Announcements

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Celebrate the Spirit of Carnevale with the Francis Cabrini Lodge:

Saturday, February 18; 7 : 00 – 11:00 p.m. at Greenwood Fire Hall; Winchester, VA. For more info, click here Celebrate Carnevale

2012 OSIA Scholarship Information :

In a continuing effort toward both financial and environmental conservation, distribution of this year's National Leadership Grant Competition (NLGC) scholarship information and application will again largely take place electronically. The scholarship information and application (cover sheet) will be posted on www.osia.org by November 10. Please see newsletter for further information, or to obtain the links to download and print the 2012 NLGC Scholarship Information and Application.

Message From Our Lodge President:

I wish to request 2 favors from the membership in my last full month of service as lodge president. First, we need volunteers to help clean the hall once a month prior to our meetings. This will only take 2 hours or so of your time. If we have enough volunteers, the same people will not have to do it 12 times a year. Rather, the volunteers would do it 3 or 4 times annually. We need your help! We have a great place to meet with no monetary cost to the lodge; however, we must clean it every month. It would be sad to lose the use of this hall. Other lodges are not as fortunate in having a good meeting place each month. If interested, please contact John Asiello or Joe Saia.

Secondly, I request that everybody strive to bring in a new member. Thus far, we have kept our membership cost stable although the National HQ increases our per capita levy every year. More members would enable us to better control our individual membership dues.

Would you like to receive emailed newsletters from OSIA headquarters? See what you have been missing at http://tinyurl.com/osiaarchives. You can get on the national email list from that page or do so directly at http://tinyurl.com/osiaemaillist.

Got ideas for lodge publicity? Our new Publicity Committee chairman solicits your suggestions for sources to publicize our events and for content to publish to help attract new members. Contact Joe La Marca at jlamarca@erols.com or phone 703-455-0376.

IHL NOMINATION OF OFFICERS FOR 2012—2013

The lodge nominating committee consisting of John Asiello, Joe Saia and Art Moscatello has assembled the following slate of officers for a one-year term beginning March, 2012. According to the lodge by-laws, at the January meeting nominations from the floor will be accepted, and in February the election of officers will be held.

The installation ceremony of newly elected officers will be held in March, 2012.

President - Anne Marrelli

Vice President - Alfred Michaelangelo

Immediate Past President - Frank Marcinkowski

Orator - Dot Saia

Recording Secretary - Eleanor Lillo

Financial Secretary - Josephine Lowe

Treasurer - Gene La Colla

Trustees - Angelo Vecchio, Dennis Lillo, Art Moscatello, Sal Guli, Tony Finocchiaro

Master of Ceremonies - Kevin Brady

Mistress of Ceremonies - Yolanda Pelosi

Sentinel - Paul Alligood

Arbitration - David Asiello, Jerry DiCerbo, Art Moscatello, Omero Sabatini, Joe La Marca

IMPORTANT NOTICE: In a continuing effort toward both financial and environmental conservation, distribution of this year's National Leadership Grant Competition (NLGC) scholarship information and application will again largely take place electronically. The scholarship information and application (cover sheet) will be posted on www.osia.org by November 10. The direct link to scholarship information on the OSIA.org website is: Click for Scholarship Information and Application

You are urged to use it to duplicate and distribute to interested parties, or pass along the direct link (above) to the information on our website. Continuing the past two years' success in conserving resources, only one hard copy mailing of the application and information will also be sent to all lodges next week. As we have required in previous years, all applicants will still be expected to send hard-copies of all their application materials. The deadline for this year's competition is February 28, 2012. Also, please note that we are offering a new scholarship this year in conjunction with the National Italian American Bar Association (NIABA). This scholarship will be offered exclusively to law students in their first, second, and third year. If you have questions about the NLGC scholarship program, please contact Laura Kelly at the National Office at 202-547-2900 or scholarships@osia.org.

If anybody needs a ride to our monthly meetings, please let us know so that we can provide an assist. Contact the lodge president to arrange a carpool.

The language group will not meet in December but will reconvene in January.

On a sad note, Edvige D’Andrea’s younger sister, Vittoria, passed away on Thanksgiving Day. There are no details as yet on the funeral arrangements in Pittsburgh next week. We offer Edvige and her family our deepest sympathy, and we will keep her in our prayers.

Nominations Committee

The nominating committee consisting of John Asiello, Joe Saia and Art Moscatello seeks candidates for office for a one-year term beginning March, 2012. If you are interested in giving back to your lodge and the community with your service as a lodge officer, please contact John Asiello (JFAsiello@aol.com, 703 321 7840) or Joe Saia 703 978-8499 or Art Moscatella at 703 743-5354. The committee is drawing up a slate of officer names to present to the general membership at the December meeting. In January, 2012, nominations from the floor will be accepted and in February the election of officers will be held. The installation ceremony of newly elected officers will be held in March.

