Fagiano instantly recalls a particular crime in 1998, when he was a detective. A young woman was working at a Burger King by herself when a man wearing a mask came into the fast food restaurant, robbed it, and then sexually abused her. Fagiano and another detective found her, handcuffed and distraught.

“Within five hours of the incident, I and the other detective had built a solid case against the assailant. The crime ended up going to court, and he was found guilty. And he won’t be released from prison until 2065,” he recalls. “Even after I retire, I’ll never forget that case. We spent so much time working on it even after we had the assailant arrested. It was just so rewarding to be able to put him in jail.”

Fagiano is a big fan of old police movies, as well as modern crime shows on television. However, he knows all too well the vast difference between real life and Hollywood fiction, even if the citizens he serves do not.

“I’ll get calls from people wondering why I didn’t get a result based on fingerprints back in two minutes like they see on TV. In reality, it takes weeks to get the results of fingerprints back,” he explains. “People don’t understand how much paperwork is required and how many lengthy reports need to be written. On TV, the detectives go home right after a case is solved, and that isn’t how it happens.”

Fagiano remembers how, when he first joined the force, even the simplest task took hours. “If I wanted to attain a photo of someone for a six pack (a police term for a six-man photo line-up), I would have to drive down to the Chicago Police Department, find a copy of the man’s license, and match it manually,” he says. “Now, if I need to find an arrest photo, everything is online. It takes 10 minutes instead of three hours.”

As chief of police, Fagiano knows how important it is to keep pace with the constantly changing technology of law enforcement. “When I started out, we had to handwrite everything because the Internet and Microsoft Word weren’t around, so my generation has to play catch up, a little bit,” he explains. “It’s important that we stay on top of things, though, because the younger officers in the department are comfortable with technology and are eager and willing to learn more.”

Regardless of how much has changed, Fagiano knows that one aspect of the job remains constant. “Being a police officer is the most rewarding job you can have, because you get to do the right thing every day,” he says. “I like to say that, as police chief, I come to work every day and put on my 20/20 glasses so I can be fair and objective to my employees, the citizens of Elmwood Park, and everyone I come in to contact with.”

If Fagiano could give one piece of advice to a young man or woman looking to get into the field, it would be, “If a case you’ve been working on goes to court, you need to realize the verdict is out of your hands. As long as you did the best job you could have done, the system will take it from there.”

But the Somone brothers, Tony and Michael, instead gravitated to harness racing as teens. They grew up close to Maywood Park, which with its sister track in Crete, Balmoral Park, is a hub of Illinois standardbred harness racing.

“When I was about 16, I went to the harness races with my friends,” recalls Michael, assistant vice president at Amalgamated Bank of Chicago. (He’s also been vice president of the Italian-American Labor Council for the past eight years.) “They (his older friends) would go make a bet for me.”

Tony’s introduction to harness racing, however, wasn’t necessarily his choice. One evening, he pulled up in the driveway of his girlfriend’s house. But his girlfriend’s father apparently wasn’t keen on Tony spending time alone with his daughter. So Dad insisted they go to the track. He gave them $20, and they ended up winning $180–a sum Tony attributes to beginner’s luck.

“We really didn’t know what we were doing,” Tony says. “Then I really fell in love with the sport. … It sort of flourished from there.”

Tony also ended up falling in love with his girlfriend in this story, Jenny. The couple has been married 28 years and has two children: Tom (24) and Elizabeth (21).

Eventually, Tony and Michael started going to the track together, and Michael remembers a conversation they had one day that turned out to be prophetic.

Micheal recalls that “We kept saying, ‘We’re going to be partners one day. Someday we’re going to own one of these horses.'”

These past 15 years, the Somone brothers have owned several horses, including their current trio. Like most racing horses, each is cleverly named: Middle Aged Crazy, Smooth Transition and Diamond Brady. Smooth Transition has been in Springfield dealing with medical issues, but Michael notes the horse is scheduled to return to Maywood to resume training.

