The last Kroc Center built in the United States had in Liz Thomas, its first most passionate advocate for the project selected in Camden, New Jersey. And it wasn’t a hard sell.

“My introduction to The Salvation Army was nothing short of a  “God” thing,” Liz recalls of an encounter more than 20 years ago. 

“I was walking up the steps going into a diner here in Camden, and holding the door open for me was an old friend, Steve Dixon, whom I hadn’t seen in quite a while.” 

Standing behind Steve was his new boss, Major Paul Cain, whom he introduced to Liz. 

“I asked Steve, Major of what? And he told me that he was now working for The Salvation Army. Then Major Paul gave me this big bear hug!” 

At the time, Liz admits, she was familiar with The Salvation Army’s brand but little else. That would soon change. As she learned more, she became deeply involved in the ambitious project to bring a Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center to Camden. 

“From that point on, I met regularly with Majors Paul & Alma Cain — and our friendship continues to this day,” she says. 

Liz’s public relations firm, Thomas/Boyd Communications (partnered with Pam Boyd), was a natural fit to provide strategic guidance and communication support for the capital campaign to make the vison of the  Kroc center into a reality. 

The more Liz learned about Joan Kroc’s endowment — beginning with the first Kroc Center in San Diego and eventually expanding to 26 Kroc centers across the Army’s four U.S. territories — the more she realized what a transformative impact a Kroc campus could have on Camden. At the time, the city was labeled the most dangerous in the nation. An economic recession had the community of Camden reeling with high unemployment, homelessness, and crime. That year,  39 people were murdered —  13 in one month alone, marking the worst period of violence in Camden, New Jersey since 1949. 

Liz’s leadership during the campaign helped recruit an army of volunteers tasked with calling corporations and foundations to gather public and private support — and secure the funding needed to unlock the endowment.But it wasn’t just about raising money. Liz and her crew had to tackle major hurdles before and during construction.For just one example, she recalls, “The proposed property was a hazardous landfill with thousands of old tires that needed to be removed. This required the state of New Jersey to work with us to clean the site up so that it could be built upon safely.”

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection had to remediate the site before legally approving its safety and suitability. Only then could The Salvation Army take possession and turn the first spade of dirt.

It’s a bit ironic, Liz notes, that the land itself had to be reclaimed — a fitting symbol for the many lives to be reclaimed by God in the years to come. “The number of tires was unbelievable,” she adds. “And the dirty dirt had to be replaced with clean dirt.”Liz says the group learned so much about construction and environmental remediation, but emphasizes: “Without the state of New Jersey and the city of Camden, this could not — would not — have happened!”

President Barack Obama later cited the Camden Kroc Center as a national model for public safety improvements and a powerful example of how communities can thrive when united by a common goal.

In October 2024, the Camden Kroc celebrated its 10th anniversary with a gala weekend. No surprise: Liz chaired the planning committee — her beloved “ambassadors.”

The celebration kicked off Thursday with a media event highlighting the center’s impact. Friday featured a large-scale Food & Goodies Drive-Thru Distribution. Saturday’s “KrocFest” was a free public event “utilizing every inch of the campus,” with community partners offering healthy living resources, arts, faith-based activities, aquatics, family fun, food and more. That evening featured a special program commemorating the center’s 10 years of service and honoring key stakeholders. The weekend closed on Sunday with a church rededication and fellowship lunch.

“Over two million people have been served during this, our first decade of service in Camden. This is the heartbeat of our mission,” said Benjamin Ovadia, the Kroc Center’s community resource and development director. Liz downplays her role in the 20-plus-year journey, but there’s no question the Camden Kroc is one of her passions. She admits that raising money and helping create opportunities for growth is deeply meaningful to her, but quickly adds, “There are a lot of people here who do way more than I do.”

“I’ve been on other nonprofit boards,” she says. “But while looking to fill something in my life to help people and my community, this one hit a chord.”

Camden is changing, and the neighborhood continues to evolve. A bus stop now sits just outside the Kroc’s front door, and a new medical center recently opened down the street.

The Camden Kroc — the 26th and final Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in the United States — is fulfilling its role in transforming both a community and the lives within it.

Many of Liz’s original committee members from two decades ago (she still calls them “my ambassadors”) are still part of her regular Zoom group. “Not a meeting goes by that someone doesn’t bring up a wonderful memory of what it took to make the Kroc possible — and to keep it thriving,” she says.

“The city of Camden was overwhelmed,” said one resident, now a Kroc member. “This is the best thing that could ever happen to Camden — especially in this neighborhood.”

That’s why Liz Thomas is convinced that running into Steve Dixon and Major Paul Cain all those years ago was divinely ordained.

“Our Kroc meets the needs of people of all ages,” she says. “It is everything we hoped it would be. My heart is very full for what is being done here.” 

This article was originally titled “You Had Me At Hello” in the November 2025 issue of The War Cry.