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2024 Annual Public Policy Forum, December 4, 2024 REGISTER

Mercer Street Friends will honor NJBIA board member Kevin Cummings and several other outstanding individuals and organizations for their demonstrated leadership to the community at the nonprofit’s 2nd annual Leadership Awards Celebration.

NJBIA board member Kevin Cummings

The event, which also raises funds to support Mercer Street Friends’ philanthropic programs, will be held at the organization’s Food Bank, located at 824 Silvia St. in Ewing at 5 p.m. on June 14.

“I am excited to announce that former Chairman and CEO of Investors Bank, Kevin Cummings, will accept the Corporate Leadership and Public Service Award for his lifelong commitment to serving our community and his dedicated statewide leadership,” said Bernie Flynn, CEO of Mercer Street Friends.

Other honorees include:

  • The Corella & Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, which will receive the Philanthropic Leadership Award for its efforts to help feed the Greater Mercer community for more than 25 years through its Crisis Ministry Program.
  • Drew Paglia and Heather Paglia of 5Help Foundation, who will receive the Generational Leadership Award. The Monmouth County siblings created the foundation to provide emergency assistance to those facing hardship because of the pandemic and have since inspired a national movement, $5 at a time.
  • Barbara and David Fraser, former leaders of Mercer Street Friends and lifelong dedicated public servants, will be honored with the Robert M. Appelbaum Service Award.

Cummings recently retired as CEO of Investors Bank, where he demonstrated how to achieve success at a large regional bank while also committing himself and his colleagues to positively impacting communities. He is currently chairman of Greater Trenton, an independent 501(c)(3) whose core mission is to revitalize the capital city, embrace diversity, and build equity for all residents.

Established in 2015, Greater Trenton utilizes private funding and a network of collaborative relationships to facilitate economic revitalization. Cummings has been instrumental in cultivating strategic partnerships and engaging the community.

“Building community and valuing inclusion is at the heart of what we do for the City of Trenton,” Cummings said. “Mercer Street Friends is a wonderful example of an organization responding to the needs of their neighbors in Trenton. I am honored to receive the 2022 Corporate Leadership and Public Service Award.”

In addition to serving on NJBIA’s board of trustees, Cummings serves on the boards of The Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children, St. Benedict’s Preparatory School, The Federal Home Loan Bank of NY (FHLBNY), and The Community Foundation of New Jersey (CFNJ).

To purchase tickets for Mercer Street Friends 2nd Annual Leadership Awards Celebration, or learn about sponsorship opportunities, go here.