Archdiocese Honors Leaders, Raises $312K at Business & Labor Reception

CEDAR GROVE, N.J. – The Archdiocese of Newark’s Office for Youth & Young Adult Ministry raised $312,000 while honoring two outstanding leaders at its 30th Annual Business & Labor Recognition Reception on March 7 at The Grove in Cedar Grove.

More than 400 people gathered to celebrate Joseph S. Colalillo, chairman of the board and CEO of Wakefern Food Corp. and president of ShopRite of Hunterdon County, and Sam Ferraino, Jr., president of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 360, who each received an award commemorating their success in the business and labor fields. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, also took the stage, paying tribute to the honorees and praising the generosity of donors in attendance.

“I am grateful to Mr. Joseph S. Colalillo and Mr. Sam Ferraino as the honorees for the Business and Labor Reception this year,” Cardinal Tobin said. “They are fine representatives who embody what is best in their fields of work, and they also represent what is best in their family lives as well as their communities. We are fortunate to have them here this evening.”

All monies raised through the reception will fund the Office for Youth & Young Adult Ministry’s Saint John Paul II Youth Retreat Center in Kearny, which Cardinal Tobin described as “a beautiful jewel of the Archdiocese.” The center — a recipient of more than $5 million collected through the Business and Labor Recognition Reception since 1994 — hosts numerous programs serving more than 35,000 young people of every race, religion, and ethnic background annually. These initiatives include Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) Athletics, Confirmation retreats, leadership training, and much more.

“We are joyful and so grateful for this successful reception,” said Tom Conboy, director of the Office for Youth & Young Adult Ministry. “On behalf of all the youth and young adults throughout our Archdiocese, we thank… Cardinal Joseph Tobin and all the members of the business and labor communities for your ongoing commitment, dedication, and contributions to the youth and young adults of our diocese.”

For more information on the Archdiocese of Newark’s Office for Youth & Young Adult Ministry, visit www.newarkoym.com.