Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
Cav Uff. Lyn Scolaro has been elected president of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America. Scolaro takes the helm from Pat Pierce, who briefly succeeded founder and longtime president Joe Papa.
“I want to thank Pat for doing such a great job of leading SADIA,” says Papa, who stepped down as president when he moved to Florida in January. “The organization has made a great choice in electing Lyn. She’s a dynamo, and I’m sure she’ll take the organization to new heights.”
SADIA began as the Order Sons of Italy Lodge 2446 in the early 1950s and became an independent nonprofit in 2008.
The group is actively involved in Schaumburg’s Septemberfest and takes part in special events throughout the year sponsored by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, Casa Italia, the Italian American Executives of Transportation and others.
The funds SADIA raises support scholarships and are donated to individuals and organizations both within and outside of the Italian-American community.
“Our core concept is famiglia. We help those in need as we would our own family,” Scolaro says. “We’re committed to pursuing a greater appreciation of our Italian heritage and culture, and we’re equally committed to community service.”
A longtime teacher of Italian at the high school level, Scolaro was knighted by the Italian government in 2019. SADIA also honored her as Person of the Year in 2019. Increasing membership and introducing new fundraising initiatives are among the goals of her presidency.
SADIA meets the first Tuesday of the month. For details, email president@sadia-italy.org or visit sadia-italy.org.
