By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer
It’s no surprise why they call Fox Chase resident Steve Loielo “Rocky.”
Family and friends have known the 35-year-old Kensington native by that moniker since the late 1980s, when he actually met Sylvester Stallone on the set of the fifth and final motion picture in the award-winning Rocky series.
Stallone greeted Loielo, posed for a photo with him and gave him a customized jacket worn by cast and crew while filming on location in his old neighborhood.
But more important than that memorable chance encounter, Loielo is a fighter much like his namesake. From birth, he has stood toe to toe with the effects of a genetic condition called cretinism, a hormonal disorder that suppresses his physical and mental development.
And three years ago, another unrelated serious illness declared war on him. The autoimmune disorder Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS for short) resulted in his temporary paralysis and kept him wheelchair-bound for months. He ultimately overcame the condition with physical rehabilitation.
Through all of that, however, Loielo has refused to forget or ignore the daily fight confronting the law-abiding residents of the community around him.
For six years, he has been one of the most active members of the Fox Chase Town Watch. On June 17, Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham honored Loielo for his community involvement by presenting him with the second annual Wrice-Campbell Award for Neighborhood Safety.
Loielo was chosen from a pool of more than 100 nominees for the award, which is one of three sponsored each year by Abraham’s non-profit Urban Genesis Inc., along with the James Mills Award for Positive Youth Development and the Officer Tony Johnson Award for Educational Advancement.
The Neighborhood Safety Award is named in honor of the late Herman Wrice and Jackie Dembe-Campbell.
Wrice was the West Philadelphia activist who in the late 1980s founded Mantua Against Drugs, a group known for its aggressive anti-drug tactics, including marches and vigils on the most crime-ridden blocks. Campbell founded West Oak Lane Against Drugs, adapting many of the same tactics used by Wrice to her grassroots organization.
Though there may never be an end to the war fought by Wrice, Campbell and Loielo — the war on drugs, crime and other destructive elements in neighborhoods throughout the city — it’s a fight that pales in comparison to the one the Fox Chase resident has endured in his life.
“I already went through the worst war,” Loielo said of his illnesses during a recent interview. “I went through World War Six.”
According to Steve Phillips, president of the Town Watch, Loielo’s contributions to the organization are immeasurable.
“He has the energy of ten volunteers, and everybody feeds off of that energy,” Phillips said.
The Town Watch president gets to see Loielo’s energy firsthand all of the time. The two Steves are patrol partners and are related by marriage. Loielo’s sister is married to Phillips’ brother.
Together, they ride neighborhood streets every third Saturday night and pick up a Friday night here and there. Also, they patrol the popular Jeanes Hospital Fair every fall.
The pair practice “zero tolerance for teenage crime — for any crime,” Loielo explained.
Phillips drives the car, while Loielo handles most of the radio communications. They know where to look to find trouble — most often, kids party in remote corners of the neighborhood — as well as the problems associated with such gatherings, such as vandalism and occasional violence.
“I know (some of) the hot spots,” Loielo said, “Steve knows the rest.”
It’s been that way since Loielo moved into the neighborhood in 1998, though he and Phillips gained some stature in the organization in September 2001. Phillips was named president, replacing founding president Charlie Heintzelman.
His partner, meanwhile, became unofficial “assistant to the president,” Phillips said, though Loielo likes to refer to himself as “second in the chain of command.”
“If Steve goes down, I take control, even over (vice president) John Duffy,” Loielo joked, prompting Phillips to reply, “I’ll have to check our bylaws on that.”
Even when not on official patrol, however, Loielo takes his role with the organization seriously. Though he doesn’t drive, he walks the neighborhood almost daily, always with a keen eye for nuisance activity.
“He identifies all of the graffiti in the neighborhood. That’s important,” Phillips said. “He identifies any properties that are not in compliance with CLIP (the Community Life Improvement Program), if their grass is not being cut or their trash is being put out early. And, obviously, if there’s any drug activity.”
“I go all over the place, from home to the library, up by the (Jeanes) hospital and down to Cottman (Avenue) to check on my friends at Burholme Ambulance,” Loielo said.
“(I go to) Genuardi’s every once in a blue moon to check on Joe (Fozo, a fellow Town Watch member).”
Loielo doesn’t limit his activities to Town Watch. He is a Star Scout in his local troop of the Boy Scouts of America and is working his way toward the rank of Eagle Scout.
“I’ll be an Eagle Scout next year; that’s my goal,” he said.
Also, he is a volunteer assistant coach with the Fox Chase Champions, a local recreational program for mentally and physically handicapped youths. Loielo credits fellow Town Watch members Peggy Van Belle and Pat Kelly for getting him involved with the Champions. Both are board members of both organizations.
As secretary of the Town Watch, Van Belle authored the letter nominating Loielo for the Wrice-Campbell Award.
In part, Van Belle wrote that Loielo “devotes countless hours to protecting our community and preserving our quality of life. Despite his limitations, Steve not only participates in our weekend night patrols, but he also spends many hours of his own time walking the community.”
Though not shy to speak — with a grin — of his own “toughness” and how he’s “the most determined crime fighter there is,” Loielo is just glad to be part of a winning team.
He appreciates the recognition of the award. He just wishes that it could have been spread around.
“I would have been happier if I won something, Steve (Phillips) won something, and the girls (Van Belle and Kelly) won something, too,” he said. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com