Community News

by Joanne Spata The evening started with the elegant sound of a string quartet, but ended with a bang at the 42nd annual Man of the Year dinner dance hosted by the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia. Our honoree was Dominic Sergi, a longtime Casa board member and founding partner and CEO of REX Electric & Technologies. I have said it before and I will say it again: Exciting things happen when Dominic Sergi is involved. Dominic is a major force in the betterment of our community. His leadership, dedication and determination are legendary. I am truly grateful to …

Casa Italia’s 2012 Italian Language & Culture Summer Camp will run Monday through Friday from June 18 to July 13. (The camp will be closed on July 4.) For four weeks this summer, children ages 4 to 13 can immerse themselves in the wonders of Italian language and culture through a wide range of enjoyable and educational activities on Casa Italia’s beautiful grounds. Our morning program will focus on teaching your children the Italian language through songs, games, storytelling, movies and skits. During the afternoon, children can choose from a variety of activities, including soccer, bocce, dancing, cooking, diet & …

A half-dozen cinematic standouts will garner their local premieres at Casa Italia in Stone Park at the 2012 Italian Film Festival USA of Chicago. Movies will be shown in Italian with English subtitles in the Chandelier Room of the Community Center at the Casa. Parking is available behind the Italian Cultural Center and at the corner of Division and 37th. The festival runs from April 20 to May 25. Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m., with the screening starting at 7:30. Admission is free. The schedule is as follows: April 20 “Noi credevamo” (We Believed) (A 2010 drama directed …

by Joanne Spata The Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia surely lived up to its name as nearly 500 of it supporters and friends gathered to celebrate its 41st annual Person of the Year Dinner Dance. The theme “Preserving Italian Heritage and Sharing Italian Culture” permeated the enchanted evening, which took place on Feb. 18 at Alta Villa. From the moment the gala began, there was a new, yet elegant energy in the air, created by Dinner Dance Chairperson Kimberly Palmisano. Through her heartfelt sharing of her time and talent, she made the evening truly special. Through her efforts and …

by Lionel Bottari When budding young actors and actresses look for inspiration in that mother of all improvised comedy, Commedia dell’Arte, it is inevitable that they will come upon the name and works of Maestro Antonio Fava. In giving this author of “The Comic Mask in the Commedia dell’Arte” (Northwestern University Press), master artisan of the leather half-mask, and teacher of traditional improvised theater it’s hospitality, Casa Italia joined the ranks of world-class cultural institutions that invites Italian artists to work and stay as artists in residence. The Maestro was invited to come as an artist in residence by the …

by Jeanette Viehman We have something Italian for everyone on earth and in cyberspace at the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia in Stone Park ! You can come to the library in person or you can see some of our over 6,000 items online at www.librarything.com. This includes autographed best sellers, periodicals, slides, CDs, DVDs, and cassette tapes of oral histories, music, dance and drama performances. We regularly videotape our programs in their entirety and put them on YouTube, including a live Skype interview with Pierrino Mascarino, the actor who played the title role in the film “Uncle Nino.” …

The Chicagoland Italian American Charitable Organization will present local CPA and longtime member Kenneth Kolnicki with the Dominic Saverino Humanitarian of the Year Award at this year’s Honor and Hope Gala. CIACO will present 15 students with $2,000 scholarships at the event, continuing a 27-year tradition that has bestowed more than half a million dollars of financial aid upon college-bound seniors. Donations also will be made to a wounded veteran and the family of a severely disabled young man, as well as Serenity House in Addison, which provides residential and outpatient treatment services to adults recovering from substance abuse and …

by Vito Cavallo The Chicagoland Italian American Charitable Organization held its annual Honor & Hope Gala at the Alta Villa in Addison. More than 300 were in attendance as CIACO, doing what it does best, gave back to the community in a big way CIACO can state for the record that 100 percent of its year-round fundraising goes to charitable causes. (Membership dues cover all administrative costs.) On this one night alone, we gave out $52,000. Twenty deserving students received scholarships of $2,000 each. A wounded veteran was given $5,000 to help alleviate his financial hardships. A local organization that …

The Chicagoland Italian American Charitable Organization hosted another spectacularly successful Thanksgiving food drive. Dubbed “Baskets of Love,” the annual charitable campaign rallies the assistance of countless volunteers, donors and financial contributors. More than 225 volunteers converged on Buona Beef’s commissary in Berwyn on Nov. 18 to assemble 500 Thanksgiving baskets containing more than 50 pounds of groceries, including whole turkeys. Lending a hand was CIACO stalwart Dennis McKinnon of the 1985 Super Bowl-champion Chicago Bears. The completed baskets were whisked off to needy families across the Chicago area. Special thanks go out to the following companies for their generous contributions …

CIACO will host its dinner dance on April 27 at Alta Villa Banquets in Addison. Dennis Pietrini will be honored as Humanitarian of the Year at the event, Marine Lance Cp. Joseph Singer will receive an Honor and Hope Grant, and 15 students will receive scholarships at the event. For details, call 630-400-9908. So you’ve had a successful 42-year career as a dentist. Think of all the people you helped, and how many smiles you were a part of. For CIACO, where bringing smiles to those less fortunate is our greatest motivation, making Dr. Dennis Pietrini our 2013 Dominic Saverino …