Mayor’s column: Voorhees Citizen of the Year
On Jan. 17, I was privileged to be part of the fourth annual Voorhees Breakfast Rotary Club Community Awards Dinner. Leta Strain was honored as the 2012 Voorhees Citizen of the Year, Dr. Joseph Perno was honored as the Voorhees Business Person of the Year and Heidi Cullen was honored as the 2012 Voorhees First Responder of the Year.
For the past 25 years, Strain and her family have lived in Voorhees. She has been the Enrichment Specialist at Osage Elementary School for 15 years and has also led the award-winning drama club at Voorhees Middle School. In 1992, she established the first Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) in the South Jersey region and helped establish and implement the first bandana sale for the Alicia Rose Victorious Foundation. She has also helped to plan the first Dishes for Wishes in South Jersey for the Make A Wish Foundation. Leta was a founding member of the CER Arts and Entertainment council, which led to the formation of the Voorhees Theatre Company. Children are candles waiting to be lit. Strain has lit thousands of candles!
Perno has been a Voorhees resident since 1989 and Voorhees is also the home of his family dental practice. Over the years, he has provided free dental care for the public and has participated in the National Fund for Dental Health’s “Donated Dental Service,” which provides free care for the elderly, disabled and medically compromised. He also participates at the “Project Smiles” dental clinic in Camden, which provides free care to the homeless. Perno has been a member of the Voorhees Business Association since 1989 and served as the chairperson from 2001 through 2004. He is a member of the Voorhees School District’s Committee of Key Communicators since 2004 and presently serves on the Voorhees Township Economic Development Committee’s Business Retention Task Force. Joe is living proof that nice guys do not always finish last!
Cullen is a pediatric nurse and clinical staff supervisor in a busy New Jersey practice. She has been the team leader for the Voorhees Domestic Violence Response Team since she completed her training and has helped recruit and train other volunteers. Heidi and her team annually participate in the Women’s Health Conference at Eastern Regional High School, Woofstock and Fire Prevention Night. She is also on call for the Sexual Assault Response Team covering Camden and Gloucester counties.
The Voorhees Breakfast Rotary Club has worked passionately and tirelessly since its inception in 2002 for the betterment of the Voorhees Community. The group has donated thousands of dollars in scholarships to local high school students. They have also donated hundreds of food baskets and countless backpacks filled with school supplies to needy Voorhees families. The club has provided meals for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House and is a fixture at Voorhees community events, particularly the Summer Concert Series and Halloween in the Park. Each year, the club organizes and sponsors our local Egg Hunt.
The Voorhees Breakfast Rotary Club meets every Thursday morning at 7:15 am at Short Hills Restaurant and Deli at 486 Evesham Road in Cherry Hill. For more information about the club, visit www.voorheesbreakfastrotary.org.
On behalf of the residents of Voorhees and the Township Committee, thank you to the Voorhees Breakfast Rotary Club and congratulations to Leta Strain, Joe Perno and Heidi Cullen. All are wonderful ambassadors of Voorhees Township.
