Collingswood Resident To Receive County Freedom Medal

COLLINGSWOOD, NJ — A Collingswood resident is among 13 throughout Camden County who will be honored for their unselfish contributions to improving their community at the 2018 Camden County Freedom Medal Ceremony on Jan. 17, officials announced this week.

Gerard “Jerry” Chambers will receive the award, which was created by the county in 2001 to honor civic leaders who demonstrate the ideals and actions that reflect the principles of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

He will receive his award during a ceremony at the Camden County Boathouse at Cooper River, located at 7050 North Park Drive in Pennsauken, 7 p.m. The awards ceremony will be preceded by a dinner at 6 p.m.

“Each year since 2001, the Camden County Freedom Medal has been presented to honor extraordinary Camden County citizens who have generously contributed their time and effort to better their community while espousing the ideals indicative of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. said. “These exemplary citizens have demonstrated significant contributions in the area of community service. They serve as a model to us all.”

Chambers has spent over 50 years in Collingswood giving much of his time to municipal projects, business development, arts, and numerous volunteer efforts. He is currently the Director of the Collingswood Foundation for the Arts and the management arm for the Scottish Rite Auditorium, Grand Ballroom, and Hurley Mansion.

When Collingswood was suffering from blight in the 1990s, Jerry and other business owners joined forces with the local government to help turn Collingswood around. The town now lives up to its tagline “It’s where you want to be.”

Chambers has been the volunteer chairman of the May Fair for 38 years and also sits on the Board of the Collingswood Historic Commission and has been influential in redevelopment projects, smart growth, and the lumberyard development.

"Jerry is not one to sit around and wait," the county said of Chambers. "He is a man with a vision and the fortitude to get things done and his passion for the town is contagious.

Others who will be honored include:

• Walt Baker, Haddonfield;
• Carolyn Bates, Winslow Township;
• Cornelius F. Butler, Lawnside;
• Muqaddas Ejaz, Cherry Hill Township;
• Charles Y. Murphy III, Cherry Hill Township;
• Davon Clark, Pennsauken Township;
• Andre Fooks, Winslow Township;
• Victoria Frasier, Winslow Township;
• James McCulley, Pine Hill;
• Jose Sanchez, Camden;
• Debbie Simone, Gloucester Township; and
• Rick Taylor, Pennsauken Township.

Image via Shutterstock