Second Annual United Negro College Fund Mayor’s Masked Ball

Nearly 600 civic leaders, business owners, supporters and volunteers gathered to celebrate the 2014 Masked Award winners.

By HughE Dillon· 3/12/2014, 11:23 a.m.

The second annual United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Mayor’s Masked Ball in Philadelphia took place Saturday, March 8th, at the Marriott Downtown. Nearly 600 business owners, civic leaders, supporters and volunteers joined in the celebration.

Congratulations go to the 2014 Masked Award winners, so honored for assisting students in reaching their graduation goals: Sheldon M. Bonovitz, chairman emeritus, Duane Morris, LLP; Willie F. Johnson, founder and chairman, PRWT Services; and Michael A. Rashid, president and CEO of AmeriHealth.

The evening’s co-chairs were Daniel J. Hilferty, president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross, and Julie Coker, senior vice president, convention division, for the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), Craig L. Adams, executive vice president of Exelon and president and CEO of PECO, and Albert P. Black Jr., COO for the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP).

HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

(For best results, view slide show in full-screen mode.)

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From left: Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCF president and CEO, and Mayor Michael Nutter present Sheldon M. Bonovitz, chairman emeritus of Duane Morris, LLP, with the 2014 MASKED Award, which is bestowed upon people who have helped students achieve success.

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From left: Jeff Devine and Bernard Hopkins.

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Laiya St. Clair of Hot 107.9 and Hans Goff of Ready For Hillary.

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From left: Marcus Allen of Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Karen McRory-Negrin and Rich Negrin, deputy mayor for administration and coordination and managing director.

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Brenda Eison of PECO looking fabulous.

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From left: Jason Mays, Mariska Bogle, Lynette Brown-Sow and Toni Crawford.

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Left and right, Tuskegee Airmen Pierce Ramsey and Eugene Richardson with Brooklyn Hopkins (Bernard Hopkins’s wife).

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The evening’s entertainment was provided by Breakwater.

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From left: Shani Buggs, Sharon Thompson, Amirah Rashid, Hassan Rashid and Mohammed Rashid.

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From left: Dee Saunders, Marietta Tanner, Mary Houston and Pastor Gordon Houston.

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Kathy Sledge and son Phil Lightfoot Jr. take part in The Parade of Stars and Dignitaries which kicked off the dinner hour. The emcees for the evening were Beasley Reese from CBS3 and Sheinelle Jones from Fox 29.