During the kickoff cocktail party is, from left, RBMC President and CEO Michael R. D’Agnes, Michelle Polidura of AristaCare Health Services, Joseph Britton, Rozalia Czaban and Andrew Citron, MD. Not pictured is Timothy P. O’Brien, CFP.
From the Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation:
Maplewood residents, husband and wife Joseph Britton and Rozalia Czaban, will receive the Norman Tanzman Award at Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation’s 31st Annual Harbor Lights Ball Saturday, November 14, at the Hyatt Regency, Jersey City on the Hudson. For more information about the Harbor Lights Ball or to receive a formal invitation, contact the Foundation at 732-324-5374 or visit www.rbmcfoundation.org.
Rozalia Czaban was the Principal of Perth Amboy High School until her retirement in 2010. She graduated from William Paterson University with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English Literature, and received her Supervisor/Administrator Certificate from Kean University.
A product of the Perth Amboy Public School System, Rozalia returned to the district after graduation from college and began her career as a teacher of English at Perth Amboy High School. In addition to her teaching duties, she immediately became active in and developed various extra-curricular programs designed to assist and empower students and benefit the community. These activities included serving as the first coordinator of the High School Hall of Fame Committee, originator/director of a staff musical comedy revue (which raised over $20,000 for student scholarships) and assisting with outreach programs to provide aid to families in need.
After fifteen years in the classroom, Rozalia was promoted to Vice Principal of the William C. McGinnis School where she later served as Principal before being elevated to the position of Principal of Perth Amboy High School. Upon her return to PAHS, she set out to work with students and staff to promote academic success, school spirit, staff morale and service to others. The students, always a great source of pride, quickly stepped up to the plate. Locally, there was coordination of food, toy and clothing drives, ‘adoption’ of the animal shelter, and establishment of clubs to assist with homework and provide peer tutoring, promote leadership and celebrate diversity. Globally, fundraising efforts were underway to support victims of tragedies such as 9/11, the tsunami in Indonesia, Hurricane Katrina, earthquakes in Haiti and Chile and Hurricane Ike that devastated Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic.
During this time, Rozalia served as President of the Perth Amboy Administrators and Supervisors Association and co-founded the Middlesex County Council of High School Principals.
For her service to her students and dedication to her profession, Rozalia was the district Teacher of the Year, recipient of the Governor’s Teacher Recognition Award, honored as the area NAACP Educator of the Year and was inducted into the Perth Amboy High School Hall of Fame.
Rozalia is active in her church and community where she is a member of the local NAACP, Perth Amboy Woman’s Club, a former member and past president of the Kiwanis Club and the charter member of the RBMC Heritage Society. She served as co-chair of the Harbor Lights Ball, serves on the Art Show and Sports Classic Committees, was the 2011 RBMC Spring Art Show Honoree and is currently a member of the RBMC Foundation Board of Directors.
Rozalia is the proud nana to Ryan, sister of Larry and his wife Dulce, aunt to Mario and his wife Kim and great aunt to two year old Isabella. She and her husband Joseph reside in Maplewood with their two rescue dogs Moya and Buddy.
Joseph Britton, a retired Detective Lieutenant in the Perth Amboy Police Department, began his career in law enforcement with the Rutgers University Police Department. He achieved the rank of Sergeant before resigning to join the Perth Amboy Police Department. After eight years on the force in Perth Amboy, he was elevated to Detective and was assigned to the Juvenile Aid Bureau (JAB). Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to Detective Sergeant and commanded the Juvenile Aid Bureau. At this time, to better serve the city’s youth, he won a three year term to the Perth Amboy Board of Education, and chaired the district’s building and renovation program.
