Letter to the Editor: Avia Embodies Self-Sacrifice, Compassion

Dear Editor,

We are writing to you on behalf of Eileen Avia, candidate for Wyckoff Township Committee in the upcoming election. We feel strongly compelled to write this letter in order to articulate the many real-world, smart and just reasons why Eileen perfectly embodies what is so immediately needed in our township, and moreover the world, today.

Eileen is a career educator who has put two incredible sons, Jeff and Mark, through college and medical school by herself as a single mom for decades. She is the absolute epitome of self-sacrifice and compassion, but those redemptive character traits are coupled with a tenacity and focus on fastidious attention to detail and a smart fiscal approach to balancing life, its many needs and the budgets required to accomplish such feats.

She understands that it is not always a “checkbook mentality” that solves issues for many of us, but rather a straight-forward and clear cut effort to volunteer, get involved and participate at meaningful levels in order to accomplish goals both large and small. A perfect example of that comes to my mind when one of her students, a 6th grader at Eisenhower School in Wyckoff, was left without a place to live due to her family losing their home to foreclosure. She did not simply write a check or offer her support, Eileen stepped up and took this young girl into her home while she helped this family find a new home to live in. This act of caring, compassion and generosity enabled them to get back on track and avoid an even more devastating trauma for a family in need. I cannot think of a better example of leadership and selflessness than this. It is quite simply, what set Eileen Avia apart from most people in this world, and that is a genuine “put-your-money and efforts-where-your-mouth-is” approach to life and people.

As a member of the Township Committee, Eileen has a definite purpose to limit tax increases, to diversify the committee, councils and boards within the township to continue to promote fair and balanced representation of all of our town’s residents and transparency to the process of governing the township. She is the right candidate at the right time, and we encourage fellow parents, teachers, volunteer workers, municipal employees and fellow residents to join us in supporting Eileen in her campaign and tangible effort to positively impact the lives of the friends and neighbors she cares so passionately about here in Wyckoff. Thank you for the opportunity to voice and publicly pledge our personal support.

Respectfully,
Sandy and Mary Cerami,
Wyckoff