Diamond Brady also has been in Springfield, racing on the county fair circuit while Middle Aged Crazy races in Dover. Delaware; given his success he might be stay out East for quite a while.

“He’s racing very well,” Michael says. “The purses are very high there. He’s a little bit of a cash cow. He keeps everybody else paid for.”

Owning racehorses can be lucrative but Michael and Tony never have haggled over finances. It’s something they’re proud of, and Michael attributes that to being raised in an Italian family.

“We’re 100 percent Italian,” Michael says. “Meals with the family were standard on Sundays. We’ve smiled and disagreed on things, but we’ve never had an argument in 15 years and that has a lot to do with our upbringing. We’ve always tried to make this business a family thing.”

“There’s a lot of money and potential money involved, but we’ve never had an issue,” agrees Tony. He’s executive director of the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association, a non-profit organization designed to preserve, promote and maintain harness racing in Illinois, according to the organization’s website.

In his role, Tony represents the state’s harness horsemen legislatively, in contract talks, and with health and some liability insurance matters.

“As far as the money part goes, we trust each other,” he says of his fraternal partner. “We were raised the same way and have similar values about what’s important. It’s (horse racing) very rewarding and enjoyable. It’s become part of our lives, and it’s trickled down to our children’s lives.”

He adds: We’ve had some good, fun banter. “We’ve argued about naming the horses, but it’s all in fun.”

And sometimes it’s in the name of encouraging others.

A few years ago, Tony’s son Tom, who has Down Syndrome, was involved in the Life Skills Program at Lyons Township High School, attended by special needs high school graduates not ready to enter the workforce.

While there, Tom routinely talked about the horses with his teachers and classmates.

“We’ve taken him to race track for as long as we can remember, and everybody knows him,” Tony said. “He enjoys the horses. He enjoys visiting with them and the camaraderie of a guy thing. I think he likes that and seeing the people and the horses and hanging out.”

Around that time, the Somone brothers had just bought a new horse, and that horse didn’t have a name.

“Some of his teachers at Lyons Township knew that Tom was talking a lot about horses,” Tony says. “My wife said, ‘Wouldn’t it be a great idea if we had the kids at Tom’s class pick out a name for horse, and bring Tom’s class to the barn and visit the horse?'”

Jenny’s suggestion became reality. More than a dozen of his classmates and their teachers first went over to the barn to see the horse.

“This horse a really large animal,” Tony points out. “He was an absolute show-stopper, but he was gentle, kind and caring, and if you could use such a word with a horse, compassionate. The horse fell in love with these kids, and they fell in love with him.”

Tom’s class bantered around several names, and decided to name the horse Smooth Transition because, as Tony explains, the name coincided with the goal of Tom’s class: “to have smooth transition into life and into work force, and out of high school.”

“The exciting thing is sharing it (the horses) with people and with kids and children,” Michael adds. “I can bring them to the barn and they’re just in awe. We’re constantly trying to bring kids in; they’re so excited and they talk about it for months at a time. It’s not about the money or being in the winner’s circle. It’s about sharing with other people.”

Interestingly, Tom’s influence on the family is such that Michael’s son, Michael Jr., is now a special education teacher; Tony’s daughter, Elizabeth, is in nursing school.

Tony said of his son, “He’s touched us in a way that wasn’t what you planned on in life. He’s really been a glue that’s helped our family, and extended family, stay as close as we are. Life works in funny ways.”

As director of the Elevator Safety Division for the Illinois fire marshal, you could say Capuani has taken a steady ride to the top floor of his profession. He started the state’s program in 2006 and today, “We’re responsible for 34,000 elevators in the whole state outside of Chicago,” he says. “We register every elevator in the state.”

In licensing terms, it also boils down to overseeing 1,790 mechanics, 154 inspectors, 97 contractors and 25 inspection companies. It also means executing agreements with 180 municipalities.

