L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano L' I t a l o - A m e r i c a n o A n n u a l F u n d r a i s i n g G a l a c e l e b r a t e d Valentine's Day On Saturday, February 7 th , a very special event for the entire Italian community took place: L ' I t a l o - A m e r i c a n o A n n u a l F u n d r a i s i n g G a l a D i n n e r . Several representatives of local I t a l i a n - A m e r i c a n s o c i e t i e s , besides the newspaper's patrons and supporters, have enthusiasti- cally attended to the gala. Very meaningful for lots of first and older generation Italian immigrants is the setting where t h e e v e n t w a s h o s t e d : C a s a Italiana, home of the Italian community since 1972. It is also Saint Peter's Church Hall, a half classical, half Californian mis- sion-style church. Saint Peter's Mission was founded in 1904 and, since then, has been faithfully serving the Italian community for over a hundred years, throughout vicis- situdes which forced it to change location several times, until the foundation in 1947 of the church as we know it today. Over time, Saint Peter has been chosen as wedding setting by myriad Italians or Italian- Americans, even by cornerstones o f t h e c o m m u n i t y l i k e C o m m e n d a t o r e F r a n k J . DeSantis, who has held numer- ous prestigious roles, including National Past President of the Order Sons of Italy in America, and is currently president of the Italian Cultural Arts and Chief Administrative Officer of the Orange County American Italian Renaissance Foundation. And now, enough with nos- talgic memories, let's relive the joyful and amiable gala together, held in a banquet room, decorat- ed with heart-shaped balloons and flowers, in theme with the upcoming Valentine's Day. The evening was presented by the humorous Master of Ceremonies F i l i p p o V o l t a g g i o , b o r n i n Monterey to Sicilian parents, as well as former IBM manager, who later in life has pursued his beloved artistic career as singer and entertainer. The first two speakers, who kicked off the evening, are both driving forces of the newspaper: passionate publisher and presi- d e n t o f t h e I t a l o - A m e r i c a n F o u n d a t i o n R o b e r t J . Barbera and director Simone Schiavinato. Filippo entertained the audi- ence with fun jokes, for example by opening a copy of the newest edition of L'Italo-Americano and pretending that a photo of actor-director Milo Ventimiglia was his own "photo-shopped" portrait. Then, flipping through the pages, he pointed at a period painting of Gioacchino Rossini, saying that it portrayed himself, dressed in vintage clothes. T h r o u g h o u t t h e e v e n i n g , Filippo alternated on stage with THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015 www.italoamericano.com 4 actress and singer Maria Elena Infantino, daughter of the emi- n e n t S i c i l i a n t e n o r L u i g i Infantino. Accompanied by her tuneful voice, singing in five languages - Italian, English, French, plus Sicilian and Neapolitan, which might be regarded as such - and her theatrical mastery at per- forming, all the guests weren't denied our biggest Italian pride: a series of wine-paired delica- cies, prepared by the chef of Casa Italiana and kindly spon- s o r e d b y D ' A q u i n o I t a l i a n Importing Co. M a r i a E l e n a ' s r e p e r t o i r e included classics, the likes of O Sole Mio, La Vie En Rose, Lu Me Sceccu (played in Godfather Part II), Quando Quando, and That's Amore. At the focal point of the gala, F i l i p p o d i s p l a y e d h i s o w n singing talent, performing a tra- ditional Neapolitan song, which speaks to the heart of every Italian immigrant, who cannot forget his or her beloved roots. R i g h t a f t e r , o u r h i g h e s t SILVIA SIMONETTI authority, Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles Antonio Verde, delivered an inspirational speech, praising the constant efforts of L'Italo-Americano as "vibrant voice of our communi- t y " a n d r e m a r k i n g h o w t h e newspaper needs everyone's s u p p o r t . N e x t , t h e C o n s u l G e n e r a l p r a i s e d t h e p a p e r ' s commitment to promoting a real bilingualism and thanked the staff for organizing such a beau- tiful event. He quoted Henryk Sienkiewicz, 1905 Nobel Prize- winning novelist's words from On the Bright Shore: "I think that every man has two father- lands: one his own, the nearer, a n d t h e o t h e r I t a l y . " C o n s u l General Antonio Verde stressed how the spirit of attachment to the community, as it is conveyed in these words, has fed L'Italo- Americano throughout its cen- tennial history. Lastly, Consul Verde intro- d u c e d t h e L i f e A c h i e v e m e n t A w a r d f o r t h e i l l u s t r i o u s C o m m e n d a t o r e F r a n k J . D e S a n t i s b y q u o t i n g J . F . K e n n e d y ' s w o r d s : " A s k n o t what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country", as the perfect framework for his numerous contributions. DeSantis thanked his friend Robert Barbera and stated his commitment to support L'Italo- Americano, defining it as the "ultimate connection" to our community. N o d o u b t , t h e " s w e e t e s t notes" of the gala were the deli- cious gelato, paired with a fruity w i n e , g e n t l y o f f e r e d b y Bulgarini Gelato Artigianale and the perfectly brewed espres- sos, always useful after drinking one too many, kindly offered by Pasquini Espresso Company. The very grand finale was the r a f f l e d r a w i n g , w h o s e g r e a t p r i z e s , d o n a t e d b y g e n e r o u s sponsors, included rich gift bas- kets and gift certificates for a wine tasting, a cooking class, and two language courses, one at the IIC of Los Angeles and the other in Palermo, Sicily, a fan- tastic two-week study trip. Maria Elena Infantino performing at the Casa Italiana Emcee Filippo Voltaggio, publisher Robert J. Barbera, director Simone Schiavinato, lifetime achievement awardee Commendatore Frank J. DeSantis, Consul General of Italy Antonio Verde

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