Cherry Hill residents Asim K. Shafi, Kim Loring, Father Emmanuel Pratsinakis, Deborah L. Samuels, Lambert Santos and Jean Sedar are among the 16 Camden County residents chosen to receive the 2011 Camden County Freedom Medal, honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., for their unselfish contributions to improving their community. The awards ceremony will be held on Monday, Jan. 19.
“This award was created in 2001 to honor those who live by ideals indicative of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. “These extraordinary Camden County citizens work tirelessly to better their community and they deserve to be recognized.”
Cappelli said the medals would be presented during an evening ceremony at the Camden County Boathouse, located at 7050 North Park Drive in Pennsauken. A reception at 5:30 p.m. will be followed by dinner at 6 p.m. For tickets, which cost $25, or for more information, call 216–8217.
Freeholder Riletta Cream explained that the honorees are selected by an independent, 10-member committee. Each nomination, which includes a 300-word essay in support of the nominee’s accomplishments, is reviewed by the committee. Dr. Mark Doorley, director of the ethics program at Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, chairs the committee.
Kim Loring
Year after year, Loring has gotten herself and students involved in many causes. For the last several years during the Christmas holiday, she gathered the staff and students to raise thousands of dollars, alongside clothes and toys for underprivileged families in the community. She is the adviser to the Renaissance Club and collaborated with other clubs in Highland High School to raise supplies for the troops, in addition to raising money for cancer research and those who have suffered natural disasters. She also uses her resources and students to provide for other organizations in the community. Despite being nominated Teacher of the Year in 2008–2009, she still remains humble and does not allow the weight of the recognition to deter her from the work she does in the community.
Father Emmanuel Pratsinakis
Father Pratsinakis is a community activist and a leader whose dedication to the Township of Cherry Hill has helped enable it to prosper and offer the best to its residents. His participation in the Cherry Hill Religious Leaders Coalition helps bring together the broad spectrum of faith communities in the township. As a leadership figure, Father Pratsinakis has been a good friend to the township for years. He is present at numerous functions and when necessary he keeps elected officials apprised of issues facing his congregation as well as the Greek community as a whole. Father Pratsinakis also plays a critical role in building bonds with the children in Cherry Hill’s Greek community.
Deborah L. Samuels
Samuels is a citizen who believes in the core principal of giving all you can and a little more without obtaining personal gain. Her most notable achievement was her role in the “Miracle on Clayton Avenue.” She was integral in helping 400 needy families in Camden County get food, care, and toys they would not normally have access to. As a senior in high school, Ms. Samuels joined the Homestead Youth Association, which brings activities to the communities of Pennsauken, Cherry Hill and Merchantville. She has been the chairwoman on the board of directors for more than 15 years.
Lambert Santos
Santos is a community leader who has made the lives of those who have come in contact with him better. In 1974, he founded the Kayumanggi Association Society of Philadelphia which he organized to help enable senior citizens to become independent. Mr. Santos has been a tremendous help to the Filipino community his whole life. During the 1970s, when Filipinos came to America with no place to stay and no job, he was there for them. He assisted them in finding employment, housing, and food while they were starting their new life here in America.
Jean Sedar
The Camden County Cultural & Heritage Commission was called upon in 1986 by Samaritan Hospice to provide musical performances for a few of the hospice’s critically-ill patients. Out of the one request an idea quickly developed which ultimately became “Musical Interludes.” The Cultural & Heritage Commission then reached out to musicians within the community. One of the first to respond was concert violinist Ms. Jean Sedar. Since the onset of this project, Ms. Sedar has been very influential, assisting with the design and scope of “Musical Interludes,” the outreach to other musicians and even offering other facilities this same service. It has grown to include all those living in their “golden years,” not just critically-ill patients, and this is all on a volunteer basis.
Asim K. Shafi
Shafi is an active, vibrant, and exemplary devoted member of the community. He selflessly and extraordinarily contributes his time and efforts for the promotion of diversity. He strives to foster friendship and brotherhood throughout the community to fulfill the dream of the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Shafi is a frequent participant in the food and clothing drive for the homeless in Camden County organized by the Pakistani-American Society of South Jersey. He contributes his time and effort to bringing relief to the needy in Camden County by providing love, compassion, and humanitarian support.
