Community News

A wide range of Italian classes for both children and adults will be available across the Chicago area this fall. The Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia offers exploratory language classes for 5- to 7-year-olds, beginning classes for 8- to 12-year-olds, and intermediate and advanced classes for 12- to 14-year-olds. Locations include Addison, Carol Stream, Elmwood Park, Highwood and Lemont. Children’s classes run for 30 weeks from September 2023 to May 2024. Adult Italian classes include beginning, intermediate and advanced, and will be conducted exclusively online. Adult classes run for 16 weeks starting in mid-September and are two hours long. …

For more than half a century, the Highwood Bocce Club has hosted social activities for members while promoting the game of bocce and creating an awareness of Italian heritage and culture. A community treasure with an international reputation, it boasts some of the finest bocce courts in the country. During the week of June 19-24, the courts and the community were on display as the club hosted more than 140 competitors from around the country during the 44th annual United States Bocce Federation National Championships. “We were thrilled that the national tournament returned to Highwood, and we were excited to …

The Day 1 Survivors’ second annual Grand Garden Party & Bocce Tourney for Cancer Care on June 10 transformed the Wilmette Harbor Club into a “Summer Soiree,” with guests dressed in Kentucky Derby-style hats and attire while raising funds for cancer research. The event was organized and hosted by an all-volunteer crew. The organization was founded by Dina Bair Maher, a medical reporter and anchor at WGN-TV, and her husband, John Maher. The couple presented an initial check for $35,000 to Dr. Leon Platanias, director of the Lurie Cancer Center. The funds will support Lurie’s Day 1 Survivorship Program. “Our …

The Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America Grand Lodge of IL/WI has installed new presidents for a pair of Illinois lodges. The OSDIA state grand lodge encompasses seven local lodges in Illinois and Wisconsin. Mario D’Antonio will preside over Leone D’Oro Lodge #2700, which meets in Tinley Park. Formerly a network design engineer at AT&T, D’Antonio currently is a senior field architect at Insight Inc., where he provides Fortune 100 companies with technology solutions that use artificial intelligence in a responsible way. “Home is where you make it,” he says. “If Italians stand together as one family in …

  The Italian Cultural Institute will host the DITALS Base and I Livello courses from September 21-24 at its offices on Michigan Avenue. The coursework is required for admission to the professional certificate exam for teaching Italian to adults as well as  teaching Italian to undergrad and graduate students. DITALS certificates are issued by the Università per Stranieri di Siena, which certifies technical and practical skills for teaching Italian language to foreign students. The courses will be conducted in person. The registration deadline is Sept. 6. To register, click here.    

State Rep. Anthony DeLuca has been appointed vice chairperson of the House Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, & IT Committee, where he will review cutting-edge technological issues and their impact on communities across the state. “From the rise of social media targeted toward our children such as TikTok, to cyberattacks from foreign countries, we’re increasingly facing new technological challenges here at home,” DeLuca says. “It’s important that we are ready and knowledgeable to adapt however necessary to these changes.” This legislative session alone, the committee has fielded bills related to social media moderation, TikTok usage policies on state property, artificial intelligence, data …

Upholding his longtime commitment to recognizing the contributions of Italian Americans, State Rep. Anthony DeLuca worked in collaboration with the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans to pass a bipartisan plan to mark every October in Illinois as Italian American Heritage Month. “From exploration to scientific discoveries to entertainment and culture, Italian Americans are significant and prevalent contributors to this country’s history,” DeLuca said. “It’s fitting that we take a moment as a state to recognize the strong, positive impact our Italian-American communities have had locally and to appreciate the beauty and influence this culture continues to have.” “The Italian …

When Pat Tomasulo discovered that his wife, Amy, had trigeminal neuralgia, the WGN-TV sports anchor and local standup comedian refused to take the diagnosis lying down. The debilitating facial nerve condition has left Amy in constant pain, and he was determined to do whatever he could to help find a cure. “TN damages the largest nerve in a person’s face, causing excruciating, bring-you-to-your-knees pain,” Tomasulo explains. “Amy has had it since 2001, and it has left her disabled, unable to work or really live any kind of normal life whatsoever.” Relying on Tomasulo’s vast network of fans, the anchor and …

Hardcore Italians is doing its part to help Emilia-Romagna recover from historic flooding. The creators and distributors of Italian pride products have produced limited-edition T-shirts, selling them for $35 and donating $5 from each sale to italianamericanrelief.org, which will channel the funds to the stricken region. Available in two styles, the shirts read “Praying for Emilia Romagna.” “We made the decision to create this shirt not only to raise awareness of the issue, but to extend direct support to Emilia-Romagna,” says Hardcore Italian CEO Mike Carioscia. To order a T-shirt, click here.  

Vince Cirone has been named Man of the Year by the Americans of Italian Descent of DuPage County for the second year running. The president of VC Plumbing has been a member of AID for 10 years, chairing a highly successful 2022 golf outing and gearing up for more of the same this year. “Vince is one of those guys who says he’s going to do it and gets the job done,” says AID Secretary Gino Dattilo. Pictured are (from left) Cirone, AID President Joe Cassata, Dattilo and AID Treasurer Peter DiBartolo.