The Guidance Center will recognize and honor longtime community leader and board trustee, Lawrence A. Pepper, Jr., Esq., at its eighth annual awards dinner on Thursday, October 26, at Merighi’s Savoy Inn in Vineland.
Pepper will receive the prestigious 2023 Mental Health Distinguished Community Leadership Award for his outstanding contributions to The Guidance Center and the greater Cumberland County area. Pepper served as a trustee of The Guidance Center for more than 50 years. He will be recognized and thanked for his work supporting mental health, healthcare, business, education, transportation and addiction treatment.
“The Guidance Center is extremely proud to honor Pepper for his work, both personal and professional, to improve our community,” says Ed Bowman, president of The Guidance Center. “We thank him for many years of important work and leadership that have made a positive impact on the lives of so many people and assisted with the success of countless businesses and government agencies in our area.”
A lifelong resident of Vineland, Pepper is an officer of the law firm of Gruccio, Pepper, DeSanto & Ruth, PA. His legal practice concentrates on the areas of business law, banking, labor law, estate planing and administration, and government law.
Throughout his distinguished career, Pepper has handled numerous mergers and acquisitions, estates and trusts, and provided legal representation for many complex banking and financial matters. He also served as labor counsel to many county and municipal offices in southern New Jersey.
He is active in countless civic, cultural, and charitable organizations, serving as a trustee and past president to The Guidance Center since 1972. He also is currently the chairman of the board of directors of the Cumberland Insurance Group and a member of the board of trustees of the Hendricks House, an addiction treatment center for men and women, from 1992 to present. In the past he served as a trustee of the Newcomb Foundation, South Jersey Healthcare Foundation and Inspira Health.
For information or to make reservations for the awards event, contact Liz Meenan at 856-825-6810, ext. 241, or e-mail [email protected].