If it sounds like a daunting task, but Capuani, who lives in Elgin, had more than three decades experience in the field before taking on his present post. There’s another side to his work that makes it even tougher: “It’s been a challenge dealing with legislators to pass rules and make decisions, because everybody has to approve it,” he says.

While there are no shortcuts to elevator safety, Capuani (a former Army sergeant) knows clever ways to speed up elevator legalities: “You just make [lawmakers] realize that safety is the major factor.”

No one knows this truth quite like Capuani, who has leveraged his position to change things for the better. “I put into place the rules that elevators need to have annual inspections,” he says.

But what if building owners try to skirt those rules? “I added rules that a mechanic can’t work on an elevator unless it has an up-to-date inspection certificate,” he says. “That was to ensure that everyone has an inspection every year.”

While he’s proud of his role in protecting the public, Capuani is even prouder of his family. His mother, Rose, and father, Pat, came from Guercino and Ferentino respectively. He’s been married for 40 years to his wife Annette, who was born in Italy just outside Salerno.

Capuani also has a son who’s continuing in the family line of work. Bobby Jr. has risen through the ranks of the International Union of Elevator Constructors from mechanic to area coordinator of the educational program. (He also serves as president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans’ Young Professionals Division). His daughter Roseanne works in logistics, rounding out the American side of the family. His notion of family expanded dramatically and at the same time hit home when he traveled to Italy for the first time recently.

There he met a cousin, “and when I saw him sitting there it was like seeing my father again: his mannerisms, the way he moved his hands,” he recalls. “My wife said it was the happiest she’d seen me in a long time. It was very emotional.”

He adds: “When I saw where I came from and realized the history, it made me so proud to be Italian.”

Having recently graduating from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business with a masters degree, DeSantis serves as the CFO of Drury Lane, where he’s helped produce more than 41 productions. It’s still a family affair; his brother Kyle is Drury Lane’s CEO.

And in a twist any theater buff could appreciate, Drew embarked on a foreign adventure to sharpen his business chops. After finishing his undergraduate education Emory University, he moved abroad and interned at a small accounting firm outside of Barcelona, Spain. All the while he kept in touch with his family back home, learning the basics of their business strategy. It wasn’t always easy: His grandfather, grandmother and Aunt were sick. Though offered a job after his internship, DeSantis packed his bags and headed home to help take care of his family. He also assisted with the numbers behind the Drury Lane business.

“Within a year after I came back from Spain and started working in the accounting office, my grandfather had passed.” DeSantis recalls.

Though he’s grieved the passing of many close family members, he also inherited a determination to succeed—and better himself—from his grandfather. “Graduate school was an enhancement to my entrepreneurship background at Drury Lane,” states DeSantis. He also formed friendships and connections with many of his classmates.

Currently, DeSantis is working with one of his Booth Business colleagues on a joint business venture. They hope to have a search fund up and running by 2015, and plan on flipping the businesses for a profit. “The objective is to raise money for investors in a small business, run it better and sell it for more money, 5 to 7 years down the road.” DeSantis says.

DeSantis balances his time between the search fund and duties as CFO and producer at Drury Lane. Every Monday he participates in a theater trustee meeting, gathering with two cousins, his brother and other trustees. From a distance, his sister Abbie participates as well.

“Although she is away, she is still very involved with the business.” states DeSantis. Abbie is currently in South Africa, a volunteer educating and tutoring poor children in the arts.

In October 2014, Drury Lane hosted the Joseph Jefferson Committee awards. Drury Lane received four awards for its productions of “Next to Normal” and “Les Miserables.” “Camelot” is currently playing at the theater through January 4th. To conclude the 2014-2015 season, Drury Lane will present “West Side Story,” which opens on January 22nd and runs through March 15th, 2015.

