Camden East NAACP Names 9 Visionary Award Winners, Date Moved to Nov. 7
AC JosepH Media
LAWNSIDE – Winslow Township councilwoman Evelyn Leverett, Voorhees activist Barbara Barkley and Cherry Hill Police Chief William Monaghan are three of the nine winners of the Camden County East NAACP 2020 Visionary Awards.
The awards will be given during the NAACP branch’s Visionary Awards Gala, which has been moved from Saturday, April 4 to Saturday Nov. 7. At 109 N. Black Horse Pike in Blackwood. This date may be affected by state restrictions because of the coronavirus.
Along with Leverett, Barkley and Monaghan, other winners include Michael Wright, Rev. Phyllis Martin, Dolores Streater Logan-El, Eric Holmes and Dr. Juanita “Kim” Huggins. Atlantic City activist Steven Young will be awarded the Paul Harris Sr. Freedom Fighter Award.
The following are condensed bios on all the winners. FRNJ does not have bio information on Monaghan.
*Barbara Barkley, businesswoman and community activist in Voorhees: Known as the “Queen of Moms,” she has been married to her Ronald Barkley for 43 years and have five children. A former teacher in Philadelphia public schools, the couple started Tender Touch Catering. She served as vice president of the African American Culture Society, created scholarships and programs for the young people in the school district, launched To Be a Lady youth female empowerment organization and served as a member of the Voorhees Diversity Foundation. She worked as member of National Action Network, the NAACP, and the Voorhees Democratic Committee. She received numerous honors, including the Civic Service Recognition Award, the Philippine American Federation Honoree, the MLK Freedom Medal, and the Red Cross Outstanding Volunteer Award. She served on the executive board of the Greater South Jersey Cheyney University Alumni Chapter and chairs the membership committee.
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*Eric Holmes, the Worshipful Master of the Hiram Lodge No. 5 in Lawnside: An active member of the Camden County East NAACP, Holmes, has been active in many community activities, including Lawnside Day Parade, worked closed with NAACP Youth, New Jersey Youth Corps, National Night Out, Voters Registrations, donated 100 book bags stuffed with school supplies to Lawnside Back to School Bonanza, Founders Day Gala (Benson Multicultural Museum), Breast Cancer Walk, fed 66 families for Thanksgiving, donated hundreds of toys to families at the lodge for Christmas, donated toys to Cherry Hill DYFS, donated toys to Caring Counseling for the holidays, donated monies to Wonderful World of Autism, donated clothing for Lawnside’s Men and Women Clothing drive at the Lawnside School. A member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, he serves as the Vice Polemarch of the Burlington-Camden Alumni Chapter.
Dr. Juanita “Kim” Huggins, a physician and volunteer for Virtua: Huggins earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Glassboro State College, currently Rowan University. She graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1992 and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Graduate Health Systems. She is board certified by the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Huggins was the recipient of the American Association of Gynecology Laparoscopy’s Excellence in Endoscopic Procedures award. She was honored for her outstanding community service by the NPCBW of Cumberland County, and received the coveted Virtua Superstar Award for outstanding patient care in 2010 and South Jersey Magazine’s Top Physician Award in 2013. She received South Jersey Magazines Top Doc Award in 2018.
*Evelyn M. Leverett, Winslow Township Ward 2 Representative: Leverett was first elected in 2011. Her responsibilities include the review and adoption of all Township Ordinances and Resolutions and the implementation of actions to protect the public safety and the environment. She is the director of Assessing and Senior Citizens; serves on the Administrative Sub-Committee; Economic Development Committee; Shared Services Committee and The Green Team. She is the former executive director, of Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity, and has had a long and distinguished career in both the corporate and nonprofit field. She was a regional and branch manager of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corp. for over 15 years; a training executive for Rogen International, the Global Management Training and Consulting Group. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Lillian & Lillian Foundation, and the newly formed Camden County Cultural Awareness Commission. She has been married for 40 years to her husband Donald and has two adult sons.
*Dolores Streater Logan-El, chair for Lawnside Kwanzaa Celebration: Logan-El has led the Kwanzaa celebration for 26 years. Born in Camden, and owns a degree in law and justice from Rowan University.
*Rev. Phyllis Allener Martin, associate minister at the historical Kaighn Avenue Baptist Church in Camden: A distinguished scholar, Martin is a published author who received her Masters of Divinty degree from Eastern University, Palmer Theological Seminary. She also graduated with honors from Rutgers University, School of Social Work where she earned a Masters. Martin obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Saint Augustine College of North Carolina Magnum cumlati. Martin is a co-author of “Marginalized, Maligned & Miraculous Women in Scripture.” Recently, Martin was featured as a lecturer at Rowan University where she discussed her research and her social work mission of community service. For more than 39 years, Martin has leveraged her education and training in the field of Social Work to enhance the lives of the most vulnerable and at-risk populations in Passaic and Camden Counties. She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
*Michael K. Wright, the owner and founder of Court Technology & Video, LLC: Incorporated in 2014, CTV provides a wide spectrum of technical litigation support services to the legal community including video depositions, multi-media depositions, electronic courtroom presentation of trial exhibits and forensic evidence video. Michael carries the distinguished designation of Certified Deposition Video Specialist by The American Guild of Court Videographers since 2007. Prior to founding CTV, Michael spent 25 years as a Senior Litigation Paralegal for two major firms in Philadelphia. His impeccable skill set as a fierce and highly competitive paralegal made him an invaluable member of his firm’s trial team while securing multi-million dollar verdicts for his clients who suffered catastrophic injuries in the area of medical malpractice.
*Paul C. Harris Sr. President’s Freedom Fighter Award Winner – Steven L. Young, Ranch Hope-Shelter of Hope as a House Parent for housing at risk youth and homeless youth. An Atlantic City native, Young became a community activist and lead tenants in a standoff for affordable housing for the many poor residents of Atlantic City. He sent time in Ghana, West Africa where he visited villages and slave dungeons. Young previously served as the Atlantic City Branch NAACP chairman of Prison Project and past volunteer aide to Third Ward Councilperson Steven Moore, chairman of Atlantic City Planning Board, founder and president of The Erick Bradley Foundation supporting families and children with Sickle Cell Anemia. He was active as radio host on a radio program titled Stand Up Speak Out with Steven Young. Steven Young’s involvements include: Chairman of Local Organizing Committee for Million More Movement and Atlantic City Housing Authority and Redevelopment Commissioner (served 5-year term). Young is the co-founder of Black Men United Coalition, President of National Action Network South Jersey Chapter, manager of Atlantic City Peacekeepers, and continues to be a community activist.
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