Mayor’s Column: 8th Annual Chad Gunther Memorial Dinner on Saturday, Sept. 10
“One chance is all you need.” — Jesse Owens
Chad Gunther was a passionate young man who loved sports and loved kids. He grew up in Cherry Hill and graduated from Cherry Hill East High School. He excelled in all sports, but ice hockey was his passion. He played ice hockey all four years in high school and was on the Philadelphia Flyers travel team. Chad also enjoyed teaching hockey and baseball to children.
Chad and his family moved to Centennial Mill in Voorhees and immediately fell in love with our community. He loved playing half ball and football with his neighbors and shared his youthful spirit.
Chad left this world on Feb. 8, 2009 at the tender age of 28. As a tribute to him, his family established the Chad Gunther Memorial Fund, a non-profit organization that provides a “chance” for the children in the South Jersey area.
Since its inception, the Memorial Fund has provided young men and women scholarships to college through the Boys and Girls Club of America, purchased sporting equipment for the Promise School in Camden, sent needy youngsters to sports camps and provided food to underprivileged families in Camden. The Fund also sponsored the Below the Rim Basketball Program, supporting over 300 children in the Camden area. The last two years, scoreboards were provided to the Gibbsboro/Voorhees Athletic Association at Cricket Field on Route 561 and Rabinowitz Field on Kresson Road. The Fund has also upgraded the lighting at the Lions Lake Softball Complex for the Voorhees Girls’ Softball Association. This year, the Fund will continue to support the Youth Athletic Committee Programs in Voorhees and Gibbsboro, the Bancroft Special Olympics and the VGSA.
The organization will continue its mission with the 8th Annual Chad Gunther Memorial Dinner on Saturday, Sept. 10 at the E Lounge, 807 Route 70 West in Cherry Hill. Cocktails and Hors d’ Oeuvres begin at 6 p.m. followed by dinner and dancing at 7 p.m. Entertainment will be provided by All Around Entertainment DJ Specialist. Tickets are $58 per person and can be purchased by contacting Peter Oteri at peterjoteri@me.com, or Ray Gunther at raygunther111@aol.com. Donations can be made to the Chad Gunther Memorial Fund (CGMF) at P.O. Box 404, Voorhees, New Jersey 08043. For more information, call (856) 783–8789.
Please join us at this wonderful event to celebrate the life of Chad Gunther and help provide the gift of opportunity.
— Our Summer Twilight Series concludes with our annual Movie Night in the Park on Saturday, Sept. 17. Disney’s popular movie “Inside Out” will be shown on a state of the art digital LED screen. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at Connolly Park and is free.
— GVAA Fall Baseball Registration is now open. The cost is $50 for your child to play fall ball. Team assignments will be made right after Labor Day, with the fall season starting around the weekend of September 12. Sign your child up at https://gvaabaseball.sportngin.com/register/form/402680573.
