On Feb. 26, the JCCIA Young Professionals Division will host its first event, “Festa di Carnevale,” as the re-branded Avanti Club. The event will run from 8-10 p.m. at Victory Italian, 434 W. Ontario St. Chicago. Tickets are $35 per person and cover cocktails, light hors d’oeuvres and Vero gelato. “All young professionals of Italian descent, and non-Italians seeking camaraderie and fun on behalf of a wonderful cause are encouraged to attend,” says club President Pasquale Gianni. “Join us in a chance to network while celebrating the enduring Italian spirit in Chicago.” RSVP to avanti@jccia.com.    

In recognition of Dr. Anthony S. Fauci’s life saving work, National Italian American Foundation has launched the Fauci Fellowships to award two $50,000 post-doctoral research grants to support research in infectious diseases and help establish the recipients’ independent careers. One grant will go to an Italian researcher working in Italy, and the other to an Italian-American researcher working in the United States. The funding will finance each researcher and his or her specific research program. Applicants must have completed all the requirements for a Ph.D. in medicine, biological sciences, pharmacy, chemistry, or other scientific disciplines. Preference will be given to …

Two years ago, the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans took its scholarship program to a new level by concentrating the annual interest income from the Nick & Helena Patti and Frank J. Vigilante scholarship foundations into a few big-ticket bestowals. The following are this year’s beneficiaries. Mia Rumps (Patti scholarship) is a student at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in rehabilitation science with minors in Italian and chemistry. A member of the dean’s list, she plans on attending medical school with the aim of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. Philip Sasso (Patti scholarship) is a student at Judson University majoring …

Chicago writer-director Lucia Mauro’s new documentary “I Have a Name” won Best Documentary at the 2020 Mirabile Dictu International Catholic Film Festival at the Vatican in Rome. Held under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for Culture, the festival celebrates compassionate humanitarian films. The jury selected “I Have a Name,” which focuses on efforts to help the homeless in Chicago, from close to 3,000 entries from around the world. This marks Mauro’s second Mirabile Dictu prize. She won for Best Short Film n 2015.  

The Salvino Wealth Management Team has hung out its own shingle, launching Performance Wealth in January. The independent registered investment advisor manages $2.2 billion in client assets and will operate out of offices in Hinsdale, Illinois; Naples, Florida; and San Diego. The team’s mission is to “create detailed financial plans and investment portfolios using the best research tools available,” according to firm CEO Tom Salvino. “The wealth management industry has evolved considerably in the last 20 years,” Salvino says. “Our decision to create Performance Wealth was driven by the realization that we could do a lot more for our clients …

Entertainer Tony Ocean has launched a daily program on the “Tony Ocean Show” Facebook page. Billed as “the little show about big things,” “Ocean’s Pit” airs Mondays through Fridays at noon. Ocean brings in guests from all walks of life to discuss movies, TV shows and a variety of other topics, including the host’s impersonation of Dean Martin in the long-running show “The Rat Pack is Back.” On Tuesdays, he takes his microphone to visit local restaurants, and on Thursdays, he co-hosts with his wife, Laura.  

Ron Onesti has been elected to a two-year term as president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. Onesti steps up to the post after serving for the last two years as second vice president of the JCCIA. He also serves as president of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame and as a member of the board of directors of Casa Italia and the Italian American Veterans Museum. Onesti is the founder and president of Onesti Entertainment Corp., which runs five entertainment and dining venues across the Chicago area and produces concerts, special events and festivals nationwide. …

The Italian American Executives of Transportation will honor a trio of luminaries at its dinner dance on Feb. 27 at Ashton Place in Willowbrook. (708-212-1051) Frank Grimaldi will be hailed as Man of the Year at the event, and Anthony Ambrose and Anthony Pucillo will be honored as Humanitarians of the Year. The following profiles were provided by the organization. Frank Grimaldi Jr. Frank Grimaldi Jr. has faithfully served the Chicago airport community for nearly 40 years in senior Airfield Operations and Design and Construction capacities. He has more than 21 years of airfield operations experience and 18 years of …

Judge Diann K. Marsalek will serve as acting presiding judge of the Traffic Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. She was appointed to the position by Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans. The supervising judge of the First Municipal Traffic Court since 2014, Marsalek was appoint to the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2011 and elected in 2012. Her previous assignments include the Traffic, Evictions Post Judgment and Torts/Contract Claims courts. As an attorney, she served as a legal adviser to the Illinois Secretary of State, an Assistant Attorney General in the Policy and General Law Divisions …

The Chicagoland Italian American Professionals will start the new year by launching a new monthly that they’re dubbing “Wine Down Wednesday.” Slated for 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month, the Zoom gathering will allow members and non-members alike to wind down while discussing different types of Italian wines. For details, contact President Salvatore Sciacca at salvatore@chicagolanditalians.com.