Tag Archives: JCCIA

The 2017 Columbus Day Parade was among the best in recent memory. The sun shone brightly and the weather was glorious, attracting a record crowd. And thanks to the enthusiastic leadership of our parade chairman, Sergio Giangrande, we maxed out the capacity of our float company and enjoyed tremendous support from sponsors and television advertisers alike. Festivities officially began on Oct. 6 with the revival of our beloved flag raising ceremony at the Daley Center. On Oct. 9, a total of nine buses left the grounds of Casa Italia over the course of the morning for the Mass and Parade. …

Gianna Tuminello was crowned queen of the Columbus Day Parade at an intimate pageant in September at the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. Sponsored by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans and chaired by Ron Onesti, the pageant featured in-depth conversations with each contestant. “I wanted to focus on the girls’ personalities and public presence,” Onesti said. Tuminello credited the love and guidance of her Italian-American mom with making her the young woman she is today. Tuminello will take part in the parade and other events in the community in the company of her court: Giuliana Bartucci, …

The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans pulled out all the stops for its 2017 Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Gala, honoring 10 local powerhouses from all walks of life. Renato Bacci (Military) U.S. Army Colonel, Retired Chair, Illinois Committee, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Retired U.S. Army Colonel Bacci received his commission in 1969 through the ROTC program at Loyola University. During his 30-year career, he served as an Infantry, Armor, and Civil Affairs Officer. His active-duty tours included Bosnia, Croatia, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. While mobilized for Operation Joint Endeavor (Bosnia 1996), Ron worked directly with the …

The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans is proud to announce that Sergio Giangrande will serve as the Chairman of the 2017 Columbus Day Parade. Young, energetic, skilled and committed to his heritage, Sergio is the perfect person for the position. The son of Vito and Rosalia (Zummo) Giangrande, Sergio was born in Chicago but moved with his parents to Italy when he was 3 months old. The family returned back to America when Sergio was 8, settling in Schiller Park. A master baker, Sergio’s dad also worked in construction and his mother worked as a seamstress while they raised …

Italian-American women commanded the spotlight when the JCCIA Women’s Division staged its Impresa Awards Gala on Oct. 1 at the Medinah Country Club. The event will honor the following outstanding individuals: Lissa Druss Christman, public affairs specialist and award-winning journalist; Andrea Collaro, senior director, Walgreens Boots Alliance; Emilia DeMenco, president and CEO, Women’s Development Center; Jessica D’Onofrio, general assignment reporter, ABC 7; Catherine DeOrio, host, “Check Please,” WTTW; Felicia Ferrone, award-winning industrial and furniture designer; Jomarie Fredericks, deputy general counsel, Rotary International; Toni Ginnetti, groundbreaking Chicago sportswriter; Gloria Nardini, scholar, educator and author; Dr. Louise Sclafani, director, Optometric Services, University …

The Women’s Division of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans recently held their 51st annual Scholarship Presentation and Fashion Show at Drury Lane in Oak Brook Terrace. President Rose Mary Ranallo and fashion show chairman Carmella Capriati greeted the 300 guests in attendance and thanked them for their support and generosity, which enables the women’s division to provide scholarships to five outstanding young Italian-American women who are entering college. Annually, the women’s division presents high school seniors who have excelled scholastically with $2,000 scholarships. This year, they were fortunate to provide scholarships to five outstanding young ladies: Christina Marie …

Organizational growth, whether it be in a corporate setting or a volunteer, ethnically based one such as the JCCIA, can be challenging as we face competing interests, time constraints and the need to balance our work and family responsibilities. Somewhere in there, we want to stay in touch with our roots, but often cannot find the niche in which to do so. As the JCCIA has grown since its inception, it has seen the world change through the lens of new generations of Italian Americans who have taken the success they have found in this country and parlayed them into …

John Idler, president and general manager of ABC7 Chicago, and Alison Pure-Slovin, Midwest director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, were honored at the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans’ annual media luncheon on May 18. Idler will be given the Dante Award, which is bestowed on a member of the media who lives up to Dante Alighieri’s call to be no timid friend to truth; Pure-Slovin will receive the Mazzei Award, which is presented to a person who shows extraordinary skills in the world of public affairs. Dante Award Recipient John Idler “As a longtime supporter of the work and …

The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans and Istituto Italiano di Cultura put Italy’s best foot forward on March 5 during Navy’s Pier’s Neighborhoods of the World celebration. What an appropriate name to promote all the diversity of Chicago. Our array of ethnic communities is presented for thousands of spectators who pass thru Navy Pier on any given Sunday from February thru April. Entertainment was presented on March 5 by the IIC and the JCCIA presents the cultural displays. For weeks prior to our day to shine, the JCCIA office was buzzing with costume fittings and other preparations. That day, …

As I sat to write this article about being elected president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, I was struck by how life has come full circle. As a child of immigrants from Sicily, I have marveled at how far our family has come since arriving in the United States in the mid-1950s. Like others before them, they were seeking good jobs so they can take care of their families. Not much has changed as immigrants still seek out America as the beacon of hope as a free society allowing for free speech, religious freedom and ability to …