Hearts for Hope Gala

The Salvation Army appreciates and honors the partners that join us in bringing Hope to the city of Elizabeth and surrounding communities.  On November 14, 2025, The Salvation Army will launch its first Annual “Hearts for Hope” Gala.  This event is a community dinner and charity event to honor Elizabeth’s Hope Giving leaders.  This event will honor:

                Rev Leonard Grayson with the “Advocate for Hope” Award;
                The Community Food Bank of New Jersey with the “Partner for Hope” Award; and
                Paul Witkowski with the “Volunteer for Hope” Award.

The event will take place at The Salvation Army Elizabeth Community Center located at 1005 East Jersey Street, Elizabeth NJ 07201.

To purchase ticket for this amazing event please click here.

If you are interested in sponsorship for this event, please scroll down to find more information.

We look forward to seeing you!

Meet Our Advocate of Hope Honoree:

Rev. Leonard Grayson is currently the Program Director of Project Recover. Project Recover is a research-based program in the City of Elizabeth Department of Health and Human Services that confronts the opioid crisis in our community. From 2015 to 2021, Rev. Grayson served as the Reentry Coordinator for the City Elizabeth. His primary task was to assist public, private and faith-based organizations in maximizing service delivery through collaborative planning and implementation of projects that serve the reentry community. With a team put in place, in 2016, Rev. Grayson created and implemented the City of Elizabeth Municipal Identification Program to offer many returning citizens and immigrants a second form of I.D. to better access opportunities for self-development. To date, the Municipal Identification Program has served over 20,000 residents. Today, his work in reentry has grown into the City of Elizabeth Office of Reentry with a 5 member staff and numerous interns/volunteers.

 
In 2022, Rev. Grayson received Adjunct Instructor of the Year award by the College of Criminal Justice and Public Administration, Kean University.

In 2019, Rev. Grayson was called to pastor True Word Community Christian Center where he began to incorporate the values of the church with the collaborative efforts of the community to holistically serve the body of believers and the marginalized populations within. He also currently serves as the Executive Director of True Word Community Development Center Inc.

In September of 2015, Rev. Grayson was offered a position as adjunct professor with the Department of Public Administration where he began to bring his experience and love for learning to his students. In 2017, Rev. Grayson also began to work with full-time faculty professors in the Department of Public Administration to create and implement the Kean University Reentry Research Team.  Its purpose was to research information and begin collaborating with local public and private organizations to provide academic support in the reentry community.  

Rev. Grayson served as President of the Elizabeth Chapter of the NAACP. He currently serves as a Board President of Team Interrupters, which mentors’ young people. He also serves as a former board member for Prevention Links, which is a statewide recovery support organization.  In 2005, Rev. Grayson also cofounded Operation Warm Heart. This program offers shelter during the cold winter months.  

Rev Grayson has a BA from Kean University where he graduated summa cum laude and received the award for valedictorian for the Concerned Black Personnel of Kean University.  He graduated with his master’s in public administration in 2014.

Rev. Grayson is a strong community advocate that cares about the spiritual development and the collective and personal progress of the people in his community. Rev. Grayson has also written two publications regarding policy in the area of substance use disorders and recovery mechanisms.1

1.Rev. Leonard Grayson, Mrs. Laurie Hills, 2023. A Summary Overview of the Naloxone365 Program in Elizabeth New Jersey, City of Elizabeth Department of Health, and Human Services.
2.Rev. Leonard Grayson, Mrs. Laurie Hills, 2021. Opioid Fatalities in the City of Elizabeth: Community Program Evaluation and Survey Analysis of Support Access and Efficacy, City of Elizabeth Department of Health, and Human Services.