The Calabresi in America Organization has elected Gina Badagliacca to serve as its 2025-2026 president, and the longtime member couldn’t be more thrilled to helm the vibrant organization.

“I think everything about the club is great,” she says. “The functions are exciting, the people are amazing and there are lifelong friendships that we create.”

Badagliacca’s parents, Francesco and Rosaria Spizzirri, were both members pretty much since the group was launched, she says, noting that she has been involved since she was a teenager, stepping up her participation after her father passed away three years ago.

“He has a lot to do with why I’m on this board,” Badagliacca says. “He had such a commitment to this club and organization. I just want to keep his legacy going.”

The Calabresi in America Organization (CIAO, for short) is a nonprofit, membership-based, social-welfare club that celebrates Calabrese culture and history while raising funds for charity and supporting a mission of fellowship within the Italian American community.

The region in Italy often referred to as the “toe” of the Italian “boot,” Calabria occupies a long, narrow peninsula that’s famous for its crystal-clear waters, lush agriculture and beautiful, ancient villages.

Emigrants from the region formed Società San Francesco di Paola in 1982 to honor the patron saint of the region, and CIAO was founded five years later to unite the Chicago-area Calabresi community throughout the year. The two groups have worked hand in hand ever since.

The two organizations work together each year to stage Festa della Famiglia in Onore di San Francesco di Paola, which attracts thousands of Calabresi and other Italian Americans to the grounds of Casa Italia in Stone Park on the second weekend of August.

CIAO played a pivotal role in the creation of Casa Italia and has been extremely supportive and involved over the quarter century since the Casa was founded. “It’s always been our home and we want to see it thrive,” Badagliacca says. “I would love to see it flourish and continue to help the Italian community.”

One of CIAO’s signature annual events is a sojourn to its ancestral region for an all-inclusive trip touted as “an experience of tradition and gastronomy.”

Badagliacca says around 120 people take part in the two-week trip every year. She is planning to go along for the first time herself this year. The 2025 edition will run from Sept. 23 to Oct. 7, with packages ranging from $4,200 to $4,500 per person depending on whether the traveler is a CIAO member and is sharing accommodations.

CIAO also hosts a golf outing in July, sponsors a float in the Columbus Day Parade in October and plays an active role in Casa Italia’s Christmas Village.

Badagliacca says one of her favorite things the group does is award college scholarships to High School students.

“It’s always exciting to talk to those children and hear their stories about their Calabrese heritage,” Badagliacca says. “It’s nice to see those traditions still there.”

The scholarship recipients are honored at the group’s installation dinner and scholarship ceremony in November.

CIAO also hosts several members-only meetings throughout the year, including a Valentine’s Day party in February; St. Joseph Table in March; frittata party in April; BBQ meeting in June; and a turkey raffle meeting in November; and a Christmas Party in December.

Annual membership dues are $75.

A hairstylist by profession, Badagliacca owned her own salon for 30 years and now rents a chair at Exsalonce Hair in Harwood sheets. She lost her husband, Peter, to glioblastoma a year ago, and is raising her children, Julia, Michael and Matteo in Elk Grove Village, where she has lived for 30 years.

Badagliacca says one of her goals as president is to get younger people involved with the organization.

Joining her as officers are First Vice President Jomarie Belmont, Second Vice President Pete DeBartolo, Third Vice President Albert Belmonte, Recording Secretary Cathy Smith, Co-Corresponding Secretaries Laura Clementi and Grace Sierakowski, Treasurer Gina Tarnowski, Sergeant-at-Arms Giacomo Manfredini, and Legal Advisor John Spina.

For more information, visit calabresiinamerica.org.

Local realtor Christopher DeSanto has stepped up to the presidency of the Calabresi in America Organization, continuing a legacy of leadership begun by his mother, Mary.

DeSanto’s grandparents came to America from Castrolibero and Rende, Calabria. Both of his parents were members of CIAO from the club’s inception, and his mom was a perennial volunteer and longtime board member.

“For the last decade or so, my mother and I served on the board together,” DeSanto says. “When I became vice president, she was so happy, and she knew the day would come when I would become president. The best feeling was knowing my mother was so happy.”

