Township Celebrates 'Women Who Make a Difference'

The township honored 10 women in its ninth annual "Women Who Make a Difference" ceremony during Monday night's Council meeting.

It sure turned out to be a night to be proud to be affiliated with one local high school.

This year's honorees included two young women currently enrolled at Highland Regional High School—Sarah Barner and Stephanie Saler, both juniors—and two women with deep connections to the Blackwood school.

Both Barner and Saler are extremely active in school and civic circles.

Highland principal Beth Pettite nominated the two students for the honor.

"I used to get them mixed up, because I saw them so much. Everywhere I turned, I felt like I saw one of them," the first-year principal said. "So, for a while, it took me a little while to figure out who was who. But they definitely make a difference at Highland and, as I researched a little bit into their background, in the community as well. So, we're lucky to have them in Gloucester Township."

Pettite also nominated Judy Gore for the 2012 "Women Who Make a Difference" honor.

"I don't know how I would have survived my first year as principal without such a dedicated individual by my side," Pettite wrote in the nomination letter, read into the record Monday by Council President Glen Bianchini.

Gore, a lifelong Gloucester Township resident and secretary and active member with the Gloucester Township Day Scholarship Committee, was also nominated by Black Horse Pike Regional School District Assistant Superintendent Brian Repici.

"I just love Gloucester Township. It's home. It's where I was raised and born," Gore said. "I think if more of us gave back to our communities, we'd have better communities."

Robin Pickard is the fourth 2012 honoree with a noteworthy Highland connection.

Pickard, the wife of Gloucester Township Police Cpl. Mark Pickard, who was K-9 Schultz's handler, has been active with Highland's baseball and wrestling booster clubs for eight years now. She is a lifelong township resident and has served on the Council of Schools, representing Highland.

In addition to Barner, Gore, Pickard and Saler, the following women were honored Monday night:

Tina Eckenroth - A Glendora resident, she is an active participant in Relay for Life of Gloucester Township—the local edition of the 24-hour American Cancer Society walkathon fundraiser—and a den leader with a local Boy Scouts troop.

Mindy Gold - A math teacher at Ann A. Mullen Middle School, she founded the school's "Mullen Magic" program, which brings recognition to students who may not otherwise see the spotlight, and is a fencing instructor with the township Recreation Department.

Kelly Hoskins - A fifth-grade teacher at Erial Elementary School, Hoskins spent a good portion of her career at Mullen Middle, where she founded the "Adventure Crew," which nominator Councilwoman Michelle Gentek described as "a hands-on learning travel program" for students in sixth and seventh grades, and organized holiday gift drives for needy children. The travel program has seen Mullen students visit such places as Alcatraz, Costa Rica and Key Largo over the years. Hoskins is also a volunteer at Camden County Animal Shelter.

Michelle Selfridge - Selfridge is a longtime officer with Kiwanis Club of Gloucester Township-Blackwood—an organization for which she currently serves as vice president—and leads TC Cares, which collects school supplies, clothes and food for needy students, at Timber Creek High School, where she is a licensed social worker. She is the facilitator of several anti-bullying programs, including The Gathering Space.

Amelia Tarves - A longtime township resident, Tarves is owner of Monarch Industrial Power and a partner in Monarch Boiler and Monarch Storage—all three of which are based in the township's Blenheim section. She was a founding member of Gloucester Township Midget Football Association (Stallions), has served as commissioner on both the township Municipal Utilities Authority and Fire District No. 3-Blenheim Fire Co. boards, and has been a member of the parent-teacher association at the former St. Agnes School and a township representative on the Camden County Democratic Party Committee.

Maura White - A past member of the Chews Elementary School's parent-teacher association and a representative on the Council of Schools, she has been active with Relay for Life and also volunteers with Girl Scouts and youth sports teams.

Councilwoman Tracey Trotto, a 2011 "Women Who Make a Difference" honoree and the local Relay for Life organizer, nominated both Eckenroth and White for this year's award.

"The hours they volunteered are just endless, and I cannot thank Maura and Tina enough for the time that they've dedicated to us for the community," Trotto said.

The honorees "had one common theme, and that was our community here in Gloucester Township and making a difference here in Gloucester Township," Mayor David Mayer said. "I not only want to congratulate those 10 amazing women, but also to say 'thank you'—thank you for making a difference, thank you for making Gloucester Township really a great place to live and for our children to grow up in, thank you for giving back what you do day in and day out."

The 2012 "Women Who Make a Difference" evaluating committee was Ivette Emperador, Phyllis Giusti and Suzanne Moore.