoenberg of Glen Rock has a history of helping locals smile.Which is why he strives to improve access to dental care to everyone, whether they're elderly and frail, disabled, bedridden or otherwise. For nearly 30 years, this Spring Valley native has personally taken several days a year -- including Christmas Day -- to provide free dental work to homebound people without the funds to pay for it. "Tooth extractions and restorations are not typically found on people's wish lists at Christmas," the dentist told Daily Voice. "But for some, having a dent…

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by Rachel Martin
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Yogi Empowers Suffern Teens To Build Inner Strength Yogi Empowers Suffern Teens To Build Inner Strength
Yogi Empowers Suffern Teens To Build Inner Strength RAMSEY, N.J. – Shari Germershausen knows her purpose. “I really feel so strongly about building inner strength,” Germershausen said, sitting on her mat in her sunny second-floor yoga studio in downtown Ramsey. After going through a divorce, Germershausen rediscovered her inner strength and followed her heart. The mother of two young daughters left a high-salary public relations job in New York City that didn’t make her happy, emptied her 401K, and poured the money into opening Zen Family Yoga in her hometown. She said she told herself, “I believe in this so much, and I am not going to let…

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by Lauren Kidd Ferguson
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Montebello Eagle Scout Now Student At Cornell Honored By County Executive Montebello Eagle Scout Now Student At Cornell Honored By County Executive
Montebello Eagle Scout Now Student At Cornell Honored By County Executive Gabriel Lartigue of Montebello was honored by Rockland County Executive Ed Day at his Eagle Scout Court of Honor Sunday, held Jan. 8 at St. Augustine’s Parish in New City. Gabriel graduated from Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J., and now attends Cornell University. For his community service project, Gabriel refurbished the kitchen at the Nyack American Legion hall. His work included rebuilding cabinets and table and other equipment. “He has set a wonderful example for everyone in the community to follow,” Day said. 

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by Daily Voice
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New City's Anastasia Tasia Karassik To Head Rockland's MADD Chapter New City's Anastasia Tasia Karassik To Head Rockland's MADD Chapter
New City's Anastasia Tasia Karassik To Head Rockland's MADD Chapter ROCKLAND COUNTY, N.Y. – The new year will bring an immediate change at the Rockland County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). On New Year’s Day, Anastasia Tasia Karassik will take over as head of the local chapter, which works across Rockland to end to drunken driving, according to the office of County Executive Ed Day. “Anastasia and her family suffered the most heartbreaking loss imaginable when their 13-year-old daughter, Larisa, was killed by a drunk driver on Memorial Day weekend 2015," said Day in a statement congratulating Karassik. "The Karassik family and th…

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by James O'Rourke