NELA Gala 2024

On May 23rd I attended the Sons of Italy Foundation’s 35th Annual NELA (National Education & Leadership Awards)  Gala in Washington, D.C. at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.  There were four of us from our Grand Lodge…State President Arlene M. Nunziati, Past State and National President Vera Girolami, Past State President Barbara Wisniewski and Past State President yours truly.   It was a wonderful evening celebrating our Italian culture, our students, and our honorees.

We were graced with the presence of  our National President Michael G. Polo; Delegate Honorary Co-Chair and the Deputy Chief of Mission, Minister Plenipotentiary Alessandro Gonzales from the Italian Embassy, who represented Italian Ambassador Mariangela Zappia; and Honorary Co-chair, U.S. Representative The Hon. Thomas R. Suozzi. SIF President and Past National President Joseph Sciame welcomed the guests, I was honored to sing the anthems, and our National Chaplain Father Adam Forno gave a beautiful invocation.  Mistress of Ceremonies was New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani, who introduced the program with her usual flair.  The announcer was National 4th Vice President Tony Bisceglia Anderson, whose resonant voice filled the hall.  Jazz singer Vanessa Racci beautifully entertained the crowd with popular songs.

As the SIF Trustee representing California, I was very proud of the awarding of 16 undergraduate and graduate scholarships to outstanding students of Italian descent.  Our donations are being put to such great use helping these young leaders of the future.

Honorees were National Past President and SIF President Emeritus Joseph DiTrapani and Family, who received the Lifetime Brotherhood Award; Actor Joe Mantegna, who was our Gala MC for many years, and who received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Media; J. Eustace Wolfington, the Executive Producer of the acclaimed movie Cabrini who received the Humanitarian Award; the Hon. Mark E. Amodei, Member of Congress from Nevada who received the Public Service Award; and Entertainer Deana Martin, daughter of Dean Martin, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts.  The evening closed as I led the audience in singing God Bless America.

Congratulations to Past National President and SIF President Joseph Sciame, the hard-working National Office staff, and the committee for a most impressive job.  It was an evening to remember!