L'Italo-Americano

LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano " The American Savoy Founda- tion's purpose is 'chivalry for chil- dren's causes.' Sup- porting Caterina's Club - an association founded by Savoy Knight Bruno Serato, that feeds over 5,000 home- less children here in Southern California every day - has been the goal of the Notte di Savoia Los Angeles for the past three years." Prince Emanuele Filib- erto flew all the way from Italy to attend one of the most important events of the American Foundation of Savoy Orders. O n S a t u r d a y e v e n i n g , April 9, 2022, the Fourth Annual Notte di Savoia Los Angeles Spring charity gala was hosted and held at T h e J o n a t h a n C l u b , i n d o w n t o w n L o s A n g e l e s . More than 170 patrons gath- ered at the black-tie gala in support of the Foundation's philanthropic mission bene- f i t i n g C a t e r i n a ' s C l u b , a Southern California-based nonprofit. G u e s t o f h o n o r o f t h e A m e r i c a n F o u n d a t i o n o f Savoy Orders was His Royal H i g h n e s s t h e H e r e d i t a r y C r o w n P r i n c e o f I t a l y , Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Venice and Prince of Piedmont, who took the stage to praise the achieve- ments of the Foundation in carrying on its mission. "I am thrilled to see the Ameri- c a n F o u n d a t i o n o f S a v o y Orders continue my family's centuries-old tradition of supporting families in need, especially during these chal- lenging and unprecedented t i m e s , " s a i d P r i n c e Emanuele Filiberto. "The Savoy charitable and humanitarian purposes like Caterina's Club today, are very much in keeping with the centuries-old hospitaller traditions of the Order of S a i n t s M a u r i c e a n d Lazarus, one of the oldest institutions of Western and Christian civilization, found- ed in 1572 and stemming from the eleventh-century hospitaller Order of Saint L a z a r u s o f J e r u s a l e m , " D a n i e l J . McClory, Director of the A m e r i c a n F o u n d a t i o n o f Savoy Orders and Co-Chair of the Fourth Annual Notte di Savoia Los Angeles points out. "The Fourth Annual Notte di Savoia Los Angeles gala was a tremendous success, providing Caterina's Club with ongoing funding and support. The association has donated more than 7 million meals to homeless and low- income children since its founding in 2003," Prince Emanuele Filiberto said. The American Founda- t i o n o f S a v o y O r d e r s i s a n o n - p r o f i t c h a r i t y , h e a d - quartered in New York City and established in 1993. It provides grants in support of humanitarian, medical, edu- cational, and social assis- tance, including children's causes, veterans' programs, disaster relief for earthquake and flood victims, and schol- arships for college students i n t h e a r t s , s c i e n c e , a n d international studies. The Savoy Foundation also spon- sors an annual lecture series g i v e n b y d i s t i n g u i s h e d s c h o l a r s a n d m a s t e r s i n their respective fields, on topics related to the House of Savoy and the history of Italy, Italian literature, art, music, and science. The mission of the Foun- dation doesn't stop at the Notte dei Savoia event. Each December in New York, the Foundation hosts the Ballo di Savoia at the Metropoli- tan Club, attended by His R o y a l H i g h n e s s P r i n c e Emanuele Filiberto, a white- tie gala benefiting children's charities. The Festa della Primav- era, at the Columbus Club in New York in June, honors prominent Italian-Ameri- c a n s s u c h a s M a t h i l d a Cuomo, Anthony Fauci, and Maria Bartiromo. "Our American Founda- t i o n o f S a v o y O r d e r s h a s truly been blessed with the incredible members of its American Delegation, and t h e e f f o r t s o f t h e S a v o y Foundation with the Notte di Savoia, reflect the very charitable work upon which our Savoy Orders are based. F r o m E a s t t o W e s t , f r o m North to South, our mem- bers join forces to respond to societal needs, and Cateri- na's Club is a great example of it. We applaud all, espe- cially Chef Bruno Serato and Host Committee Co-Chairs D a n i e l a n d F l o r e n t i n a McClory for their good-will and spirited work in making the Notte a success" Carl Morelli, Esq., and Joseph Sciame - respectively the Chairman of the Board and President of the American Foundation of Savoy Orders - concluded. Caterina's Club started thanks to Chef Bruno Sera- t o ' s m o t h e r C a t e r i n a . H e and his mother visited the Boys and Girls Club of Ana- heim, down the street from h i s r e s t a u r a n t ( A n a h e i m W h i t e H o u s e ) , w h e r e h i s mother noticed that there was a 6-year-old boy eating p o t a t o c h i p s f o r d i n n e r because his family couldn't afford a proper meal. Cateri- na insisted that Bruno make s o m e p a s t a f o r t h e c h i l d . T h e y s o o n r e a l i z e d t h a t there were many more of these hungry "motel chil- dren" so Bruno began mak- ing pasta for 72 children, 5 nights a week, creating the program "Feeding the Kids i n A m e r i c a . " T o d a y , t h e a s s o c i a t i o n f e e d s o v e r 2 5 , 0 2 5 c h i l d r e n a w e e k . Frustrated that feeding the children was not enough, Bruno began a second pro- g r a m c a l l e d " W e l c o m e Home," where he and the association provide families without a fixed abode the necessary resources to move into the safety and stability of an apartment or condo. C h e f S e r a t o , w h e n w a s C a t e r i n a ' s C l u b founded and why? Caterina's Club began on April 18, 2005, when I start- ed to feed homeless children living in the motels dotting the entertainment region of Anaheim. As a chef and the A n a h e i m W h i t e H o u s e restaurant owner, the food was prepared in the kitchen and delivered to the chil- d r e n — a s i t s t i l l i s t o d a y . "Feeding the Kids in Ameri- ca," as the program is called, began after I brought my mother to the Anaheim Boys and Girls Club (a local pro- g r a m I s u p p o r t e d ) a n d learned of parents living in local motels and not being a b l e t o a f f o r d o r p r e p a r e nightly meals for their fami- lies. Soon we began to feed the children a hot pasta din- ner every night. H a s i t s p u r p o s e changed over the years? Caterina's Club's mission expanded from providing warm meals to also offering affordable housing assis - tance, and job training to homeless and low-income families throughout Orange County. As a result, we are p l e a s e d t o s h a r e t h a t , t o date, we have served over 7.2 million meals, housed 245 families, and provided job training to 675 at-risk teens. What is the greatest s a t i s f a c t i o n y o u h a d from Caterina's club? Reaching 1 million meals served was a feeling like no other. It took 10 years to s e r v e t h a t m a n y m e a l s . We've served over 7 million meals now, but reaching 1 million was incredible to me a t t h e t i m e . I c o u l d n ' t believe it – the thought of s e r v i n g t h a t m a n y m e a l s n e v e r c r o s s e d m y m i n d when we first started. W h a t i s C a t e r i n a ' s Club's next goal? T o s e r v e 1 0 0 m i l l i o n meals, continue to expand to alleviate child hunger and homelessness, and break the circle of poverty. The American Foundation of the Savoy Orders to help in feeding children SILVIA GIUDICI Prince Emanuele Filiberto (left) and Bruno Serato (right) with children during the Notte di Savoia Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of Christian Amburgy

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