It's not too late... plan to attend NIAF's Convention and Gala Weekend!
NIAF’s Convention Weekend and 33rd Anniversary Gala on October 17-18, 2008 promises to be the best in the history of our organization.
This year’s honorees include president of Aetna Mark T. Bertolini; legendary actress Gina Lollobrigida; president and CEO of 7-Eleven, Inc. Joseph DePinto; CEO of the Humane Society of the United States Wayne Pacelle and CEO of Autogrill S.p.A. Gianmario Tondato da Ruos. We also anticipate the attendance of the 2008 U.S. presidential candidates; additional honorees and special guests will be announced shortly.
Held at the Hilton Washington & Towers in Washington, D.C., the convention weekend also will be attended by a variety of NIAF-affiliated Italian American groups, including the National Italian American Bar Association (NIABA) and UNICO National.
If you were with us last year, you joined some notable friends including: former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Ellen Pompeo of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” Connie Stevens, Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese, Yogi Berra, Dion, General Peter Pace, Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito Jr., Susan Lucci, Tony LoBianco, Dick Vermeil, Vince Papale, Jerry Vale and Maria Bartiromo.
As you know, the NIAF annual anniversary celebration is part of a two-day convention in the nation’s capital featuring special receptions, entertainment and conferences. Highlights from this year’s convention and gala weekend include:
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Piazza d’Italia, a two-day Best of Italy exposition, held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, October 17 and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, October 18.
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A variety of interesting conferences, including “The Presidential Candidates’ Perspectives on the Future of Healthcare in America” on Friday, October 17, from 2:30-4 p.m. in addition to “Energy: American’s Challenge of the 21st Century” and “From Dante to Benigni: Italian Language and Culture in America’s Schools,” both held on Saturday, October 18 from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
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NIAF’s annual “Salute to the Martini” on Friday, October 17 featuring surprise entertainment.
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An NCN Ambassador and Youth Networking Breakfast from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, October 18.
Your participation guarantees that NIAF will continue to help our young people with their higher education, mentor programs, youth retreats and other efforts to instill a sense of pride in their wonderful heritage. You will also be supporting our Ambassador Peter F. Secchia Voyage of Discovery student program in Italy and our Students to Leaders program helping young Italian Americans develop effective leadership skills.
Your registration for the October NIAF Gala will ensure your attendance at one of the premier annual events in the nation. If your plans change, you may cancel your reservation up to 10 days prior to the dinner with a full refund.
Register for your seats online today!
Additionally, book your room today as part of NIAF’s special room block at the Hilton Washington & Towers.
For more information about the NIAF gala, please visit www.niaf.org.
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Exclusive NIAF lecture examines sports and business development
 If you live in New England, plan to attend NIAF’s Boston Regional Lecture entitled “The Impact of Sports on Business and Urban Development” on Tuesday, September 23 at 11:30 a.m. at the EMC Club inside Fenway Park.
The luncheon will feature a panel discussion with Larry Lucchino, president and CEO of the Boston Red Sox, and Stephen Pagliuca, managing director of Bain Capital, LLC and the Boston Celtics. The lecture will be moderated by Paul Guzzi, president and CEO of the Boston Greater Chamber of Commerce.
Tickets are $100 for NIAF members and $150 for non-NIAF members.
Visit www.niaf.org/boston to learn more about this event or register online. Contact Kathryn Stetz at kstetz@qorvis.com or at 202-683-3157 with any questions.
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NIAF offers free language classes
To celebrate October as National Italian American Heritage and Culture Month, NIAF is hosting a series of free beginner Italian language classes in six cities in the United States. All classes are free and open to the public and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Classes will be held in La Jolla, Calif., Chicago, Ill., Pittsburgh, Penn., De Pere, Wis., St. Louis, Mo., and Washington, D.C.
Additional Italian language classes may be added in other locations. Visit www.niaf.org/october for updates or to register. Please note that participants must register to receive class details. For more information, contact Giuseppina Spillane at 202-939-3107 or gspillane@niaf.org
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Concert benefits NIAF scholarship programs
Popular Italian singer and actress Elena Bonelli will perform “Roma in the World,” a recital of Roman songs, at Carnegie Hall on October 12 at 7:30 p.m. For each ticket sold, 50 percent of sales will be donated to NIAF’s scholarship fund.
To purchase tickets, contact Bernadette Arena at 646-341-2474 or bgarena@arenaadvisors.com.
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Celebrate Columbus Day with NIAF
If you live in New England and enjoy a good game of golf, plan to attend the Sixth Annual Sarazen Memorial Cup on Monday, October 13 at Hopkinton Country Club in Hopkinton, Mass.
