CMCo 2022 Women of Wonder Named

OCEAN CITY – Three Cape May County women were honored as the 2022 Women of Wonder at a luncheon held in Ocean City, Nov. 3, highlighting their achievements and giving back to their communities.
Honored were Lenora Boninfante-Kodytek, who heads public relations for Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County, Bernadette Givens, owner of Cape May Coast Cleaning Service and Joyce Gould, a former Wildwood Crest mayor and commissioner.
Wildwood Commissioner Krista Fitzsimons introduced Boninfante-Kodytek, who previously worked as the county communications director. Among her distinctions, she was a Board of Education member for the Cape May County Special Services School District from 1993 to 2018, serving as president for eight years. She was a member of the Cape May County School Boards Association for over 25 years. 
She served on the New Jersey School Board’s Special Education Committee and Southern New Jersey Early Intervention Collaborative. She is a trustee for the Cape Women’s Resource Fund and sits on the Arc of Cape May County Board of Directors. She is a founding member of the CMC Special Services District Education Foundation. 
“I knew of Lenora most of my life,” Fitzsimons said, noting her hosting of TV’s “Cape May County and You,” which she hosted while a county employee. 
Boninfonte-Kodytek said the Women of Wonder event is an example of what makes Cape May County special because it is about lifting people up. The luncheon proceeds went to a scholarship program for women at Atlantic Cape Community College. The Women of Wonder League has awarded 47 scholarships totaling $34,612.60 since 2011.
Boninfante-Kodytek said Cape May County is a very diverse community, full of beauty, but also housing the very wealthy to the financially struggling. She said the county was fortunate to have so many nonprofits and giving businesses dedicated to assisting those who need help. 
She said she has supported so many of these organizations and is very happy see the proceeds of the day’s event going to scholarships. She asked people to continue to support the community, adding, “But I know you already are.”
Jackie Fiore introduced Joyce Gould, known mainly for her roles as commissioner and mayor of Wildwood Crest. Fiore said Gould’s nomination letter identified her as an “all-around badass woman.” Fiore said Gould’s success in life came as a direct result of listening to the community  
Gould began her comments by talking about the Jersey Cape Diagnostic Center, highlighting the fact that the center hires disabled individuals to make beach tags for most shore communities.
“They could be making millions,” she said. “Those guys will never get it straight!”
Gould said she entered politics after being removed from the Tourism Committee in Wildwood Crest without being given a good reason. When she decided to run for mayor, she was told she had three things going against her: she was a Democrat, she was a woman and she was a Jew. She was elected and spent the next 32 years as an elected official, four of them as mayor. 
Gould was described as having worked selflessly to improve the lives of others through her fundraising and leadership. She has served as a long-standing board member with various organizations, including Cape Women’s Resource, the Cape Regional Medical Center Foundation and the Love of Linda Cancer Fund. She has also been a supporter and volunteer with local veteran organizations. Other involvements include the Lunch with Lynch Foundation, the Wildwood Crest Volunteer Fire Company and the Garden State Boy Scouts. Gould was named a Boy Scouts of America Citizen of the Year. 
Gould told the attendees – mostly women – “Nothing stops a woman from doing what they want, they just have to push.”
Violet Rixey introduced the Woman of the Year award-winner, Bernadette Matthews Givens, saying she was described as, “the kind of woman who helps another woman straighten her crown.”
  Given is not only a business owner but is very active in the community. Givens worked at IBM and owned a tech recruiting firm. Givens was the executive director of the Cape May Jazz Festival and later the Center for Community Arts. 
She is on the board of directors for Family Promise, East Lynne Theatre Company and the Historic Cold Spring Village. She was the lead singer for several groups in Philadelphia, and would later form the Capers, an ensemble musical group playing around Cape May. 
“I am very humbled to be called, what I call a ‘Wonder Woman’,” she said. 
Givens read the poem, “When Great Trees Fall,” by Maya Angelou, which speaks of leaving behind a shining legacy in the community where you lived. Givens, who is a two-time cancer survivor, said she reached a point in her life when she intentionally chose to do better and always be of service to others. 
“Bob Dylan wrote we are all going to serve somebody…I thought why not serve others,” she said. 
Besides being a celebration of achievements by women in Cape May County, the Women of Wonder awards luncheon is also a fundraiser for scholarships for women attending Atlantic Cape Community College. Attending the luncheon was scholarship recipient Jade Phelps, who is putting herself through college. She said the scholarship will help her graduate from Atlantic Cape, after which she will attend either Rowan University or Stockton University with hopes of becoming a math teacher. 
“I couldn’t do it without the help of all you guys here,” she said. 
Kristin Jackson, the senior manager of Advancement, Alumni and Foundation Events said Women of Wonder events have raised $57,983.87 and an endowment was established from the 2021 Women of Wonder event. When the event began in 2011, the group named one Woman of Wonder per year for several years, before giving out multiple awards in 2019. Jackson said the group now looks to identify three women each year who have distinguished themselves in different areas of Cape May County. 
“The criteria is that you are a Cape May County resident and have exhibited leadership qualities, and have given back to your community, whether through your professional work or volunteering,” Jackson said. 
Past winners include Michelle Gillian, Chase Jackson, Marylin Miller and Joyce Barnes (2021), Stormy Freese, Karen Mahar and Shirley “Becki” Wilson (2019), Vicki Clark (2018), E. Marie Hayes (2016), Noel Hiers (2013), Martina Singleton (2012) and Myra Belasko (2011).
Thoughts? Questions? Email csouth@cmcherald.com or call 609-886-8600 ext. 129.