Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden Justice for ALL Awards Dinner April 24

The 2008 awards for leadership, parish/community ministry, social ministry and social justice will be presented at the fifth annual Justice for ALL Awards Dinner and ceremony on Thursday, April 24, 2008, from 5:30-9:30 PM at the Adelphia Grand Ballroom located at 1750 Clements Road in Deptford, NJ, a location central to all six southern counties served by Catholic Charities.

The Justice for ALL 2008 awardees are:

Jim Murray, of Rosemont, PA, is awarded the Bishop DiMarzio Award for Leadership. Murray enjoyed a 14-year career with the Eagles, the last nine as the team’s General Manager. He made league history in 1974 when he became the youngest GM in NFL history. Murray’s leadership propelled the Eagles to the playoffs for four consecutive, even leading the team to Super Bowl XV.

During his 14 years with the Eagles, Murray assumed leadership roles in a number of community projects. He helped start the very successful Eagles Fly for Leukemia campaign. He was a founder of the first Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia and helped persuade many of his peers in the NFL to become involved in the unique Ronald McDonald House concept. The Ronald McDonald Houses provide temporary homes, at little or no cost, for the families of children undergoing treatment for various illnesses at nearby hospitals. He is also president of Jim Murray Ltd., a sports promotion and marketing firm.

A graduate of West Catholic High School and Villanova University, Murray’s numerous honors and awards include the first annual Leonard Tose Award, Citizen of the Year Award from the American Medical Association, and the Distinguished Service Award from the American Legion. In addition, he was inducted into the Philadelphia City All-Star Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, and received the President Ronald Reagan’s Medal for Volunteers of America, the prestigious Bert Bell Man of the Year Award from the Bakers Club of Philadelphia, the Award for Outstanding Catholic Leadership from the Catholic Leadership Institute and the Benjamin Rush Humanitarian Award by the Philadelphia County Medical Society.

Camden Churches Organized for People (CCOP) is receiving the Monsignor Michael Doyle and Monsignor Robert McDermott Award for Parish Social Ministry. CCOP is an active and prophetic presence in the city of Camden since 1985. The Courier-Post recognized CCOP as “the largest and most effective community organization in the city.” It is a covenant among congregations to work together through collective action in addressing the many problems facing families and congregations in the city. The goal of this covenant between churches is to strengthen relationships in each congregation, and between congregations throughout the community. As congregations identify common concerns, through the process of community organization, they can address them by putting values into action -not just on Sunday, but seven days a week.

Project ONE is honored with the Peter J. O’Connor Award for Social Justice. Project ONE provides volunteer opportunities for people of faith 18 years and older. These volunteers actively participate in the recovery process of the Gulf Region. They have demonstrated their faith in action, by working in solidarity with those most affected by the devastation wrought in August of 2005 by Hurricane Katrina. It is an opportunity for individuals to demonstrate their belief that “we are one: one people, one community and one human family.” Through Project ONE, more than 580 parishioners will have traveled to the Gulf Region to participate in the recovery and clean-up efforts for five days, including three eight hour days of work and two travel days with time for touring on day one to get a sense of the devastation. Accommodations are modest, the work is grueling and the experience is extremely powerful.

Domenic Vallone of Collingswood, NJ, is honored with the Sister Grace Nolan Award for Social Ministry. A graduate of St. Joseph’s Preparatory School and St. Joseph’s University, at age 22, Vallone attended a Eucharistic Congress held in Philadelphia as part of America’s bicentennial celebration. Mother Teresa spoke at the event, and he and the friends who attended with him were so inspired by her words, they resolved to do something to help the poor on the streets of Camden. They scraped together $146 and began a volunteer program serving soup and sandwiches to those in need.

Thirty years later, this simple ministry has become the largest emergency meal program in Camden. Now operating as the Cathedral Kitchen, over 7,500 meals are served to the poor each month. Vallone still serves as a member of the Cathedral Kitchen Board of Directors and has worked tirelessly to keep its mission alive. Last year, he witnessed the ground-breaking for a new facility to house Cathedral Kitchen-its first permanent home. At the new location which is expected to open later this year, services to the poor will be expanded to include job training, medical care and other programs designed to increase the self-sufficiency of the Kitchen’s dinner guests.

The prestigious social and community awards were created in 2004 to recognize the achievements of those who have actively and diligently pursued social justice throughout the six counties of the Camden Diocese which stretch from Cape May to Camden, Atlantic City to the Delaware Memorial Bridge and all of the many communities in between.

As mentioned, all proceeds from this event will be used to provide direct assistance to individuals and families of all faiths who are in need throughout the six southern counties that the diocese services.  From the 2007 Justice for ALL Awards Dinner proceeds, Catholic Charities raised more than $117,000 which, in turn, allows the agency to provide direct client services to more than 1,500 families and individuals. This money is being used to end crises and to prevent eviction, utility disconnection (electric, gas and oil), and to provide food and prescription needs and create stabilization within families.

Photographs of the honorees are available at: www.CatholicCharitiesCamden.org or for more information, contact Heather Oliver at 856-583-6161.