Thomas Jefferson almost said, “Good luck is what you get after you do all the hard work to earn it”.

Italy has a population of 62 million people, of which 96 per-cent are Italian. Dialects include: Sardinian, Friulian, Neapol-itan, Sicilian, Ligurian, Piedmontese, Venetian and Calabrian & Milanese

As I write this we (your Grand Council) just completed a virtual “Zoom” Grand Council Meeting. Thank you to all the officers for your patience and it was nice to see a few other lodge members sit in. This has not been an easier year for our filial lodges, but I know we will overcome. All of the Grand Lodge business was taken care of.

Our State Convention will be done by “Zoom” also this year. The date of our Convention will be June 26th 2021, Mark your calendars. This will be an interesting task, more information will follow shortly. As I stated last month, this is an election year. Those members who wish to run for an office within the Grand Lodge please sends a letter of intent to our State Recording Secretary Lori Rossi.

As our counties begin to open up, please remember

I am happy to announce that Ken and I have received our second vaccination and are enjoying our newfound freedom. The very first thing we did was go to our young granddaughter and hug her forever. I certainly didn’t want to let her go and she let me hold on as long as I wanted. That was the hardest thing to endure while following the COVID guidelines, not seeing my grandchildren. I hope that you have all received your vaccines and have been able to get your hugs in also!

Now that Spring is finally here and we can spend more time outside, Please consider spending time together as a Lodge. If our numbers aren’t low enough to meet inside perhaps a Saturday or Sunday afternoon at a park or in a member’s backyard could be arranged. Our members are counting on Lodge Presidents to keep us together. Lodge Presidents,

GREETINGS! HAPPY APRIL 2021!

I hope the student that had the eligibility requirements applied for the OSDIA’s National scholarships offered. OSDIA has awarded over $61 million in scholarships to date! In past years, Sons of Italy Foundation has offered 10 to 12 merit-based scholarships and National Leadership Grants, ranging from $4,000, to 25,000 in a Nationwide competition. These figures and the numbers of scholarships may vary according to funding each year.

If you follow Facebook, each Wednesday at 4:00pm PT you can listen/watch the “OSDIA Interviews Live”. Wednesday 03/04/2021 Season 3 featured

Hello brothers and sisters, I continue to pray for those affected by the COVID pandemic. I pray for all who have experienced loss and that everyone stays safe and that we will get back to our normal activities soon. Did you realize that April is a big month for celebrations in Italy. I thought I would share a few of the most interesting ones.

Easter
Easter, Pasqua, often falls in April. Italian Easter week celebrations start during the week before Easter and continue through Easter Monday, La Pasquetta, a national holiday and a day where you may find some very interesting festivals. One of Easter’s most unusual events is the Scoppio del Carro, or