FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   Elissa Ruffino (NIAF) 202/939-3106202/939-3106 or elissa@niaf.org

** Robert De Niro, Sophia Loren & Tommy Mottola Among the Honorees **(WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 25, 2002) Singers Tony Bennett and Connie Francis, actors Danny Aiello, Michael Badalucco, Ruth Buzzi, Robert Davi, Jerry Lewis, Doris Roberts, Bobby Rydell and James Woods are among the celebrities attending the National Italian American Foundation’s (NIAF) 27th Anniversary Awards Gala, Saturday evening, October 26 at the Hilton Washington & Towers, Washington, DC. The gala will begin with a cocktail reception at 6 PM followed by a 7 PM dinner.

Bruce Arena, US World soccer coach, Yogi Berra, baseball legend, Brian Boitano, Olympic gold medalist, Joe Gibbs, NASCAR team owner, Tommy Lasorda, Dodger icon, and Bruno Sammartino, former World Champion wrestler, will also join the celebrities and NIAF honorees at the dinner. They will be joined by Ambassadors, Governors and Members of the House and Senate.

At the NIAF gala, Robert De Niro and Sophia Loren will be inducted into the NIAF’s Italian American Hall of Fame for their work in the entertainment industry. Thomas (Tommy) D. Mottola, chairman and CEO, Sony Music Entertainment Inc., will receive a NIAF Special Achievement Award in the Music Industry.

Business leaders to be honored at this year’s gala include Christina Johnson, president & CEO of Saks Fifth Avenue, and Robert Nardelli, chairman, president and CEO of The Home Depot. They will receive the Foundation’s Special Achievement Awards in Business. Paul Chiapparone, vice chairman of Electronic Data Systems (EDS), will receive the NIAF’s Special Achievement Award for Humanitarian Service.

CNBC Anchor Ron Insana is this year’s master of ceremonies. Dick Grasso, New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) chairman and NIAF vice chairman, is the Year 2002 dinner chairman. Traditionally, the event has been attended by every U.S. President since 1975.

The NIAF awards gala dinner is one of the premier annual events in Washington, DC, attracting more than 3,000 people from throughout the country and abroad. Past award recipients have included: Frank Sinatra, Al Pacino, Gianni Versace, Danny DeVito, Joe Montana, Tony Bennett, John Travolta, Liza Minnelli, Lee Iacocca, Sophia Loren, Luciano Pavarotti, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Rose Marie Bravo, Yogi Berra, Paul Tagliabue, Jerry Colangelo, Perry Como, Joe DiMaggio and others who have brought honor to their Italian heritage.

Dinner tickets begin at $350 each. Proceeds from the event benefit the NIAF Scholarship and Education Programs. For tickets or sponsor information, contact: Michael Sanzi at 202/387-0600202/387-0600 or michael@niaf.org or register on- line at www.niaf.org