John El-Maraghy
In 2014, John created Archangel Raphael’s Mission Inc. (ARM), a volunteer organization focused on restoring dignity to homeless individuals by providing mobile hygiene and health services in Newark, New Brunswick, and Hoboken. With a mission to expand equal health and hygiene access in communities, and driven by the values of dignity, community and opportunity, ARM is filling the need for often-overlooked necessities. It was the first organization in NJ to provide free mobile showers, and also provides mobile handwashing stations, hygiene care supplies, clothing, access to toilets, and free haircuts. ARM also facilitates connections to housing and legal services and hosts community dinners in partnership with area restaurants.
Quadeer Porter
Breaking down barriers to success for BIPOC men
Brothers Building a Better Nation (BBABN) is a community-driven organization rooted in the heart of Newark’s Lower Broadway, dedicated to uplifting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) men and their families. Programs support those who were incarcerated or have criminal history as they forge a better future for themselves and their families. BBABN offers mentorship, employment services, trauma-informed counseling, and housing assistance.
Emma & Quinn Joy
After learning that some of their classmates were skipping school because they lacked period products during their menstrual cycle, teenagers Emma and Quinn created Girls Helping Girls. Period (GHGP) to address menstrual equity and period poverty in NJ. With the support of their mother, Elise (who runs the organization), Emma & Quinn advocate to erase the stigma surrounding menstrual health. Their mission is to help individuals stay at work and in school by providing essential menstrual health items, a basic necessity that is often expensive and not covered by assistance programs. The organization has distributed millions of donated period products to those in need.
Julie Flores-Castillo
After a life-altering experience with the immigration system as a young teenager, Julie draws upon her personal experiences to advocate for immigrant youth and raise awareness of available resources and support. She is affiliated with the American Friends Service Committee, which addresses the economic and political drivers of migration and supports migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people by offering legal services, training, human rights monitoring, and humanitarian relief.
Ashante Taylorcox
Ashante created You Are More Than, Inc. in 2020. It is the only queer-led, black-led organization that supports LGBTQ and BIPOC human trafficking survivors and commercial sex workers in the United States. The nonprofit seeks to empower marginalized survivors of exploitation and commercial sex trafficking by providing trauma-informed survivor-centered mental health services, educational support, and pathways to financial stability.
Bonnie O’Brien
Transition Professionals works with individuals in eight New Jersey counties who are returning to the community after being released from prison. As a human resources professional, Bonnie learned of the high rate of recidivism after incarceration and sought to create programs to help formerly incarcerated people successfully transition into communities. Transition Professionals is a collaboration of multi-faceted volunteers, including psychologists, employment specialists, paralegals, not-for-profit professionals, attorneys, licensed social workers, armed services veterans, individuals from faith-based organizations, and even ex-offenders. To date, the team has served over 1700 individuals, making a difference in the lives of those who deserve a second chance.
Sandra Ramos
Sandra founded the nation’s first battered women’s shelter in 1970 and continues to serve as the executive director of Strengthen Our Sisters, Inc., a 155-bed shelter and supportive service program for battered women and homeless women and their dependent children, enabling them to transition from a life of homelessness, domestic violence and poverty to one of stability and self-sufficiency. Programs and services include emergency and short-term shelter, longer-term housing, comprehensive housing solutions, and other integrated services.
More Honorees Shining a Light on Social Injustice
Lillie Hendry
2005
The Court Street School was one of the last segregated schools in Monmouth County. It is now a historic community center that Lillie helped refurbish and transform. Its volunteers offer numerous programs for the area’s young people. Lillie passed away in 2024.
Monsignor Michael Doyle
2006
Monsignor Doyle founded Heart of Camden to enhance the quality of life of the South Camden community through housing restoration, economic expansion, and community development. It has built and rehabilitated homes for hundreds of families, developed a flourishing arts community and cultural district, built new play spaces and created greener access to the Delaware River waterfront. The Monsignor passed away in 2022.
Rosemarie L. D’Alessandro
2007
After Rosemarie’s daughter Joan was raped and murdered at age 7, Rosemarie’s tireless advocacy resulted in Joan’s Bill, which states that a person convicted of the murder of a minor under the age of 18 in the course of the commission of a sex crime will serve life imprisonment without parole. The Foundation promotes child safety via programs and legislation, and provides support to neglected and abused children.
William D. Elliott
2008
William lost his only son in 2000 when a drunk driver–who’d been arrested on DUI charges just two hours earlier–crashed into his son’s car head on, killing them both. William and his wife, Muriel pushed for New Jersey to enact John’s Law, requiring police to impound the vehicles of suspected drunk drivers for 12 hours; a federal version was enacted in 2005. The John R. Elliott HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers® works to prevent other families from suffering the loss of a loved one from a DUI tragedy.
Jane Hanson
2009
Partners for Women and Justice provides free legal services to low-income survivors of domestic violence, with a focus on family court matters, to help them build a safe, secure future. Services include legal representation, legal clinics, telephone help lines, a financial literacy program, and preparation of wills and other legal documents.
Blanca Molina
2012
Centro Comunitario CEUS is committed to strengthening and empowering New Jersey’s Hispanic immigrant community, helping immigrants integrate into American society. It provides affordable legal services for hundreds of immigrants each year, has helped thousands obtain legal status in the United States, and more.
Richard Pompelio
2013
Richard established the New Jersey Crime Victims’ Law Center (VLC) after his 17-year-old son was murdered while helping a girl who was being threatened. The VLC ensures that victims of violent crimes are given a voice in the criminal justice system. It is a leader in NJ’s victims’ rights movement and an integral part of a national movement.
2013
Newark Pride Alliance
James, who passed away in 2023, led a life of activism and advocacy, as a leader within the LGBTQ communities since 1980. James assisted in creating the National Task Force on AIDS Prevention, the first national HIV prevention program directed at black men and men of color, and cofounded the Newark Pride Alliance in 2003.
Lorna Henkel
2017
First Friends of NJ & NY provides compassion and hope to people in immigration detention, offers resettlement assistance, and advocates for all those who are impacted by the immigration enforcement system.
Melissa Gertz
2018
After a near-fatal car accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury and PTSD, followed by numerous surgeries and rehabilitative therapies, Melissa founded a nonprofit that provides legal services and support to disabled low-income or homeless individuals and returning disabled veterans and their families.
Bridget Cutler
2019
Bridget cofounded the Moms Helping Moms Foundation (MHMF) to help low-income and struggling mothers with basic baby items. Through extensive community partnerships the team collects and distributes diapers, clothing, formula, nursing supplies, strollers and other baby essentials. MHMF also operates early literacy and dental hygiene programs for families.
Sheryl Olitzky
2021
Sheryl is the cofounder of The Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, which fosters a network of Muslim and Jewish women who, guided by common values, mobilize our larger communities to cultivate a more pluralistic, equitable, and democratic societies.
Diana Mejia
2022
Diana, a committed immigration advocate, founded Wind of the Spirit to provide support and legal services for immigrants and undocumented people in multiple communities in New Jersey. She has pushed for humane and just policies that allow immigrants to live with dignity and contribute fully to their communities.
Ruth Perez
2024
Ruth empowers Latinx business owners and residents in South Jersey through her nonprofit that facilitates social, cultural, and economic resources for the Dominican diaspora and other immigrant communities.
