Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
“Many hands make light work,” the Old Testament tells us, and that time-honored proverb is as true today as it was when the Jewish people rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls 2,500 years ago. For proof of that, you need look no further than Casa Italia during the holiday season.
As many of you know, the village of Stone Park bought the property on which the Casa stands from the Missionaries of St. Charles in the waning months of 2024. Opinions may differ, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s a win-win-win situation.
The Scalabrinians have been well compensated and the village has the additional public land it so desperately needs. Meanwhile, the Casa has been granted unfettered use of the Italian Cultural Center at no cost and limited use of the grounds for its outdoor events.
Gone are the expenses and aggravations of maintaining five buildings on 17 acres, and the Casa is now able to devote so much more of its precious resources to preserving our community and celebrating our culture.
As Fra Noi goes to press, the Casa is negotiating with the village to retain use of the Community Center, too, but the Office Center is slated for demolition to make way for a village facility.
With a deadline of Dec. 31 to vacate both buildings, Fra Noi, the Italian American Veterans Museum, the Casa and several other organizations had a dauntingly high hill to surmount with an enormous burden in tow. Once word got out, though, there were plenty of kind souls who were willing and able to lend a hand.
The first wave arrived between Christmas and New Year’s, moving a mountain of boxes, furniture and other items from the Italian American Veterans Museum to a secured room in the basement of the Italian Cultural Center.
Several of those volunteers were also deployed to box and move Fra Noi’s archives and help the Casa consolidate its operations in the Cultural Center while emptying the Community Center. Another wave swept through in the early days of January to finish the job.
Among the many heroes of this herculean effort:
- Dean Dalaly, who helped plan the museum’s move, paved the way for the packers, and made sure everything toggled perfectly into place in storage;
- Eric Pulia, who rallied a dozen-and-a-half volunteers before the first of the year and another dozen after it;
- Linda and Carmine Grisolia, Sam and Jenna Tinaglia, and Matthew and Jocelyn Aldinger, who whipped the Fra Noi archives into line;
- IAVM board member Steve Corbo, who handled special projects during the museum move, and fellow board member Lorenzo Fiorentino, who rallied a crew to move the bookshelves and display cases;
- Ron Lemar of Rex Carton, who donated stacks of sturdy boxes;
- Melrose Park Mayor Ron Serpico, who sent Public Works Director Gary Marine with more than a dozen pallets to elevate the museum’s holdings in storage; and
- Casa staffers Darrell Marchioretto and Nancy Cometa, who pitched in wherever, whenever throughout the process.
- Enza Agrella, Grace Balice and Angela Pranzo toiled for days to help the Casa pack for the move.
So many others helped in so many different ways, but I can only speak to the small piece of the gargantuan project that I was responsible for overseeing.
The willingness of the legions of volunteers and benefactors to donate their time and resources is truly inspirational. In most cases, all it took was a call, and Dean Dalaly and Eric Pulia took the initiative, reaching out to offer their assistance when they heard what we were up against.
Eric’s comment in the middle of the move should be music to the ears of anyone embarking on a similar project. “There are a lot of people out there who are looking for an opportunity to do good,” he assured me. “Most of the time, all you have to do is ask.”
The article above appears in the March 2025 issue of the print version of Fra Noi. Our gorgeous, monthly magazine contains a veritable feast of news and views, profiles and features, entertainment and culture. To subscribe, click here.
