Cristoforo Columbo Lodge #1534

Happy Summer from Cristoforo Columbo Lodge #1534 in Reno, Nevada.   

In March we installed two new officers Mark Froio as Head Trustee, and Chris Cifelli as Financial Secretary, and continued with our Festa planning for our big event in May.  Every March meeting during the in honor of St Joseph’s Day, we have a wonderful St. Joseph’s Table full of fabulous desserts to share. We are lucky to have so many wonderful members who volunteer to make this event a yummy success. Each year we donate to a couple of the same charities and then always choose a new one for Veterans and new one for children.  There are so many great charities out there that need our help.

In April we had another delicious meal from Chef Antonio.  We are so lucky to have him and his crew making food for us each month.  Our very own member and Financial Secretary, Chris Cifelli, was our speaker this month. He spoke about his work on the space shuttle, nuclear submarines, rockets, and ballistic missiles, he had a very interesting career.

May was our Festa.  Another very, very huge success.  Over 300 people attended.  We had more than enough volunteers and praises galore from the attendees on the new table set up, raffle prizes, and, of course, the food.  Thanks to all the volunteers who helped put this event on.  We were able to add a lot of money to our coffers for our donations and scholarships.  So many, many, people to thank, one special attendee was our State Lodge President Arlene Nunziatti, we really appreciate that she took the time to attend.

Newly reinstated member, Nevada Congressman, Mark Amodei, was honored at the National Education Leadership Conference (NELA) Gala in Washington, DC.  He received the Public Service Award. Our past President, Barbara Wisniewski, attended the Gala and was part of the ceremony honoring Mr. Amodei.   

So far this year we have gained 9 new members and counting.  Last year we had 21 new members.  It’s great to see that our membership continues to grow, and the new members are becoming active in our dinners and events.

A couple of our members passed away this year: Dennis Pilato and Mark Anderson.  They will be missed.  We hope they rest in peace.  A one hundred dollar donation from our Lodge was given to the Community Foundation in their memory. These donations help keep scholarships going in memory of the deceased members of our Lodge.

Thank you for reading about our Lodge.  A most famous Italian saying is: venni, vidi, vinsi        (I came, I saw, I conquered).

Please visit our Face book page at Reno Sons of Italy and our website for more information: www.renosonsofitaly.org.  Learn more about our Lodge, your Italian heritage and upcoming events