At Campbell's Field (Home of the Camden Riversharks), Camden Churches Organized for People held its 25th-anniversary fundraising breakfast late this spring, and Life-Net Radio was there. Speaking were Camden Mayor Dana Redd, Police Chief Scott Thompson, Rutgers University-Camden Chancellor Wendell Pritchett. The keynote address came from CCOP's own Zoraida Gonzalez-Torres, whom I couldn't fit into this stuffed time slot, so here's a summary from the CCOP Web site:

The personal testimony of our Keynote Speaker, Zoraida Gonzalez-Torres, struck the hearts of those present. Zoraida spoke of her journey with CCOP from the very beginning -- from brand new fledging leader, learning she had a voice to trained and vocal powerhouse -- speaking out on issues that concerned her family and her community. The impact that Zoraida has had as a developed and committed leader was evident in the outpouring of love to Zoraida and her family when she found her health dramatically affected by health issues this past fall. The doctors marveled as Zoraida is statistically only 1 in 15,000 people to survive as she did. As a testament to Zoraida's strength and vision she concluded her comments with a statement of CCOP's mission in Camden, "CCOP will exist as long as there are abandoned houses that attract drugs and disinvestment; CCOP will exist as long as our schools have more drop outs then graduates; CCOP will exist as long as there are people using Emergency rooms for basic medical care; CCOP will exist as long as there are neighborhoods where children are afraid to play outside; CCOP will exist as long as Camden residents don't feel like they have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives."

Relevant Links:
Camden Churches Organized for People