Since its inception in 1997, the Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award (MADA) has been bestowed upon 67 honorees from South Jersey counties. Among the 12 honorees for 2024, half hail from that area, which comprises Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, and Salem.
Erik Estrada, Community Manager of the Camden County-based Community Foundation of South Jersey serves on the Making a Difference Award advisory board. As part of this role, he reviews nominations alongside ten other advisory board members from around the state. He shares insights about the people he’s learned about and their impact in South Jersey.
About the Community Foundation of South Jersey
The Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ), now in its 15th year, is one of three full-service community foundations in New Jersey (along with one in Princeton and another in Morristown). It works with individuals, groups, and businesses to help them formalize their giving and currently manages about $105 million in assets across over 100 different funds. Using CFSJ’s online systems, fundholders can easily pool resources and make charitable donations, grants, and scholarships to support the causes and issues they care about most. Since its founding, CFSJ has reinvested more than $40 million throughout South Jersey.
“We are now trying to establish more permanently endowed community funds for South Jersey towns,” remarked Erik. “Since I joined the organization in 2018, we’ve experienced tenfold growth, so the will is there. Our goal is to not only ensure those assets remain in South Jersey for generations to come, but also to make sure their use is guided by those who know our South Jersey communities best. Expanding philanthropic opportunities in the region ultimately means more resources are available for local changemakers to carry out their work, which leads to a thriving South Jersey.”
Erik was invited to join the board of the Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award in 2023 and immediately said yes to the opportunity. With his nonprofit roots and mission deep in South Jersey, he wants to make sure the award represents the whole state.
“One reason I got involved with and am such an advocate for the Making a Difference Award is that it challenges the usual story told about South Jersey as a region that only has problems or lacks the necessary resources. I love that the award program shines the spotlight on what’s really going on here. We have an abundance of people making their communities a better place every day. The Making a Difference Award not only recognizes them for what they have already done, but also gives them a platform to do even more good, which is tremendously inspiring.”
Honorees Improving Lives, Creating Opportunities in South Jersey
The diverse group of Making a Difference honorees in New Jersey’s southern counties are making vital differences in their communities in myriad ways. From empowering children and families to learn, grow and thrive to strengthening the arts to preserving South Jersey’s unique cultural history, their innovative programs and solutions are improving lives and transforming communities in multiple areas of daily life. Here is a sampling of the people creating life-changing opportunities for others in the region.
Ruth Perez
Camden
Ruth Perez is the Co-Founder of Movimiento Tricolor and leader of the Corner Store Initiative, supporting diverse immigrant communities in South Jersey by facilitating social, cultural, and economic resources for the Dominican diaspora and other immigrant communities.
Larry Abrams
Pennsauken
Larry Abrams is the Founder of BookSmiles, a children’s book bank that upcycles gently used books, promoting literacy and combating book deserts by getting free books into the hands of teachers, parents and kids.
Shirley Green
Whitesboro
Shirley Green is the Founder and curator of the Whitesboro Historical Foundation Museum, which preserves the unique history of New Jersey’s first planned African American community.
Christian Kane
Toms River
Christian Kane is the Co-founder with his wife Mary of the RWJ Barnabas Health Field of Dreams, a first-of-its-kind inclusive recreation center in the U.S., where special needs individuals of all ages and abilities can engage, explore and socialize together with family and friends.
Riccardo Dale
Beverly
Riccardo Dale is the Founder of Free All Minds, a youth mentorship organization committed to shaping the leaders of tomorrow by providing support in academic achievement, personal development, and career exploration.
Making a Difference for South Jersey
“One reason I wanted to get involved with the Making a Difference Award is that I knew it would introduce me to so many great people doing great work in our area and beyond,” said Erik. “While some Honorees were already on our radar and some have been supported by our fundholders in the past, I’m blown away by the new changemakers we learn about with each nomination campaign. By better understanding their work, we better understand the opportunities and needs of the communities they work in, which in turn helps us and our fundholders guide even more resources their way.”
As Erik continues to advocate for South Jersey’s changemakers—and promotes the region’s strengths which are often overlooked—he continues helping foster healthy, vibrant communities through philanthropic investments.
“The individuals noted above inspire the next generation of changemakers,” said Erik. “I am proud to play a small role in the Making a Difference Award, which is one of just a few that I know of that honors and recognizes individuals (rather than solely focusing on organizations) who go above and beyond to uplift their communities through their life’s work.”
Read about all the Making a Difference honorees, including our inspiring South Jersey awardees at https://russberriemakingadifferenceaward.org/honoree-directory.
