
2023 CIVIC LEADERSHIP AWARD RECEPTION
The Community Planning & Advocacy Council (C.P.A.C.) Civic Leadership Awards Reception will be taking place on Monday, October 16th from 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM at the DoubleTree by Hilton Cherry Hill/Philadelphia 2349 Marlton Pike W Cherry Hill, NJ, 08002.
Tickets, sponsorships, program advertisement and donation information can be found below!

C.P.A.C.’s All-Star Team and cast of leaders and organizations: Norcross, Stagliano, Candelario, Cappelli, Pugh-Bassett, Nash, Boyd, Grayson-Baltimore, Watkins, Wagner, CAMcare and Camden Education Fund are making their mark fueled by the power of a great cause!
Community Planning and Advocacy Council (C.P.A.C.), A 501©3 non-profit organization headquartered in Pennsauken, NJ whose mission is to advance social, racial, and economic justice, promote successful individuals, strong families, and thriving communities announces the launch of its Civic Leadership Awards Reception honoring some of South Jersey’s most recognized and accomplished leaders and organizations this year for their outstanding leadership in each of the following categories:
Hon. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01)
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Richard Stagliano – President & CEO, Center For Family Services
HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Elsa Candelario – MSSW, LCSW – Professor of Professional Practice & Director of LISTA Rutgers University – School of Social Work
HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Hon. Louis Cappelli, Jr. – Director, Camden County Board of Commissioners
PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
Dr. Lovell Pugh-Bassett – President, Camden County College
EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION AWARD
Carl Boyd – Co-Chair, Camden County Council for Young Children (CCCYC)
VOLUNTEER AWARD
Captain Vivian Coley – Camden County Police Department
THE WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP AWARD
CAMcare Health Corporation – LaCisha “Flossie” Laws, Community Development Manager
EXCELLENCE IN HEALTHCARE AWARD
Pamela Grayson-Baltimore, MSW, LCSW – Founder & CEO, I Dare to Care Association (ID2C)
ADVOCACY AWARD
Krista Nash – Commissioner, New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission
THE GAME CHANGER AWARD
Camden Education Fund – Giana Campbell, Executive Director
THE CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION AWARD
Keyann’a Watkins – Assistant Coordinator of Volunteers, City of Camden – Office of the Mayor
THE RISING STAR YOUTH AWARD
Dajuan "DJ" Wagner Jr. – Camden High School
THE RISING STAR YOUTH AWARD
Our MISSION: The Community Planning & Advocacy Council advances social, racial, and economic justice to promote successful individuals, strong families, and thriving communities.
Our VISION: All individuals and families in greater Camden County live in communities that are strong and compassionate, protect the quality of life of their residents, and promote social, racial, and economic justice.
Advocacy is our middle name.
For more event and sponsorship information, please visit our website here: https://www.cpacsj.org/sponsorships
2023 Passport 2 Adulthood Retreat
Please scan the QR code below to register for the retreat or use the Eventbrite Button below to Register. This Retreat is
guaranteed to be a life changing experience! So come acquire your passport to a successful adulthood!

Hello everyone! On behalf of the Passport 2 Adulthood Retreat Committee, I would like to thank you for taking the first step in registering your young adult for this retreat! The Passport 2 Adulthood is a three day, two-night event being hosted by CPAC in co-sponsorship with Rowan University departments, government agencies, and other nonprofit/grassroot organizations. Our goal is to bring a pool of currently or at risk of homeless youth together to give them inspiration and information to help them transition into productive and successful adults. We want to provoke discussion about the issue of youth entering adulthood unprepared, homeless, and no plan for their future! Our three overarching themes we are following for workshops for the retreat are, Housing Resources Available; Self-Empowerment, Mental Health and Trauma Awareness; Next Steps: Career, College, or Trade School.
Behind the face of every homeless young person is another heartbreaking story – a teenage boy abused by his alcoholic parent, a pregnant girl rejected by her guardian, or a teenager trying to escape gang membership or a life of forced prostitution. In case after case, the main cause of youth homelessness is physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse from parents or guardians. The facts about homelessness are staggering ... but acknowledging the depth of the problem is the first step in fixing it.
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57% of homeless kids spend at least one day every month without food.
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In the United States, as many as 20,000 kids are forced into prostitution by human trafficking networks every year.
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According to a study of youth in shelters, nearly 50% reported intense conflict or physical harm by a family member as a major contributing factor to their homelessness.
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More than 25% of former foster children become homeless within two to four years of leaving the system.
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50% of adolescents aging out of foster care and juvenile justice systems will be homeless within six months because they are unprepared to live independently and have limited education and no social support.
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Almost 40% of the homeless in the United States are under 18.
These statistics alone let us know that a retreat that will offer young adult’s workshops on career training and secondary education, mental health, empowering yourself, and available housing resources is much needed. We know that a retreat alone will not cure youth homelessness, but we hope that by bringing this to our county, we will begin the process of addressing this issue and helping our next generation be our best generation!
2023 Camden County Parent Leadership Awards Breakfast
Join us as we honor our Parent Leaders throughout Camden County at our 2023 Parent Leadership Breakfast for all their work in the community!

