Contact: Brianna Smallwood, First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, 732-839-2429

SOMERSET, N.J., Jan. 29, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Central Jersey Community Development Corporation (CJCDC) gathered to celebrate their 20th Anniversary during the Annual CJCDC Corporate Recognition Breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey on Tuesday, January 28, 2014. There were over 300 attendees who donated and came to support the efforts of this corporation. The breakfast opened with words from the emcee of the hour, Brittni Smallwood, Reporter for News 4 Team at WIVB- TV, followed by remarks from Brenda Ross- Dulan, Regional President of Southern NJ Wells Fargo. Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr., Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG) later followed in the program to give the presentation of awards. Award recipients were Leslie Anderson, Executive Director of the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority for the Chris Kjeldsen Community Service Award, New Brunswick Board of Education for the Community Partner Award, New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) for the Government Partner Award, Robert L. Woodson, Sr., President of Center for Neighborhood Enterprise for the Legacy Leadership Award, and Karim Hutson, Managing Member of Genesis Companies for the Corporate Partner Award.

Following the breakfast was a ribbon cutting for the DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. Senior Residences at Somerset located at 630 Franklin Blvd., Somerset, NJ. The 64-unit building named after Dr. Soaries was a project taken on by the CJCDC in effort to help seniors and veterans to afford housing in the Somerset community. "Twenty years ago we embarked upon the mission of revitalizing the neighborhood along the Route 27 corridor south of the St. Peter's cemetery." said Dr. Soaries. "Today we celebrate the tangible outcomes of our endeavors. We have never had much money, but from the beginning we have always had a well defined vision and loyal partners."

CJCDC is a non-profit organization with a mission to rebuild communities, one family at a time by improving the social, educational, and economic conditions in targeted areas throughout the state of New Jersey. CJCDC was previously known as First Baptist Community Development Corporation (FBCDC) founded in 1992. It is an extension of FBCLG's mission to improve its surrounding community. Twenty years and counting CJCDC continues to provide for those in the community by providing sustainability to the less fortunate. Programs are set in place to help advance the lives of people throughout the community who are eager to get on the right path. For more information on CJCDC please visit the website at www.cjcdc.org.

About First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG)
Founded in 1937, First Baptist of Lincoln Gardens is a vibrant community-focused, multi-cultural and historical African-American church rooted in Baptist doctrine and is located in the Somerset section of Franklin Township, NJ. The church's motto is "Faith in Action." First Baptist bears witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ for spiritual, educational, economic and community transformation. For more information on the church and its ministries, visit www.fbcsomerset.com.