Information for the December Lodge Meeting

This year’s Christmas party will be Saturday evening, December 3, 2011. Due to the extended length of the program and the young age of the primary audience, the social will begin at 6:30 PM. The program will include a visit from La Befana and presentation of the La Befana story. There will also be a guest from the North Pole. IMPORTANT: It is especially important that you call in your reservation since Santa Claus will be making a surprise visit with a present for each child 11 and under. Members who are bringing children 11 and under are asked to call John or Laura Asiello at 703-321-7840 no later than November 29 to provide the name, gender, and age of the child, which will give Santa time to select a gift for each child. The meal will be the traditional pot luck, with a focus on entrees or side dishes that will feed at least 6 to 8 people as there is usually a large turnout for this meeting. Anyone wanting to bring something additional can bring a dessert or appetizer. EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT: In keeping with the giving spirit of the holiday, members have the opportunity to participate in the following: each child or any other member or guest attending the meeting is invited to bring and place under the tree an unwrapped gift costing not more than $10.00. Please put a tag on it indicating appropriate age and gender. The hospital, where the gifts will be taken, has requested that the gifts not be wrapped as they cannot give the children gifts without inspecting them. The gifts brought to the party will be taken to the Hospital for Sick Children on December 11 or 12. Anyone interested in accompanying these gifts to the hospital should contact Joe Saia at 703 978-8499. Children are especially welcome to help take these gifts to children less fortunate. The younger attendees, who are legally considered minors (18 and younger), will have the opportunity to participate in the La Befana presentation. These members and guests are asked to bring their creative, dramatic, and oratorical energy—talent not required.

Information for the November Lodge Meeting

Our lodge meeting this month will be held on Saturday, November 12, at the K of C hall at St. Leo’s. The starting time will be 6:30 PM for the placement of donated auction items by our members and a beverage or two before we kick off the meeting at 7:00 PM. We will not have our normal pot-luck dinner; rather, members are requested to bring hors d’ oeuvres (finger foods) so that members can graze as they survey the riches to bid on. We have decided not to have a silent auction; instead, Gene La Colla, our resident raconteur, will preside over a normal auction while providing an evening of entertainment and merriment. A good time is certain to be had by all! Remember to bring your white elephants so that Gene can get rid of them and pick up a few dollars for the charities supported by our lodge.

Information for the October Lodge Meeting

We are going back to our usual pot-luck meal. Please bring a main dish or a salad or a dessert for 6-8 people. We will not have a guest speaker this month. At this meeting, Frank would like to throw the floor open for input from the membership on the future direction of the meetings and what members would like to hear and do and more importantly, support. It is your lodge and we want to provide the best programs for our members.

Information for the October Lunch Bunch

The Lunch Bunch for October will be held at the Charbroil Grill in Woodbridge on Wednesday, October 12th at 1200. It is located in a shopping center near Potomac Mills at the corner of Opitz Blvd. and Telegraph Rd. in Woodbridge. It is a Brazilian steakhouse with a tremendous buffet and grilled meats served at your table. All you care to eat. The grilled pineapple is delicious as a dessert. About $12.95 per person plus drink, tax and tip. Well worth it. Let Dennis Lillo know if you plan on attending so he can make the appropriate reservation. Call at 703-354-2454 or email at delillo1@verizon.net

Information for the September Lodge Meeting

We will meet at St. Leo’s K of C hall on Saturday, September 3 at 7 PM. Food will be catered at a cost to members of $12.00-$15.00 per person with children 5-16 being charged $5.00. Members are asked to bring a dessert dish only since all else, except beverages, are included in the above costs. Wine and beer will be available for a one time cost for the evening of $2.00 per member. Soft drinks will also be available for a one time evening cost of $1.00. We will be showing a movie entitled "ITALY: A UNIQUE WORK OF ART" which highlights all regions of Italy and their heritage. It runs about 120 minutes and is in English. The film was produced by the Italian National Tourist Office and is one of the initiatives launched by Italy to celebrate its unification. All members should bone up on Italy since there will be a short quiz after the movie.

Any lodge members interested in taking Italian lessons should contact Lucio D'Andrea. The lessons are being offered under the auspices of the Italian Heritage Society of St. Mary of Sorrows. Lucio can be reached by email at LucioDAndrea@Verizon.net or by phone at 703 9787896.

Information for the September Lodge Meeting

New Webmaster

Susan Agosta McFetridge has taken over as the new webmaster. Please contact her at smcfetridge@italianheritagelodge.org with any suggestions, comments, or items that need to be posted to the website..

August Lanuguage Group

There will be NO meeting of the Language Group in August.

LODGE WANT ADS

Can you take notes? The council needs a RECORDING SECRETARY to take the minutes at council meetings and type them up for our records. Do you have PR talents? We also need a PUBLICITY CHAIR to get the word out about our activities. Both positions are vacant. If you can help with either, give John Asiello a call at 703 321 7840.

BACK TO THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS HALL AT ST. LEO'S!!

After months of relying on the kind hospitality of the Knights of Columbus at St. Mary of Sorrows church for a place for our general membership meetings, we will return to our permanent location on September 3 to the newly renovated facility behind St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, 3700 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax, Virginia.

GRAZIE!!

To those hardy souls who walked proudly behind our banner in the City of Fairrax Independence Day Parade, July 4, 2011! Watch for photos on this site soon.

Italian Community Calendar

If you would like to see what is happening in the Italian Community in our area, click on Italian Community Calendar.

Free Festival Guide

A free directory of 324 annual Italian American festivals in 37 states and the District of Columbia has been produced by OSIA's national headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The directory gives the name, date(s), location and contact information for each festival. The 2010 Sons of Italy Festival Directory (MS Word file) can be downloaded from the OSIA site (sorted by Date) or from the Italian Heritage Lodge site (sorted by State).

Want to Learn Italian?

Join our Lodge Language Group or pick up the Fairfax County Adult and Community Education (ACE) Catalog. To review classes on line, go to the Fairfax County web site. Fairfax County residents age 62 and over may apply for a 25% tuition discount. Moreover, senior citizens may audit classes at Virginia universities at no charge!