DeSanto’s involvement in the community dates back 40 years, to when he joined the Italian American Civic Organization of Berwyn. He signed up with CIAO in 2001 and has served in several leadership roles over the last two decades. He was recently elected second vice president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans and represents CIAO on the Casa Italia board.

DeSanto and the rest of the CIAO officers are working to re-establish the organization’s annual trip to Calabria while maintaining a busy schedule that includes a St. Joseph Table in March, a frittata party in April and the Feast of San Francesco di Paola in August, which they co-sponsor with Società San Francesco di Paola. (calabresiinamerica.org)

Mario Salerno has been elected president of the Calabresi in America Organization.

A member for eight years, Salerno served as an advisor for two years and worked his way up through the vice presidential ranks before being elected president.

“Being involved has given me the opportunity to share my Calabrese background with others and celebrate it as well,” he explains. “I like being able to provide outreach not only to other Calabrese but to members of other Italian-American organizations.”

Being elected president is both on honor and an opportunity for Salerno, who follows in the footsteps of his father, Frank, a longtime member and current treasurer.

“It feels great knowing that I have grown with the board for so many years, and that I now have a chance to lead, and it’s also great having my family members to help me as advisors on the board,” he says. “I look forward to working on new ideas for growth.”

Outreach to young Calabresi is high on the list of Salerno’s priorities. “Its an enormous step to give of their time to be a part of the community and spread our traditions across the area,” he notes. “We need to create new events that appeal to all ages of our community while strengthening the traditional customs we have in place as well.”

Salerno works in procurement for UChicago Argonne LLC, formerly Argonne National Laboratory. He has been with the Lemont-based company for eight years.

Hie is the son of Frank and Rita Salerno, both of whom were born in Cozenza, Calabria. The youngest of three siblings, he graduated from Divine Providence Grammar School, St. Joseph High School, and Dominican University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in corporate communications with a minor in business administration. A fitness enthusiast, he is a fan of the White Sox, Bears and Bulls, in that order.

A veteran of the U.S. Army who served overseas in Korea after the war, Belmonte was a career firefighter, starting with the Westchester Fire Department in 1978 and working his way up from lieutenant in 1982 and captain in 1989 to chief in 2006, a position he held until his retirement in 2011.

Belmonte joined CIAO in 2000, “to enjoy the camaraderie and celebrate the shared heritage.” He has held leadership positions since 2002, serving on the advisory board and board of directors and holding the positions of first, second and third vice president before ascending to the presidency.

“Since the night of my inauguration as president, I have encouraged our membership to work hard to attract new members. Then, the other day a couple of questions popped into my head; ‘Why did I become a member?’ and ‘What have I gotten out of the years I have spent in the club?'”

“I guess the first thing that comes to mind is my ethnicity. I am a Calabrese and was brought up in a family and neighborhood that predominantly reflected that. As a youngster growing up, I took it for granted. As I grew older I began to move outward from that inner circle as I became exposed to backgrounds that were different than mine.

“It began to dawn on me that I was proud of my roots. I loved the traditions, customs and beliefs, as well as the love of family and the work ethic I had been exposed to. Those things defined me as a person and I wanted to do something not only to preserve them but also to pass them along.

“The second thought that comes to mind is how personally rewarding my involvement has been. It has afforded me the opportunity to meet and interact with many remarkable people. Out of that has come many wonderful friendships, but also many rewarding and fun activities. What some would call work becomes fun when it involves a shared experience that benefits a good cause. And these friendships have broadened me as an individual. There are a wide range of business and professions that speak to the diversity of the group, as well as their individual talents and industry.

“Being a member of CIAO is everything I hoped it would be. It has helped me celebrate my heritage and pass it along to those who follow me. It has allowed me to meet and befriend so many wonderful people. And it has allowed me to experience things I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. Would I do it over again? You bet I would!”

Belmonte’s fellow officers are Angelo N. Castanza Jr., first vice president; Lisa Perkins, second vice president; Mario Salerno, third vice president; Angela Morrone-Incandela, recording secretary; Alberto DeCicco, corresponding secretary; Frank Salerno, treasurer; Mary De Santo, assistant treasurer; Carmine Russo, sergeant-at-arms; and John Spina, legal adviser.

For more information, visit www.calabresiinamerica.org.