CCP hands out its annual
awards for leadership skills

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Arkadiy Rafailov liked the focus on community service when he entered MaST Community Charter School.
The 17-year-old senior especially enjoyed his experience volunteering at the Golden Slipper Health and Rehab Center in Rhawnhurst. He engaged residents in conversation, fed them, took them for walks and read to them.
"My work at the Golden Slipper home has given me far more than I gave to the residents," he said.
Rafailov was honored last week as one of the winners of Community College of Philadelphia’s fourth annual Distinguished Leadership Awards. The ceremony took place at the college’s Northeast Regional Center at 12901 Townsend Road.
The college is celebrating its 40th anniversary. As part of the festivities, the Northeast Regional Center will hold a free community festival on Saturday, June 4, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be food, games, entertainment and much more.
Rafailov will be a student at CCP next year. He earned a full scholarship to the two-year school.
"It’s a great opportunity for me," said Rafailov, who eventually plans to study pre-law at Temple University, with hopes of becoming an attorney.
The son of Benedict and Nina Rafailov, he has been a volunteer reader to kids as part of a summer library program. He’s also coached basketball at the JCC Klein Branch. And he provides care for his grandmother, Lisa.
"He’s already a leader of today," said Stephen Curtis, president of CCP.
Rafailov was humble in accepting the award.
"My community service is a reward in and of itself," he said.
At MaST, he has a 3.8 grade-point average and is ranked second in his class. He’s a member of the National Honor Society and the basketball team, and has been a three-time winner in the science fair. He attended the awards ceremony with his guidance counselor, Wanda Wolf, and his girlfriend, Nicole Jovovich.
A Somerton resident, he formerly attended William Loesche School and CCA Baldi Middle School.
"I want to encourage every person here, young and old, to experience for themselves the reward of community service," he told the audience.
Other winners were:
• Rosemarie McMenamin (Business Community): McMenamin, married with one daughter and two grandsons, is a vice president and market area manager at Sovereign Bank. A banker for 25 years, her responsibilities are developing business banking relationships in the Northeast and Bucks and Montgomery counties.
She also serves as board chairwoman of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. In that capacity, she created "Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today," a program designed to challenge individuals to make a difference within their organizations and in their communities. She also founded a chamber foundation to select and award scholarships to area students.
Also, she serves on the executive board of the Mayfair Community Development Corporation. She’s past president of the Mayfair Business Association and a former Mayfair Civic Association Business Person of the Year.
• Ruth Horwitz (Education): Horwitz, married with two children and seven grandchildren, spent more than 40 years as an educator in the School District of Philadelphia. She’s a former assistant principal at Abraham Lincoln High School and acting principal at Swenson Skills Center. At present, she is a part-time educational consultant and a trustee at MaST Community Charter School. And she provides volunteer mentoring to adults in various careers.
She helps promote the Pennypack Park Music Festival and the annual Special Olympics Day at Northeast High School. And she is active with the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and the Philadelphia Bar Association.
o Brother James Williams (Faith-Based Community): Williams has served in the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales for 40 years. Today, he’s director of the Next Step Program, which assists at-risk students at his alma mater, Father Judge High School. In the year prior to his arrival, 170 students dropped out of school. This year, only 15 have left. He’s a former social studies teacher, associate guidance director, basketball coach and newspaper moderator at North Catholic.
• City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski (Elected Official): Krajewski, a mother of three, was elected in 1979. Her office has handled more than 100,000 constituent service requests. She’s best known for fighting the cap on prison inmates, creating the Community Life Improvement Program and working to develop the North Delaware Avenue waterfront.
She’s a former investigator for the city Department of Revenue who was elected Democratic leader of the 65th Ward in 1978. She’s now in her seventh term in Council and was its first female majority leader. Today, she chairs the Appropriations Committee.
She’s a member of Philadelphia magazine’s Best of Philly Hall of Fame.
At the ceremony, she was joined by members of her staff, School Reform Commission member Marty Bednarek and former staffer Al Taubenberger.
As president of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and a former Distinguished Leadership Award winner, Taubenberger was also present to honor McMenamin and Horwitz, along with Williams, since Father Judge is a chamber member.
• Charles Kueny (Community Organization): Kueny, married for 55 years with four children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild, is the former president and general manager of Messinger Bearings Corp. He began in an entry-level management position and eventually led the company out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Also, he formed Cub Scout Pack 460 some 44 years ago and remains as chairman. He was co-chairman of the committee that established the Katharine Drexel Branch Library.
He established and directs the children’s choir at Our Lady of Calvary, where he’s a lector, extraordinary minister and member of the pastoral parish council and liturgy committee. He coordinates regular American Red Cross blood drives, raises money and volunteers as a school library aide and reader. And he’s past president of Calvary Seniors II. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com