While Drury Lane and the search fund keep DeSantis plenty busy, he has also partnered with MCL Theatre, a live music comedy venue in the city. “I hope to help them get a festival up and running in the near future,” DeSantis states. It’s an important goal to him, and philanthropy also ranks as a priority to Drew and his family. “My grandfather started the DeSantis foundation.” DeSantis says. The foundation donates food to soup kitchens and many Catholic charities. Cancer has also hit his family hard, so they also participate in cancer research. Beyond this commitment, the DeSantis family supports arts groups such as the Chicago Children’s Choir and the Geoffrey Ballet.

DeSantis can rest assured that his grandfather would be very proud of him. He frequently thinks of cherished memories, including the wisdom Anthony passed on in his old age: “He would look at me with those shaky hands and make a rollercoaster motion,” DeSantis recalls. “He said to me, ‘Drew, this is what life is like: Ups and downs. Ride the coaster as long as you can, but some stuff is out of your control.’”

The late Anthony DeSantis was born in Gary, Indiana before moving to the Roseland community. His empire expanded all across the Chicagoland area. DeSantis was very proud of his Italian American roots and his ancestors hailed from Abruzzi, Italy. He passed away on June 6th, 2007 at the age of 93.

In the years since, Drew DeSantis and his family have continued to craft a legacy through a time-honored, well-known business in the Chicago area. “My grandfather was always one to open more theaters,” DeSantis says. “We want to produce new works and shows.”

Put another way, the future’s an open curtain.

De Vincentis credits his High School best friend for his love for opera and introducing him to the Golden Age of singing. De Vincentis recalls performing from a young age in musical theatre and was later introduced to his best friend’s father and vocal coach: Carl Lawrenz.

“I owe a lot of my love of classical musical to Carl.” states De Vincentis, who graduated from DePaul University in 2002 with a degree in finance, accounting, and marketing. While taking the practical career route, he still pays attention to his voice. De Vincentis is classically trained in oratorio and opera as a Bass-Baritone. And during his time at De Paul, his love affair with opera brought him to competitions and performances. He played the title role in the musical “Sweeney Todd” and Seneca in “L’Incoronazione di Poppea,” among many others.

“I would pay to play Sweeney Todd again,” he says enthusiastically. “It was a wonderful opportunity and great role.” What’s more, the Chicago Tribune and Sun Times hailed De Vincentis as “both vocally and comically perfect” for his role as Private Willis in Light Opera Works production of “Iolanthe” in 2008. De Vincentis has also performed with the Chicago Symphony Chorus for three years and his most memorable experience was singing at Ravinia. During his college years, he won top state honors in the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition at Millikin University in 2002.

De Vincentis will always pledge a strong allegiance to opera, though his rigorous work schedule makes it tough to tackle full productions: He arrives for work at 6 a.m. “I love my job; it’s really my life,” he states. But he has a game plan to marry his vocation and avocation: “I think I can combine my performance history, my love of the arts and technical understanding with my desire and know-how on a financial basis in the form of charity.”

De Vincentis makes room for ad hoc performances and continues to keep his voice in impeccable condition. On weekends, he works in the studio with his vocal coach. “I typically practice on Saturdays for 3 to 4 hours,” he says.

Recently, De Vincentis was invited to serve on the Guild Board at the Lyric Opera. “It was the right mix for me,” he notes. While planning for a day when he’ll perform and work to benefit the performing arts, De Vincentis is knee deep in a strategic planning period with board members. “There are several really nice events that the Guild puts together,” he says, adding that the Guild leads backstage tours of the Opera.

De Vincentis is also a member and part of the Luminarts Cultural Foundation at the Union League Club of Chicago; the former supports Chicago artists, writers, and musicians. He also serves on the Athletic committee at the Union League and on the Finance Advisory Board at De Paul University.

The son of Frank and Angela De Vincentis, the younger Frank’s grandparents hail from Bari. De Vincentis is a Senior Vice President and partner with the Chicago Group at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. In addition to being the lead portfolio manager on several proprietary investment solutions, he serves as a coach to financial advisors during their first years. He started at the firm in 2004; “My career is a great balance between the science of economics, finance, and accounting combined with the art of helping people.”

