Cherry Hill Sun

Author: charkinson

  • Township couple honorary co-chairs of Samaritan gala

    Longtime Samaritan supporters and advocates Greg and Traci Button have been named 2025 honorary co-chairs of the organization’s annual Celebration of Life Gala.

    “Greg and Traci truly embody the Samaritan spirit – passionately dedicated to the communities they serve, and exemplary champions for our mission,” said Phillip W. Heath, president and CEO of Samaritan, of the Moorestown couple.

    “They are the perfect individuals for this important role, ensuring that this year’s Celebration of Life event is both impactful and memorable in so many different ways.”

    Each year, Samaritan’s gala marks its own history and also honors individuals and organizations dedicated in their service to Samaritan and the South Jersey area. Its 2025 honorees are:

    • Archer & Greiner, P.C.
    • TD Bank
    • Antonio D. Tillis, Ph.D., chancellor, Rutgers University-Camden

    “The level of support and commitment exhibited by this year’s incredible group of honorees allows Samaritan to continue to expand and grow as an organization, so that we may support individuals exactly when and how they need it most,” Heath noted.

    Samaritan’s Celebration of Life Gala, presented by Holman Enterprises, will be held at champion sponsor Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8. The annual fundraiser will celebate Samaritan’s 45 years of providing an expanding range of care to more than 11,000 patients and families in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties.

    “Let’s come together to celebrate,” said Chris Rollins, chief development officer at Samaritan, of the gala. “Let’s celebrate the work that we do, let’s celebrate the impact that we’re having across the communities that we serve, let’s celebrate the loved ones that we’ve cared for, and that guests and others are remembering and – we know – celebrating as well.”

    The gala will feature food, live music by Masquerade and dancing. To further support fundraising efforts and engagement, Samaritan’s Gala will once again offer a dining raffle for the chance to win 12, $100 restaurant gift certificates valued at a total of $1,200 for $10 per ticket. A virtual auction will feature specialty items for bid. It will open for bidding on Feb. 1.

    Attendance is not required for the raffle and auction. Tickets for both are available at www.samaritanNJ.org/Gala. Proceeds from the evening will support direct care for Samaritan clients.

    Special to The Sun
    Samaritan’s Tree of Life: Season of Light program is dedicated to remembering and honoring lost loved ones during the holiday season.

    Samaritan will hold its annual Tree of Life: Season of Light illumination program at its headquarters in Mount Laurel tomorrow, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. The ceremony is dedicated to remembering and honoring lost loved ones during the holiday season.

    “At Samaritan, we understand that the holiday season can be especially difficult for those grieving a loss or coping with memories of a loved one,” Heath noted. “We are proud to provide a welcoming environment and moving experience where our community can come together to remember, honor and celebrate the lives of our loved ones during this special time of year.”

    “Tree of Life is a chance to gather during the holiday,” Rollins observed, “because it can be such a difficult time to celebrate. And we deliberately use that word celebrate rather than to grieve, because it’s a time to celebrate the memories of our loved ones.”

    All proceeds from the Tree of Life event will benefit Samaritan patients and families.

  • Samaritan Tree of Life

  • Phillip W. Heath Samaritan CEO with Gala Attendees

  • pexels-paul-kangas-345183-950194

  • 2025 Samaritan Gala – Button

  • tree planting 2

  • ‘Light over darkness’

    Photos Special to The Sun
    Solidarity Day included an audio immersive experience that honored the memories and lives of those lost at a music festival on Oct. 7 of last year, when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, murdered 1,200 civilians and abducted more than 250 more.

    The Moorestown Jewish Association (MJA) took part in a recent Israel Solidarity Day hosted by the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey to mark the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, where more than 1,200 men, women and children – including 46 Americans and citizens of more than 30 countries – were slaughtered by the terrorist group Hamas.

    “A lot of families participated, and the kids worked the room along with the parents, which was really nice to see,” said MJA board member Michele Von Deak of the day. “They were active, really investing time, making their way around the room, not sticking with one table, which I thought was really special to have different experiences.”

    The event was held at the Katz JCC Community Center in Cherry Hill, which hosts educational and social community events during the year. It also holds a variety of programs centered around various Jewish holidays, including Sukkot, Chanukah, Purim and Passover, as well as weekly Shabbat celebrations.

    “This time, because it was the one-year memoriam of the Oct. 7 attacks, they decided to do a Mitzvah Day called Israel Solidarity Day,” explained MJA President Brooke Mailhiot. “All of these community organizations, all of these Jewish agencies, Jewish synagogues (and) other local Jewish organizations took part and did specific Mitzvah projects that related to something that maybe touched them, or that they were feeling, or something that they connected with regarding what happened on Oct. 7.”

    Guests participated in activities such as making cards for Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and wrapping tefillin, a set of two black leather boxes containing Torah verses that are worn by Jewish men during prayer.

    New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy meets with two children at the Oct. 6 event.

