COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF PHILADELPHIA BESTOWS LEADERSHIP AWARDS ON COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS LEADERS

PHILADELPHIA, April 25, 2008– Community College of Philadelphia ’s three Regional Centers will give distinguished leadership awards to 18 community, civic and business luminaries at 8 a.m. on April 29, April 30 and May 1, respectively.

The awards are given to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to the College and the community at-large.

The Northeast Regional Center will hold its award ceremony at 8 a.m., April 29, at 12901 Townsend Road.

The Northwest Regional Center will hold its award ceremony at 8 a.m., Wednesday, April 30, at 1300 W. Godfrey Avenue.

The West Regional Center will hold its ceremony at 8 a.m., Thursday, May 1, at 4725 Chestnut Street.

The following is a list of this year’s awardees for each of the centers:

Northeast Regional Center

• Business - Martin Bednarek is president and chief executive officer of Washington Savings Bank. He also is a real estate appraiser and consultant in a family-owned real estate business.
• Education – Ron Cohen has taught in the School District of Philadelphia for 42 years. He has been the head football coach at George Washington High School since 1985, compiling a spectacular record of 207 wins – the most ever in the Philadelphia Public League.
• Elected Official – Councilman Jack Kelly, a Philadelphia City Councilman-at-Large, is a lifelong resident of Northeast Philadelphia. He previously represented the 7th Council District. He has fought for reducing the city wage and business taxes.
• Faith-Based – Rev. Thomas Dunleavy is pastor of St. Anselm Church, an 8,000-member parish that leads approximately 20 community organizations that offer places of welcome, hope and comfort to those most in need.
• Community Service – Gerry Etling is a volunteer for the Aid For Friends organization, which provides free meals and friendship to needy and elderly shut-ins. She has been working with Aid For Friends for more than 30 years. Etling has prepared more than estimated 390,000 home cooked dinners, an average of 250 meals each week, out of her own kitchen.
• Youth – Angela Cross, a senior at MaST Community Charter School, is president of her class and student council, as well as president of the National Honor Society. This aspiring elementary school teacher has a near perfect 3.97 grade point average.

Northwest Regional Center

• Business – Jewel Mann-Lassiter is a successful entrepreneur and author of two cookbooks. She is the founder and operator of Tuxedo Catering, a catering business, and Spectacular Events, Inc., which offers comprehensive event planning services.
• Education – Andre Noble is the small learning community coordinator and men’s basketball coach at Imhotep Charter School. Noble started the men’s basketball team and the school’s athletic program in 2001. Over the next four years, he organized 15 charter schools into the Philadelphia Public Charter League and oversaw its merger with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.
• Elected Official – State Rep. John Myers, who was elected in 1995 to the 201st Legislative District, has fought to make health care more accessible and affordable by helping expand CHIP, the children’s health care program, and the PACE and PACENET prescription drug programs for senior citizens. He also helped 5,000 adults qualify for health insurance for only $32 a month.
• Faith-Based – The Rev. Doctor Philip D. W. Krey, president of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, is passionate about expanding relationships between the seminary and the Northwest Philadelphia community. Under his leadership, the seminary plans to renovate its chapel to include a public plaza that will directly connect the campus to the Mt. Airy business district.
• Community Service – Michael Hayward is chairman of the Let’s Love Logan Community Association, Inc., a group that is actively involved in improving the quality of life for the Logan community by tackling numerous blight and revitalization issues.
• Youth – Monique Fortune is a senior at Philadelphia High School for Girls and plans to attend Howard University in the fall to major in International Business. Her dedication to academic success and community service has earned her numerous honors and awards.
  

West Regional Center

• Business – James Burnett is the executive director of the West Philadelphia Financial Services Institution and has worked in the financial services industry for more than 18 years. He also is a frequent speaker on lending and community economic development issues and hosts a monthly radio show on WDAS 1480 AM on finance and business development.
• Education – Sister Rose Anthony Spingler, an educator for nearly 50 years, is site coordinator at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Center for Literacy, which offers instruction in English as a second language and high school equivalency programs. She is also a member of the Mayor’s Commission on Literacy.
• Elected Official – State Rep. Kathy Manderino is serving her seventh consecutive term as the representative for the 194th Legislative District. She lends her knowledge and expertise to community organizations including The Bridge Adolescent Treatment Center and The Food Trust, and she serves on the board of directors of Northwest Victim Services.
• Faith-Based – Gloria Guard is president of the People’s Emergency Center, Pennsylvania’s oldest and most comprehensive organization for homeless women, children and teenage girls. She also founded the People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation, which helps provide affordable and special needs housing and other projects that benefit West Philadelphia communities.
• Community Service – The Rev. Doctor Tokunbo Adelekan is pastor of Mt. Olivet Tabernacle Baptist Church. The author of numerous articles on religion, culture and globalization, Dr. Adelekan is also an assistant professor of Theology and Ethics at Palmer Baptist Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He was recently named one of Ebony magazine’s “30 Leaders of the Future.”
• Youth – Westley Goodwin, an aspiring doctor, is a senior at Sayre High School, where is the captain of the basketball team. In his neighborhood, Goodwin started the Junior Block Captains Group, and he is a mentor to younger students.