February marks National Parent Leadership Month. In Camden County, we celebrated our parent leaders at the Annual Camden County Parent Leadership Breakfast. The Camden County Board of Commissioners in partnership with the Community Planning and Advocacy Council (C.P.A.C.) cosponsor this important Covenant for Children, Youth and Families event. Together, we acknowledge the parent leaders who work tirelessly so that children can live in strong families and safe communities.
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This year’s Parent Leadership Breakfast takes place at the Double Tree by Hilton in Cherry Hill, NJ on Saturday, Feb. 4. Participants will receive breakfast, a Parent Leadership Certificate, and an award, as well as the recognition they so greatly deserve.
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Included in the program will be presentations of the 2023 Covenant and Parent Champion Awards to individuals who exemplify the vision of the Covenant for Children, Youth and Families through one or more of the following: personal growth as a parent, participating in the success of others as parent leaders, mutual support, shared leadership, and/or made significant contributions at the local, state, or national level.
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These awardees demonstrate a commitment to self-help and the belief that parents are experts in their own lives.
We are accepting nominations for the Covenant and Parent Champion Awards until January 14, 2023. To nominate a parent or covenant community leader, OR to register for the breakfast, use either or both of the links below.
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For more information, contact Karen Scott, Project Specialist, Community Planning & Advocacy Council by emailing KScott@cpacsj.org.
2022 L.E.A.D. FORUM
The Community Planning & Advocacy Council presents its 2022 Leadership Education Advocacy & Development Forum! It will be hosted at the DoubleTree by Hilton Cherry Hill Philadelphia on December 14th between 8:30 am and 2:00 pm. Please scan the QR code or visit bit.ly/LEADFORUM2022 to register to attend! The workshops are open to EVERYONE, youth, parents, caregivers, and providers!

Thank You to all of our supporters and sponsors!

Nominations are being accepted for the 2023 C.P.A.C.
Civic Leadership Awards – Cast Your Votes Now
Community Planning and Advocacy Council hit the ground running with its Inaugural Civic Leadership Awards Reception earlier this week with its sold-out crowd of business leaders, elected officials, and community leaders who came out in droves to support C.P.A.C. and its 2022 Civic leadership award Recipients who are touted as some of South Jersey’s most influential business leaders:
Dr. Ali Houshmand, Rowan University; Robert Curley, TD Bank; Linda Rohrer, William G. Rohrer Charitable Foundation; Jason Wolf, Wolf Commercial Real Estate; The Michaels Organization; David Mayer, Mayor of Gloucester Township; Nikitas Moustakas, Esq., Moustakas Nelson LLC , Nyeema Watson, Ph.D., Rutgers University - Camden; Dr. Anthony DiFabio, Acenda Integrated Health; Kathy Devine, DrNP, NEA-VC, Cooper University Health Care; Carmen Rodriguez, Camden County, Former Commissioner; Dana Redd, Rowan University/Rutgers-Camden Board of Governors; Gwen DeVera, Camden County Human Relations Commission; Christina " Critt" DeCristofor, Operation Kindness.
“Giving back our time, knowledge, and money; to make our world a better place has never been more important than it is now, as while we care for others. We need to keep the ideals that make our country great, intact and bring back civility across our many diverse communities.”
– Rob Curley, Regional President / Metro Pennsylvania and New Jersey
“The amazing line up of honorees all represent real allegiance to, getting the right resources to the right people at the right time. ."
- Diana Cooper-Vanderlip - President/CEO C.P.A.C.
“We took a chance taking into consideration an uncertain social and financial climate, we started small and kept our expectations low, our noses to the grindstone, and our hopes high. As a result, I can proudly say that we have been blown away by the amount of support that the community has been giving us."
- David Spector, Chairman of the Board - C.P.A.C.
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The Civic Leadership Awards is one part of the organization’s newly launched initiative designed to increase its visibility and funding to help further C.P.A.C.’s mission in greater Camden County and the surrounding areas in South Jersey.
2023 Civic Leadership Award nominations are now being accepted.