Tag Archives: Italian Sons and Daughters in America

The Cesare Battisti Lodge #27 of the Italian Sons and Daughters in America honored Jon Biancardi as Member of the Year on Dec. 10 at the lodge’s clubhouse, Villa Cesare, in Schererville, Indiana. The grandson and son of lodge members, Biancardi serves on the board of directors and has spearheaded several new initiatives. In 2017, he launched an indoor bocce league that has grown from eight teams on one court to 24 teams on three courts. That same year, he created, marketed and executed the lodge’s first Festa Italiana. The annual three-day celebration of Italian culture and spirit features food …

A fierce advocate on behalf of his heritage for decades, Basil Russo has undertaken the Garibaldian task of uniting the community on a national level. Basil Russo was watching the ballgame on TV with his immigrant grandfather when Cleveland Indians slugger Rocky Colavito hit his record-tying fourth consecutive home run against the Baltimore Orioles on June 10, 1959. Russo was only 12 at the time, but that moment is forever etched in his memory. “My ‘nonnu’ was a tough, old Sicilian who rarely showed much emotion, but there he was with tears of joy running down his face,” Russo recalls. …

The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations has unanimously elected Basil Russo to serve as the organization’s new president. Representing 50 of the largest Italian-American groups in the country, the CPMIAO is headquartered in New York City and advocates for the 17 million Americans of Italian descent. Russo currently serves as national president of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, one of the largest Italian-American fraternal associations in the country. A native of Cleveland, he acts as chairman of the city’s Columbus Day Parade. He is a founding and managing partner of the law firm Russo, Rosalina …