    There was also an audio immersive experience that showcased the Israeli Nova Festival with the creation of a music fest backstage pass, an experience that honored the memories and lives of so many who were lost at the show during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, according to the website for the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.

    “We found the DJ set that was playing at the … festival, we had a headphone hub, and we had people listening with pairs of headphones to the music that was going on at that Nova music festival on Oct. 7,” Mailhiot noted. “ … People could design the back of their music festival pass and then walk around with an image of a handful of either the hostages or the people that were killed that day, to make them kind of feel that they were that person, that they were experiencing being a part of that Nova music festival.

    “They got to wear that lanyard around all day when they were going from other Mitzvah projects and community projects that were related to the hostages and Oct. 7.”

    Mailhiot shared that as people were listening to the music, they wrote what they felt on their backstage passes or what they would’ve felt had they been at the festival. Some people wrote just one word or a prayer, or simply drew an image.

    “It was very unique how everybody took the experience in a different manner of what it meant to them, and what they were feeling when they were listening to the music and they were in that moment,” Mailhiot pointed out. “ …  I think doing it for the one-year memoriam, I think it broke the stereotype, because everybody wanted to come and support what’s been happening.”

    In other news for the nonprofit, the MJA is raising funds for a new menorah to brighten the community during the holiday season. For years the menorah has been a beacon of unity, celebrating the spirit of togetherness and the meaning of the season for all faiths across Moorestown.

    To donate, visit https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=TYAZD73QMASR6. For more information on the MJA, visit www.moorestownjewishassociation.org.

    “The symbol of the menorah is to show the importance of light over darkness,” remarked board member Ilana Brodsky. “The strength and the hope that the menorah provides … That ties into the community.”

  • ‘Light over darkness’

    Photos Special to The Sun
    Solidarity Day included an audio immersive experience that honored the memories and lives of those lost at a music festival on Oct. 7 of last year, when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, murdered 1,200 civilians and abducted more than 250 more.

    The Moorestown Jewish Association (MJA) took part in a recent Israel Solidarity Day hosted by the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey to mark the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, where more than 1,200 men, women and children – including 46 Americans and citizens of more than 30 countries – were slaughtered by the terrorist group Hamas.

    “A lot of families participated, and the kids worked the room along with the parents, which was really nice to see,” said MJA board member Michele Von Deak of the day. “They were active, really investing time, making their way around the room, not sticking with one table, which I thought was really special to have different experiences.”

    The event was held at the Katz JCC Community Center in Cherry Hill, which hosts educational and social community events during the year. It also holds a variety of programs centered around various Jewish holidays, including Sukkot, Chanukah, Purim and Passover, as well as weekly Shabbat celebrations.

    “This time, because it was the one-year memoriam of the Oct. 7 attacks, they decided to do a Mitzvah Day called Israel Solidarity Day,” explained MJA President Brooke Mailhiot. “All of these community organizations, all of these Jewish agencies, Jewish synagogues (and) other local Jewish organizations took part and did specific Mitzvah projects that related to something that maybe touched them, or that they were feeling, or something that they connected with regarding what happened on Oct. 7.”

    Guests participated in activities such as making cards for Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and wrapping tefillin, a set of two black leather boxes containing Torah verses that are worn by Jewish men during prayer.

    New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy meets with two children at the Oct. 6 event.

    There was also an audio immersive experience that showcased the Israeli Nova Festival with the creation of a music fest backstage pass, an experience that honored the memories and lives of so many who were lost at the show during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, according to the website for the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.

    “We found the DJ set that was playing at the … festival, we had a headphone hub, and we had people listening with pairs of headphones to the music that was going on at that Nova music festival on Oct. 7,” Mailhiot noted. “ … People could design the back of their music festival pass and then walk around with an image of a handful of either the hostages or the people that were killed that day, to make them kind of feel that they were that person, that they were experiencing being a part of that Nova music festival.

    “They got to wear that lanyard around all day when they were going from other Mitzvah projects and community projects that were related to the hostages and Oct. 7.”

    Mailhiot shared that as people were listening to the music, they wrote what they felt on their backstage passes or what they would’ve felt had they been at the festival. Some people wrote just one word or a prayer, or simply drew an image.

    “It was very unique how everybody took the experience in a different manner of what it meant to them, and what they were feeling when they were listening to the music and they were in that moment,” Mailhiot pointed out. “ …  I think doing it for the one-year memoriam, I think it broke the stereotype, because everybody wanted to come and support what’s been happening.”

    In other news for the nonprofit, the MJA is raising funds for a new menorah to brighten the community during the holiday season. For years the menorah has been a beacon of unity, celebrating the spirit of togetherness and the meaning of the season for all faiths across Moorestown.

    To donate, visit https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=TYAZD73QMASR6. For more information on the MJA, visit www.moorestownjewishassociation.org.

    “The symbol of the menorah is to show the importance of light over darkness,” remarked board member Ilana Brodsky. “The strength and the hope that the menorah provides … That ties into the community.”

  • police-4566193_640 (1)

  • IMG_6417