Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
They began popping up all over the Northwest suburbs like daffodils in the spring: lawn signs offering words of encouragement like “Smile,” “Hope,” “Believe,” “Trust in God” and “We’re all in this together.”
First there were a handful, then a few dozen. At last count, there were more than 500, all created by a quartet of daughters looking to spread a little sunshine during these dark times.
“My kids were all home from school, and everybody was a little bit down,” explains Itasca resident Peter Fricano Jr. “As they were making the signs, they started to feel really good as they saw how good it was making other people feel.”
The owner of a construction company, Fricano had the necessary equipment and material on hand. He brought it all home, and daughters Allyson, Madelyn, Katelyn and Jaclyn went to town under the watchful eye of their mom, Jolene.
They put the signs in front of their home along with another sign inviting neighbors to take one. Word spread via social media, requests came rolling in, and a handful of signs quickly blossomed into hundreds.
“You pull up to a stop sign and you see ‘Have a great day,’ or you drive past the fire station and you see ‘Thank you first responders,’” Fricano shares. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from people. They’re all saying how wonderful it is to walk through town and see all these signs. It’s just amazing!”
