Arafeh feels the love & local boy makes good

As Chamber President Larry McHugh likes to say, the sun always shines in Middlesex County. That sums up the mood at this morning's Chamber breakfast at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cromwell.

A crowd of about 600 people shared breakfast, while Middletown maven Barbara Arafeh was honored for 40+ years of public service, and Xavier '71 alumnus Joe Waz delivered a speech on why companies do well when they commit themselves to community service, highlighting his work nationwide with the Comcast Foundation of Philadelphia.

Service to the community is a favorite theme for McHugh and the Chamber. Waz noted that his visit to his hometown coincides not only with Arafeh's honors, but with the Distinguished Citizen awards later this week. Clearly, he said, this is a Chamber that "gets it". He said: "You can't have a better business climate unless you have a strong community", and then he announced a $15,000 gift that Comcast is making to our local YMCA for their work at Camp Ingersoll and in helping kids with digital literacy. Waz also got the crowd laughing as he invoked the image of his young teenage self (a star on Xavier's bowling team) learning to drive from then-instructor Larry McHugh. Waz credited him with inspiring a "fear of failure" so strong that it spurred him to a virtually flawless driving record over the past 40 years.

Barbara Arafeh was presented with the Governor William O'Neill Public Service Award for her decades of efforts to bring the arts to children, the elderly and the general Middletown Community. Mayor Sebastian Giuliano praised her for bringing the Opera back to Middletown this Spring, and Mary Ellen Klinck pointed out the 2-page list on every table which summarized the groups with which Arafeh has volunteered since she came to Middletown in 1960 "as a bride." Arafeh is obviously well-loved by the local crowd, and she gave it right back by ending her remarks by asking anyone in the room who has ever worked on a community project with her to stand up -- at least a hundred people rose, and ever the organizer, she didn't miss the chance to call another half-dozen people to their feet by reminding them of arts projects they shared.

Family and friends milled around after the official 9 AM close of business, congratulating Barbara and encouraging her to keep up the good work.