To that end, De Vincentis has balanced career aspirations with his opera fascination. If practice does in fact make perfect, then De Vincentis is an ideal inspiration to everyone. Meanwhile, he’s hitting all the right notes: His journey involving charity in the performing arts has just entered its first act.

“I couldn’t understand why seven people were sitting in the dark with no one around them, when I was going home to a large, wonderful Italian fest,” she recalls. “I thought, ‘Something is terribly wrong here. How could this happen?’”

Many years later, Loverde would keep that moment in mind and heart when she wrote “The Complete Eldercare Planner: Where to Start, Questions to Ask, How to Find Help” (Random House). Revised and updated since its original publication, this comprehensive guide addresses questions from the most basic (responding to an emergency) to the most profound (saying goodbye). In between, Loverde’s book also takes on the stickier issues, such as when and how to address the topic of asking elderly parents to stop driving.

The American Medical Association praised Loverde’s book as “the best we saw” on the topic, and Loverde boasts close to 30 years experience as a media spokesperson. She’s been featured on the Today show, CBS’s Early Show, CNN Headline News, Fox News, and National Public Radio and in Consumer Reports, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.

“I’m an advocate for the quality of life for all people as they age,” says Loverde, who has roots in Tuscany on her mom’s side (in Segromigno Monte) and Sicily on her dad’s side.

Aside from her work as an author and advocate, Loverde makes her career as a marketing consultant to companies that cater to the elderly. “They call and ask me to help them with whatever they’re selling–products and services of any kind–and package it for a mature market. For example, a senior housing association might ask me to be part of their marketing, so people can understand what it’s like to live in their community setting.”

Yet just as she tries to educate families, Loverde also works to teach her corporate clients as well. “One misconception is that they think people make decisions in a void, and that’s not true,” she says. “Most of the decisions are made by family, and people also surround themselves with others such as an attorney, a financial planner, or a parish priest to address the spiritual concerns. These people all become very important.”

For those dealing with the issues of an aging parent or relative, Loverde urges a similar team approach.

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions, or to get family involved,” she says. “Usually people don’t bring up the subject of long-term care because it’s not pleasant. But the earlier you plan, the more choices you have — so start talking early. Those conversations are so important. The worst thing that can happen in a family is that they never take place. But if you have them, you help each other, and everybody benefits.”

As for the best part of her work, “I make money being a marketing consultant, but my mission is fulfilled when other companies hire me,” Loverde says. “And when you meet people who have a good network around them, it’s very rewarding: the people who make good choices, aren’t aging or dying alone, and surrounded by family and friends.”

To contact Joy Loverde, call 312-282-3714, email jloverde@elderindustry.com, or visit elderindustry.com.

But for all the bragging he could do about his restaurant, owner/chef Bruno Abate has something else he wants to discuss. Just before the dinner rush — in a mod dining room with white, ski-slope chairs — Abate projects a video on the wall that shows him talking to nearly 40 inmates at Cook County Jail.

Rather than prison blues or grays, the inmates wear crisp white shirts and chef’s hats. The pride in their faces is obvious. “Do you want to live here forever?” Abate asks. “I will teach you something. I will give you the possibility to have a job when you are out of here.”

It’s part of a program Abate created called Culinary Mission for Change, or cm4c for short. “It’s the only program I know in the United States that does food training in jail,” says Abate, who was born in Naples and raised in Milan. “It started when I was visiting my daughter in Italy, who told me about a girl whose father was in jail.” And in that Padua jail, they’d started programs teaching inmates how to cook and build bicycles.

Abate picks up the story: “When I came back from Italy, I had jet lag and couldn’t sleep. At 3:30 in the morning, I was watching a story on TV about how many juveniles were in jail. And I knew I had to do something.”

That “something” has turned into a remarkable program where inmates train hard: They put in 25 hours a week for 3 months, totaling 300 hours. Abate supervises and teaches them all the way, a tough task in addition to running his restaurant.

