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Union County Freeholder Vernell Wright Recognized for Lifetime of Community Service

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that Freeholder Vernell Wright will be presented with the annual Chester Holmes Humanitarian Award on Monday, February 27 as part of the Union County 2017 Black History Month Celebration at the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway.

“Black History Month is a time to celebrate and learn about the rich culture of leadership that shaped America, and in that spirit it is a great honor to present the Chester Holmes Humanitarian Award to Freeholder Wright,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “Freeholder Wright has made her presence felt throughout Union County and beyond with her unwavering commitment to improving life for all in our community.”

Freeholder Wright has been a resident of the Vauxhall section of Union Township for more than 50 years, during which time she served as a teacher, principal and in other capacities in the Union Public Schools System.

She is affiliated with numerous community and professional organizations including New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, United Community Center Scholarship Committee, Tri-City Branch – NAACP, First Baptist Church of Vauxhall, Boylan-Haven Mather Academy National Alumnae Association, Vauxhall Historical Society, and the Concerned Citizens of Vauxhall and Vicinity Civic Association.

In recognition of her service and commitment to the residents of Union County, Freeholder Wright was awarded the New Jersey Association of Counties with its Maurice Fitzgibbons Freeholder of the Year award in 2017.

Serving her first term on the Freeholder Board from 2012 to 2014, Freeholder Wright was Chairman of the Policy and Administrative Code Committee, as well as a member of the Homeland Security Committee, the Open Space, Recreation and Historic Preservation Committee, and the Policy and Administrative Code Committee.

She has also served as liaison to several advisory boards including the Advisory Council on Aging, the Senior Citizen & Disabled Resident Transportation Advisory Board, the Commission on the Status of Women, the Youth Services Commission, and the Local Advisory Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, among others.

Freeholder Wright was re-elected in 2016 and is serving her second term in office.

Presented annually by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Chester Holmes Humanitarian Award is given to a candidate that displays outstanding devotion to the people of Union County through their service-based or philanthropic work.

The Union County 2107 Black History Month celebration features Terrance McKnight of WQXR, presenting “A Beautiful Symphony of Brotherhood: A Musical Journey in the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.”

Admission is free but pre-registration is requested. To register or for more information visit ucnj.org/black-history-month or call the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 908-558-2550.

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