The event benefits the NIAF Gene Sarazen Scholarship Fund and the Italian Home for Children in Boston, which was founded in 1918 to care for children orphaned by an influenza epidemic and now treats emotionally disturbed children of all nationalities.
The annual tournament is named after Gene Sarazen, an Italian American known as one of golf’s greatest players.
For more information or to register for the event, contact Suzanne Delaney at sdelaney@rmd-inc.net or call 978-851-0200.
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Attention theater lovers!
See actor Tony Lo Bianco portray former New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia in his one-man show, “La Guardia,” at New York City’s Dicapo Opera Theatre for a limited run of 21 performances from October 21-31 and November 17-22.
The play is written and directed by Lo Bianco and adapted from “Hizzoner” by Paul Shyre.
Dicapo Theatre is located at 184 E. 76th Street, at the corner of Lexington Avenue and East 76th Street. Tickets are available by calling 212-868-4444 or visiting www.smarttix.com.
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Italy commemorates 9/11
Seven years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Italian and U.S. officials held a special event at Rome’s Quirinale Palace to commemorate the tragedy.
The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon ''were cruel and unprovoked and claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people from 90 different nations, including Italy,'' noted U.S. Ambassador to Italy Ronald P. Spogli at the event last week.
But since then, the U.S ''has not had a better friend'' than Italy which ''has always been beside us since that tragic day and worked hard to defeat the scourge of terrorism,'' Spogli told participants.
In turn, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said the 9/11 terrorist attacks illustrated that terrorism was a common enemy. “…It was a wake-up call not only for America and Americans but for all nations and peoples who gained their freedom and who consider it an essential condition to govern themselves and to develop,'' he said.
Seven years later, Napolitano asserted it is vital to “continue [to] bolster efforts to consolidate a collective security which respects inalienable rights and laws''.
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Destination: Calabria
It’s not too late to book a trip to the Region of Calabria through NIAF’s latest Heritage Tour. This nine-day, seven-night tour departs New York City to visit the cities of Altomonte, Capo Vaticano, Catanzaro, Crotone, Gerace, Locri, Paola, Pizzo Calabro, Reggio Calabria, Tropea, and Vibo Valentia.
Costs range from $1,899 to $2,449 per person, based on double occupancy and month of departure. Participants may choose from 25 departure dates ranging from September 15, 2008 through June 15, 2009.
For more information, visit the NIAF Web site or click here.
For a brochure and reservation form, write to Italy Travel, c/o Unitours, 3010 Westchester Avenue, Purchase, NY 10557. Call toll-free at 888-846-6423 or 914-253-9177, fax to 914-253-9001, or e-mail Marianna Pisano at mpisano@unitours.com.
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Destination: Tuscany
NIAF is also proud to announce a trip to the Region of Tuscany, also available through NIAF’s Heritage Tour program. This nine-day trip departs from New York City and offers weekly departures starting in February 2009. Costs range from $1,999 to $2,499 per person.
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Tour-goers will visit Tuscany, Florence, Lucca/Pisa, San Gimignano and Volterra, Siena and Cortona.
For a brochure and reservation form, write to Italy Travel, c/o Unitours, 3010 Westchester Avenue, Purchase, NY 10557. Call toll-free at 888-846-6423 or 914-253-9177, fax to 914-253-9001, or e-mail Marianna Pisano at mpisano@unitours.com.
For more information, click here.
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NIAF to present scholarship in Mario Batali’s name
 Please join us as NIAF presents its first scholarship in chef Mario Batali’s name to an outstanding Italian American student of the culinary arts.
The wine-tasting and food event will include some of Mario’s celebrity friends and take place in New York City on October 1 at 6:30 p.m. at Tiro a Segno, a private Italian American club in the city. Business attire is requested.
The cost is $150 per person. To reserve a place, please mail the registration form to NIAF at 1860 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20009 or fax to (202) 387-7633.
For more information please contact Kristi Pappalardo at kristina@niaf.org.
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Hawaii celebrates Italian Film Festival
The Fifth Annual Cinema Italiano in Hawai’i Film Festival, the only festival providing contemporary current Italian film in Hawai’i, will be held from September 25-30, 2008. The event kicks off with the U.S. premiere of “Tutta La Vita Davanti,” a 2008 film by director Paolo Virzi, on Thursday, September 25 at the Doris Duke Theatre of the Honolulu Academy of Arts.
Virzi and actress Micaela Ramazzotti will attend, and will join special guest presenter Franco Amurri at the 8 p.m. screening on Thursday, September 25. Other films to be shown during the festival include “Ripremdimi,” “Giorni e Nuvole,” “Rosso Come Il Cielo,” “Notturno Bus,” and “Non Pensarci.”
For more information, visit www.cinemaitalianoinhawaii.org.
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