None of this would be possible without the backing of law enforcement officials, and Sheriff Tom Dart has been a huge supporter of cm4c. “He loves the program and he sees the progress,” Abate says. “He’s just an unbelievable person; he gives me all the support he can to make this happen.”

True to his word, graduates of cm4c who’ve left jail have gotten jobs at Tocco, or been placed at local supermarkets and other food establishments. “When you come outside you have to have a chance,” he says. “That’s what this country is based on and that’s what I try to do — to give back the hope, the self esteem and the dignity.”

He also dreams of growing cm4c, not just in the Chicago area but across the country. “If we spend $3 trillion on the prison system, and there are 3.4 million people in jail, think about what we could save if we educate people instead of jailing them,” he notes. “We’d save money and we’d save lives.”

To find out more about cm4c, or to get involved, visit cm4change.org or contact Abate at Tocco, 1266 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-687-8895

By day, she is a familiar face at Pan American Bank, where she serves as teller. And each Sunday, she is a beloved voice at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, where she performs as a soloist at Mass.

A classically trained soprano, Capra has been singing at church since she was 12 years old. She studied at Elmhurst College, graduating in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in music management as well as a performance certificate.

A longtime student of noted local vocal coach Dr. Brad Nitschke, she travels into the city twice a week to take hour-long lessons. “Singing is like playing an instrument or a sport, you have to practice constantly to perfect your craft,” she explains. “I save the modern music to sing to in the car!”

As she trains to be a personal banker, Capra is also perfecting her craft in the banking industry. “I like banking and working with the people,” Capra says. “They put their trust in me and I hope to do well!” And banking has paid dividends on the personal front for Capra, who met a nice young man at work who is now her fiancé.

As fulfilling has banking has been for Capra, there’s a special place in her heart for singing. “I love working at the bank, but, I think you can love two things in your life,” Capra explains. “Music fills my soul.”

She has sung at the high Mass celebrated each year at the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and she has performed for residents at Casa San Carlo retirement community in Northlake and the Presbyterian Home in Evanston. She is also meeting with brides to pick out music for several wedding ceremonies that she’ll be singing at in the next few months.

Capra’s passion and drive is fueled by her support system, which includes her fiancé, friends and family. Tracing her roots on her mother’s side to Calabria, she credit her mom and he grandmother with keeping Italian traditions burning brightly. “We gather around the table with a great supply of food and it brings everyone together,” Capra enthuses.

Capra will continue to keep busy on the musical and financial front in the next several months as she plans her May 2015 wedding. She is a bright and multifaceted young woman who hopes to dabble in theatre or musicals soon.

The experience she has gained singing and working in Melrose Park has made her both humble and strong. And with the personal roots she has laid down, there is no question that she will be making her mark on the larger community.

To book Capra for your next event, contact her at capragianna@gmail.com.

During her high school career, Nardulli managed to juggle participation on the pompom squad and soccer team with a leadership role as class council president and still earned a GPA of more than 4.5 along with an honorable mention on the 2013-2014 Illinois High School Association’s All-State Academic Team.

“My parents are big supporters of all my activities,” Nardulli proudly states. Gino and Antoinette Nardulli hail from Bari and Sicily respectively. She also credits them with instilling time management skills in her from an early age. “I keep everything balanced,” she explains. Though she leads the life of a normal teenager, she knows that she must stay focused. “I have discipline,” she says. “I know when to stay at home and study and when to go out with my friends.”

She has been dancing since she was 4 and playing soccer since she was 6. She notes that her dancing and soccer skills go hand in hand. “The coordination and balance really complement each other,” she points out. Nardulli is a center-midfielder on the soccer field. During her high school career, the team has excelled, making it to the regional finals the last three years and winning twice.

As Nardulli wrapped up her career at Ridgewood with four AP classes, she concluded her tenure as Senior Class Council president by planning the event of the year: prom! Her busy summer will include working, traveling to California for a family wedding and assisting the dance team in preparing for next school year. Then it’s off to DePaul University, where she’ll be entering the honors program on a presidential scholarship.

