Tag Archives: JCCIA

Crediting the JCCIA with setting him on his life’s path, Ron Onesti is looking to return the favor as the organization’s incoming president. At awards ceremonies, it’s not uncommon for recipients to well up as they recall those who helped them earn their place at the podium. Installations of officers tend to be more stoic affairs, but there Ron Onesti was, fighting back tears as he accepted the presidency of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans at a Jan. 24 meeting at Club Arcada in St. Charles. “At that moment, it came full circle to me just how much …

On Feb. 26, the JCCIA Young Professionals Division will host its first event, “Festa di Carnevale,” as the re-branded Avanti Club. The event will run from 8-10 p.m. at Victory Italian, 434 W. Ontario St. Chicago. Tickets are $35 per person and cover cocktails, light hors d’oeuvres and Vero gelato. “All young professionals of Italian descent, and non-Italians seeking camaraderie and fun on behalf of a wonderful cause are encouraged to attend,” says club President Pasquale Gianni. “Join us in a chance to network while celebrating the enduring Italian spirit in Chicago.” RSVP to avanti@jccia.com.    

Two years ago, the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans took its scholarship program to a new level by concentrating the annual interest income from the Nick & Helena Patti and Frank J. Vigilante scholarship foundations into a few big-ticket bestowals. The following are this year’s beneficiaries. Mia Rumps (Patti scholarship) is a student at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in rehabilitation science with minors in Italian and chemistry. A member of the dean’s list, she plans on attending medical school with the aim of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. Philip Sasso (Patti scholarship) is a student at Judson University majoring …

  My parents brought me to America when I was 8 years old. Like all other Italian immigrants, they were incredibly proud to become American citizens. They learned English along with the history of this great country as they looked forward to the opportunities that lay ahead. Still, they never forgot where they came from and always made our Italian heritage the center of our hearts and home. They couldn’t possibly have predicted the challenges that face us today as we try to hold onto a symbol that means so much to them and the entire Italian-American community. Christopher Columbus …

At a moment in our history when conflict is rampant and emotions are running high, Chicago-area Italian Americans are charting a decidedly different course. They’re building coalitions, employing quiet diplomacy and reaching out across the divide to build support for their causes. The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans has been at the forefront of this strategic sea change, beginning with a more inclusive approach to the Columbus Day Parade. Historically a celebration of Italian pride, the parade has become increasingly multicultural, with last year’s event boasting nearly a dozen floats representing a variety of African, Hispanic, Asian and white …

We are stronger together than apart. There is no greater testament to that fact than the multiethnic coalition that has rallied to reverse the Chicago Board of Education’s decision to rename Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The removal of Columbus Day is not just about Italian Americans. On the evening of Feb. 26, while most of us were welcoming home our children from school or sharing dinner with family or friends, the Chicago Board of Education usurped Columbus Day. Poof. It was gone faster than your Nonno could pinch your cheek and let go. And why? Because the community …

The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans has launched a pair of scholarship programs that takes academic financial aid up a notch. A $5,000 Frank J. Vigilante Scholarship will be presented to students of Italian extraction who demonstrate financial need and high academic achievement. In addition, a $6,500 Nick and Helena Patti Foundation Scholarship will be awarded to college students of Italian heritage, with preference given to music or education majors who are orphans or who were raised in foster homes. The scholarship may also be awarded for other fields of study “Due to the rising costs of a college …

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans has announced that the annual Italian Heritage Month Courthouse Tour of the Richard J. Daley Center will take place on Oct. 9. The tour is co-sponsored by the JCCIA and the Justinian Society of Lawyers. Offering the public a sense of the day-to-day operations in one of the nation’s largest unified court systems, the tour will include a visit to a courtroom to observe a trial in progress, an informal presentation by a circuit court judge and a meeting with bar association representatives. Reservations are required by Oct. 4 with …

The new president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans hit the ground running at the organization’s annual meeting. Speaking to a packed dining room at Casa Italia’s Banquet Center, Sergio Giangrande announced a dramatic rollback of dues in an effort encourage involvement on the part of both individuals and organizations. Giangrande proposed a tiered structure to replace the $500 dues for organizational members. $100 membership now grants voting rights and inclusion of events in the JCCIA’s e-blasts. $250 membership nets voting rights, inclusion in the e-blast and an ad in the souvenir book for the Columbus Day Parade. …

Community leaders turned out in force on Dec. 13 at Venuti’s in Addison to ring in the holidays and oversee the changing of the guard at the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. Outgoing president Enza Raineri passed the gavel to Sergio Giangrande at a festive event filled with camaraderie, acknowledgements and honors. Cook County Circuit Court Judges Elizabeth Ciacci-Lezza and Lisa Marino presided over the induction of President Giangrande along with First Vice President Lisa Ryan, Second Vice President Ron Onesti, Third Vice President John Galluzzi, Secretary Joseph Rago, Treasurer Christine Caliendo-Cerami and Sergeant-at-Arms Pasquale Gianni, the grandson of President …