Alan Braslow, Michael Doyle, Jane Murphy and Marshall Spevak will receive the medal at a ceremony on Jan. 18 at the Camden County Boathouse.
Four Cherry Hill residents will be honored next week as recipients of the 2017 Camden County Freedom Medal.
A ceremony will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at the Camden County Boathouse at Cooper River in Pennsuaken. The Cherry Hill residents receiving the award are Alan Braslow, Michael Doyle, Jane Murphy and Marshall Spevak.
Braslow is a community champion and a leading animal rights advocate. He organized peaceful protests at the location of a new pet store in Cherry Hill that sold puppies bred in puppy mills. Braslow also helped Camden County develop the first countywide ban of the sale of puppy mill dogs in the State of New Jersey. Known as Norman’s Law, it is now known throughout the state and country.
Doyle was instrumental in establishing the Cherry Hill Food Pantry in 206. The pantry has grown from a small room in a church basement to a small grocery store in a shopping center. More than 900 local families who have struggled financially to fill their pantry at home have turned to the Cherry Hill Food Pantry for assistance.
Murphy is a former Cherry Hill Public School educator who has always been active in service. She is a dedicated volunteer at Camden’s Urban Promise School. Murphy uses her earl literacy knowledge to go into first grade classrooms and help students with decoding, reading fluency, phonemic awareness and reading comprehension.
Spevak has dedicated himself to serving the veteran and active duty military community sine he was 10 years old. For the last 12 years, he has played an instrumental role as co-chair of the annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner for the Troops. Spevak also serves the Battleship New Jersey and its veterans as the youngest member of the Board of Trustees for the Home Port Alliance of the Battleship New Jersey.
The Camden County Freedom Medal was created in 2001 for civic leaders who demonstrate he ideals and actions reflecting the principles of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Each year since 2001, the Camden County Freedom Medal has been presented to honor extraordinary Camden County citizens who have generously contributed their time and effort to better their community while espousing the ideals indicative of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” said Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. “These exemplary citizens have demonstrated significant contributions in the area of community service. They serve as a model to us all.”