Joe always felt that his proudest achievement as a police officer was dealing with the youth of Perth Amboy. A firm believer in Father Flannigan’s Boys Town motto: “There is no such thing as a bad kid”, Joe established the Police Benevolent Association Lodge 13 Rangers. This Explorer group of 30 Perth Amboy boys aged 12 to 16, met weekly and conducted monthly camping trips. As a result of this program and many other initiatives, during his tenure in the JAB, juvenile crime in Perth Amboy was reduced by nearly fifty per cent. Many of these young men now serve as Perth Amboy Police Officers, N.J. State Troopers, County Prosecutors’ Investigators, Sherriff’s Officers and Uniformed Firefighters.
Joe was appointed the department’s liaison to the Perth Amboy Public Schools, and wrote the first emergency crisis response manual for all school administrators. This manual was adopted by the County Prosecutor as the model handbook for all county school administrators. During this time, his peers voted him President of the New Jersey Juvenile Officers Association (NJJOA), a post he held for ten years. In this capacity, Joe was instrumental in formulating many positive revisions to New Jersey’s Justice System. He was appointed by Governor Christine Whitman and reappointed by Governor Jim McGreevey to the State Juvenile Justice Commission and served on several advisory councils related to juvenile justice in the state.
After fourteen years in the JAB, Joe was promoted to Detective Lieutenant. Here he secured and administered over five million dollars of grant funding. He also established and commanded the department’s Office of Professional Standards which oversaw the recruitment of new officers, departmental training and internal investigations.
As a result of his distinguished career in law enforcement, Joe was recognized by NBC News as a “Top Cop” for his work with youth gang intervention. He is the recipient of the NJJOA President’s Award for Distinguished Service, the J. Edgar Hoover Memorial Gold Medal for Distinguished Public Service, area NAACP Community Service Award and was named the Hibernian of the Year.
After retiring from the PAPD, Joe secured his private investigators license and established J. Britton Investigations LLC. Additionally, he volunteers his time serving as President of the Hibernians, past co-chair and current committee member of the Harbor Lights Ball and member of the RBMC Sports Classic Committee.
Joe loves sharing life with his wife Rozalia. He is very proud of his daughter Katie, a teacher in the Marlboro School District, son-in-law Mike, a guidance counselor in Freehold Regional High School and really enjoys spending time with seventeen month old grandson, Ryan.
The foundation announced all the honorees during a kickoff cocktail party held at the Raritan Yacht Club in Perth Amboy. Executive leaders, trustees and event committee members gathered to congratulate the honorees. The Harbor Lights Ball is the premier annual fundraising gala for the medical center. This year’s theme is ‘All Star Night, Celebrating Changing Times’ and will include music by former Major League Baseball player Bernie Williams and his All-Star Band, dancing and a grand auction. Proceeds from the ball benefit Raritan Bay Medical Center’s programs and services. Honorees were selected based on their dedication and philanthropic commitment to Raritan Bay Medical Center (RBMC) and the surrounding community. Other honorees include:
- Humanitarian Award: Timothy P. O’Brien, CFP, of Howell, Vice President – Investments and Certified Financial Planner, Wells Fargo Advisors LLC in Red Bank and RBMC Foundation and Raritan Bay Medical Center Board of Directors Member,
- Business of the Year Award: AristaCare Health Services; providing sub-acute and post-acute care, rehabilitation and nursing home care, with facilities in N.J. and P.A.,
- Excellence in Healthcare Award: Dr. Andrew Citron, of Manalapan, Medical Director of The Surgery Center at Old Bridge, located in the Medical and Surgical Pavilion, 2 Hospital Plaza, Old Bridge, Director of the Division of Anesthesiology at RBMC and RBMC Board of Directors Member.
Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation, a private, non-profit organization, was established in 1985. Its mission is to raise funds in support of RBMC by working closely with community groups, the business sector and individuals. In today’s challenging economic climate, fundraising is critical to the medical center’s continued investments in state-of-the-art technology, clinical innovations, facility modernizations, community outreach and other vital programs that enrich the health of the community. Thanks to continued philanthropic support, the RBMC Foundation has raised millions of dollars in support of the medical center and funded many important projects.
