Community News

The Italian American Women’s Club of Lake County, Indiana, is seeking women of “Italian heritage or espousal, from ages 16 to 116” to join their organization. The group hosts a dinner meeting on the second Thursday of the month at the Villa Cesare Lodge, 900 Eagle Ridge Dr., Schererville. “The club’s goals are to have a positive impact in the community, keep alive Italian customs, and to contribute to worthy causes,” says President Leslie Poplon. “Last year, we were able to help the victims of the devastating earthquakes that struck central Italy.” (lpoplon@gmail.com)  

On June 3, friends and family gathered at Lamplighter Inn in Palatine to raise funds, inspire hope and celebrate an amazing young woman. It was almost two years ago to the day that Taylor D’Agostino was thrown from a horse and suffered several injuries to her spine, leaving her paralyzed. Now 18, D’Agostino continues her fight to walk again as she prepares to travel to Panama to undergo a stem cell replacement and bone marrow transplant. An ongoing fund-raising campaign is helping with expenses, with all contributions directly benefiting D’Agostino. To learn more or to donate, call 847-991-3100.    

  Retired Cook County Circuit Court Judge Gloria Coco performed the world premiere of her one-woman show, “Finding Uncle Alfio,” in June at the Center at Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Garden, New York. Now a writer and actor, Coco began the search for an uncle no one had seen since 1921 in response to her mother’s death-bed plea, “Gloria, find my little brother, Alfio.” The 4-year-old had died on Ellis Island while the family waited for their papers to begin their new lives as Americans, but Coco’s grandmother never knew what happened to her baby. “I knew my mother’s …

The Rev. John Paul Pezzi, MCCJ, celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination at the Comboni Mission Center in LaGrange Park. Pezzi has been a missionary in Burundi, a journalist and editor in Italy and South America, the pro-rector of a Catholic University in Ecuador, and a parish priest among the pygmies in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Rome, he managed the Comboni Missionaries’ website while working on behalf of the society’s Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission. He is currently in the United States working for JPIC with VIVAT International, a NGO with special consultative status at the …

  Illinois’ largest non-profit provider of emergency and transitional services for survivors of domestic violence recently lauded Dominic DiFrisco as a powerful advocate for the cause. During a fund-raising dinner at the Mid-America Club, WINGS CEO Rebecca Darr announced the Dominic DiFrisco Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be bestowed annually on men who follow DiFrisco’s example as crusaders against domestic violence. “Over the past few years, Dominic introduced WINGS to several new donors, such as Art Van Furniture, Smeraldina Artesian Water and Mariano’s,” says Darr. “Art Van graciously donated thousands of dollars of furniture for our new shelter and continues …

State Rep. John D’Amico recently helped pass legislation to strengthen and expand driver application standards for Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing companies. The D’Amico-backed House Bill 4416 measure aims to refine background checks to ensure that prohibited drivers can’t be hired. Ride-sharing companies are not allowed to hire applicants who have had three moving violations in three years or one major violation, such as attempting to evade the police, in the past year. Drivers who have been convicted of driving under the influence or for committing fraud and other violent felonies in the past seven years also are disqualified.  

  State Rep. Anthony DeLuca hosted a free veterans’ appreciation picnic at Veterans Memorial Park in Glenwood in June. More than 80 veterans and their family members shared food, conversation and bingo with DeLuca and other elected officials. The Chicago Heights Veterans Center was present to answer questions and assist veterans. “Veterans made sacrifices for our safety and freedom that we must not take for granted,” DeLuca says. “They deserve our thanks every day, not just on special holidays, and this picnic is a sign of our community’s gratitude.”  

  Approximately 350 members, honorees and guests gathered on April 28 at Medinah Shriners in Addison for CIACO’s 2018 Honor and Hope Gala. This year’s gala honored Humanitarian of the Year Remo Turano. In addition, 21 scholarships were awarded to college-bound students who qualified based on financial need and academic achievement. The event also featured the granting of financial awards to three area residents dealing with various disabilities — the family of Raymond Hildreth and veterans Jeff Sikes and Blaine Robinson. This year’s scholars were Isabella Amato, Olivia Ciolino, Annabella Console, Alexxa DeCarlo, William Ferraris, Daniel Frusolone, Griffin Homes, John …

  Former USA Baseball National Team Coach Peter Caliendo recently travelled to Havana, Cuba. and Lima, Peru, to offer a high-level baseball course for fellow coaches. Caliendo has taught baseball courses in more than 25 countries for more than 30 years. His course focused on the latest technologies, strategies and training methods. He also worked with some of the national team players. “It is an honor to go to other countries to spread the word about baseball so that the game will expand internationally,” Caliendo says. “More than 120 countries are playing the game and it keeps growing.” (www.caliendosportsinternational.com)  

State Rep. Anthony DeLuca is working with local officials to reduce the number of accidents and injuries that occur at the railroad crossing on 17th Street between Halsted Street and East End Avenue. “A public safety issue like this is a priority issue for me,” DeLuca said. “From 2012-16 this one location has had over 30 accidents with six injuries.” DeLuca has requested $250,000 in emergency funding from Illinois Transportation Secretary Randall Blackthorn to immediately institute safety improvements at and around the crossing. The construction project is projected to cost $600,000, the remainder of which the City of Chicago Heights …