Three landmark businesses – the Trenton Farmers Market, Cherry Grove Organic Farm and Bountiful Gardens – and the Every Child Valued program were honored by the Lawrence Township Growth and Redevelopment Committee May 5.
The purpose of the Economic Development Awards program is to honor those members of the community who have made significant or unusual contributions to the economic growth of the township, officials said.
The ceremony also honored the late Andy Frank, who served on the Growth and Redevelopment Committee for many years until his death in December 2023. He was honored for his life of service.
Frank became involved in the Growth and Redevelopment Committee soon after he retired as the executive director of the Jewish Federation of Princeton Mercer Bucks. He encouraged the committee to innovate in new areas, officials said.
Entrepreneur Wioletta Wyszynski, who was the keynote speaker and a Polish immigrant, shared her own path to success in business.
Wyszynski owns Crave Nature’s Eatery, the VIVA Ballroom Dance & Fitness Studio and the Beauty Bar Design Studio, all located in a strip shopping center at 1891 Brunswick Pike.
“All of us gathered here share a common trait, and that is ambition. I consider myself ambitious,” she said. “I am honored to share my story with you all in hopes that you may find some inspiration in my journey.”
Wyszynski said she moved to the United States from Poland when she was 14 years old. Her family had very little in Poland and everyone had to participate in responsibilities.
“I learned resilience from a very early age,” she said.
Moving to a new country where she could not speak the language was not easy. Nevertheless, she had to go to work as soon as her family arrived in the United States, Wyszynski said.
“A very impactful moment in my life was when I was working at my first job at 14 years old,” she recalled. “My leader told me I was destined for greatness. That message kind of stuck with me, giving me strength and purpose through life’s many challenges.”
Those challenges included raising three children as a single parent and having to rebuild the businesses that she lost because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listening to a motivational speaker also helped Wyszynski conquer her limitations and to believe in herself and in her ability to provide for her children as a woman and a single parent.
Her resilience and strength have grown with each difficulty and challenge that she has faced, she said. Overcoming those obstacles shaped her into the person that she is today.
“By sharing my story, I hope to inspire you to embrace your challenges and view them as stepping stones on the path toward your destined purpose,” Wyszynski said.
Awards
The Mayor’s Award for Economic Community Development was given to the Every Child Valued program at the Eggerts Crossing Village affordable housing development.
The Mayor’s Award recognizes a business, civic group or program that deserves special recognition for its outstanding and continual efforts on behalf of the community.
The Every Child Valued program grew out of an after-school program aimed at closing the achievement gap between white students and Black students. It provides tutoring, homework assistance, academic enrichment, character education and social-emotional learning for children in grades K-6.
Growth and Redevelopment Committee member Joan Brame, who presented the award, praised Fred Vereen Jr. – the founder and former manager of Eggerts Crossing Village – for initiating the after-school program that evolved into the Every Child Valued program.
The New Small Business Award was presented to Bountiful Gardens, which is the latest business to occupy the greenhouse and floral shop at 1365 Lawrenceville Road.
The award is given to a small employer, family or individual business that makes a special contribution to the township. It targets businesses with fewer than 50 employees that opened or relocated within the past year.
The Lawrence Legacy Award celebrates a business, individual or community organization that promotes preservation of Lawrence Township history and/or has provided an effective avenue toward advancing knowledge of the township’s history.
The award was given to the Trenton Farmers Market on Spruce Street, which opened its doors in 1948. It had its beginnings in the early 1900s, when farmers would travel to Trenton to sell their produce near the “Trenton Makes, the World Takes” bridge over the Delaware River.
The Trenton Market Growers Cooperative Association was formed in 1939 when the City of Trenton acquired the property to build Route 29. The cooperative then bought land on Spruce Street and opened the Trenton Farmers Market in 1948.
The Ralph Copleman Environmental Award, named after the Sustainable Lawrence co-founder, recognizes a business, organization, community group or individual for environmental sustainability.
The recipient of the award was the Cherry Grove Organic Farm on Carter Road. It was created in 2002 when three farmers leased 19 acres of land from the Hamill family.
Cherry Grove Organic Farm grows organic vegetables, flowers and herbs. The farm provides organic produce to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members. CSA members buy share in the market, which they can use to buy produce.