BOE Member, Volunteer 'Deeply Honored' to be Citizen of the Year

Winners of the Moorestown Service Club’s Citizen of the Year award always seem surprised when they find out they’ve been chosen. But once you hear their resume, it becomes clear why they won.

Take the 2013 Citizen of the Year, William Van Fossen III: school board member, former member of the YMCA board, a member of the Rotary for nearly 30 years and co-organizer of the Scott Coffee Memorial 8K.

Van Fossen’s family has deep roots in Moorestown, going back multiple generations, and he himself has spent his entire life here. He explained he’s always felt a call to service.

“I was surprised (that I won), but deeply honored that I would received this honor,” he said. “It was nice to be thought of that way.”

Though Van Fossen’s philanthropic accolades are many, he said his involvement with organizing the Rotary 8K—held on Moorestown Day every year—is probably what he’s best known for.

Van Fossen helped get the race going years ago with fellow Rotary member Scott Coffee, who passed away after suffering a heart attack in 2006. The race was Coffee’s idea, he said.

“Scott was probably one of the reasons I got so involved,” said Van Fossen. “He was a guy that was very active … He was quite a public servant in his own right.”

Regarding his 6 ½-year tenure on the school board, Van Fossen mentioned his children—two of whom have graduated, while the third, his son, is currently a senior—as the source of his motivation to serve.

“I wanted to be a part of trying to help,” he said, “in the sense that my kids were going through that.”

Van Fossen will leave the school board at the end of this year. 

He will formally accept the Citizen of the Year award during a special ceremony/fundraiser on Feb. 6 at The Merion in Cinnaminson. Proceeds from the event benefit local charities. Tickets can be obtained by contacting any of the participating service clubs (Y Service Club, the Lion’s Club and the Rotary clubs).