Nardulli has made the pivotal decision to not try out for the soccer team during her undergraduate career. “I don’t want to overwhelm myself going into college,” she explains. “Academics are the key to success.” She hopes to major in business and participate in intramural soccer for fun. And when she arrives on campus, she’ll be carrying her high school experiences with her. “I am very fortunate for what I have learned during my time at Ridgewood,” she says.

Nardulli is a great role model for high school students. She is also very close to her younger sister, Gabriella, who played on the soccer team with her. “Anything can be accomplished if you put your mind to it,” Nardulli says. With the help and support of her family, Nardulli is on the fast lane to success. “Without my parents, it would have been hard to accomplish all that I’ve accomplished,” Nardulli says.

Photo by Anna Chomiak

And he’s well-known in the Chicago-area Italian-American community as the founder and president of Sportivo Academy, a non-profit organization that provides introductory sports development programs primarily for Italian-American youths in the area.

Isabelli says Sportivo, which he founded in 2008, “uses the universal passion for sports in a way to bring local Italian-American youth, coaches and mentors together to not only develop athletic and personal skills, but to help develop Italian cultural awareness and encourage participation in contributing to the future growth of the culture.”

Another hat Isabelli dons is that of a visionary.

Building on the success of Sportivo Academy’s soccer, boxing and track and field programs, Isabelli has been negotiating with SS Lazio Basket and Lega Serie A Basket — the Italian professional league equivalent of the NBA — to co-host a basketball camp in the Chicago area that would open the door to a sports cultural exchange program.

In particular, Isabelli has been working closely with one of the most popular players in Italian basketball history. Abdul Jeelani, an original member of the Dallas Mavericks who joined the NBA in 1980 and enjoyed a successful six-year career in the Italian pro leagues and also played in Spain for four year.

“He was a major star there,” Isabelli noted. “He goes back over to Italy and he’s like a hero there. He agrees with what Sportivo is all about.”

This culture exchange program would enable Italian-American youths from Sportivo to, for example, go to Rome and learn about Italian culture, take guided tours, etc. On the flip side, kids from Italy would be given the opportunity to visit Chicago and learn about American culture.

But first thing’s first. SS Lazio Basket has agreed to partner with Sportivo to host the camp and exchange program, but that agreement is dependent on developing significant interest from the Chicago area Italian-American community. That’s why Isabelli is focused like a laser beam on building up participation in the camp, which is key to getting the culture exchange program off the ground.

The free camp, scheduled to be held late this summer at the Casa Italia in Stone Park, is open to boys and girls of all skill levels ages 8 to 15. Registration began the week of May 11. To register, go online to www.sportivoacademy.com. Initially, the camp will be one day, but Isabelli said it could be extended and held on an ongoing monthly or weekly basis if there’s enough interest.

“We would ideally love to have a large group, like 50 kids, but 20 would be a good number to start off,” he said.

Although the camp is free, Isabelli is trying to get the word out to see what businesses would like to support it. In turn, camp sponsors and their businesses would be promoted on jerseys or banners at the camp.

Basketball has become quite a popular sport in Italy, with several Italian natives currently playing in the NBA. Among them is Andrea Bargnani, a 7-foot power forward with the New York Knicks who was the first player selected in the 2006 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors. Chicago Bulls fans will remember Marco Belinelli, who played for the club during the 2012-13 season; he is now with the San Antonio Spurs.

“You find more and more fans of the pro leagues there,” Isabelli said.

As U.S. Midwest regional trustee with the Italian National Olympic Committee, Isabelli has organized the U.S. Midwest youth track and field trials each year since 2010 for boys and girls age 11-13 of proven Italian decent. Those who make the Italian-American national youth team then travel to Italy to compete in the Italian Student Games, which this year are being held June 25 through July 1 in the Le Marche region of Italy.

This year’s tryouts were held at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago the second and third weekends of May. (Tryouts also are being held in New York and Los Angeles.)