WHEREAS it is the intention of the Mayor and Council of the Township of Cherry Hill to focus attention on noteworthy occasions and individuals; and
WHEREAS tonight, the Filipino American Society of South Jersey hosts its annual Valentine’s Ball at the Crowne Plaza hotel, and will honor several noteworthy men and women for their contributions to our Cherry Hill community; and
WHEREAS among those honorees are the winners of this year’s Love Award, which, since 2008, has honored individuals for their dedicated and selfless community service, regardless of their educational background, professional and personal attainment, political or civic affiliation, religion, or status in life; and
WHEREAS this year’s Love Award recipients are longtime community members Nora and Raymond “Boots” Benitez, for their inspirational example of what it means to serve as family and community leaders, and their countless contributions to making South Jersey a better place to live; and
WHEREAS Raymond and Nora have been very active in the local Filipino community for years, advocating for their concerns and causes, and holding leadership positions within the Filipino American Society; and
WHEREAS individually, Nora is very active in nurses’ issues locally, and Raymond is active with the Rizal Centennial Community, where he was instrumental in helping to erect the Rizal monument at Cherry Hill’s Cooper River Park; and
WHEREAS throughout their time here in South Jersey, Raymond and Nora have selflessly given their time and talent to helping other people and organizations throughout our community, and we are happy to pay tribute to them, as they accept the 2016 FASSJ Love Award.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHUCK CAHN, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the Township of Cherry Hill in the County of Camden, State of New Jersey, do hereby wish to honor and recognize
Nora and Raymond “Boots” Benitez
for their many years of service to Cherry Hill Township, South Jersey, our local Filipino community and the Filipino American Society of South Jersey and do urge all citizens to join with me and Council in thanking them for their continued efforts to help make Cherry Hill a great place to live, work and play.
