From the Desk of Foundation President, Paul R. Rao PhD
2022 Scholarship Update: The little Italy Lodge Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors has approved the following: The Scholarship Foundation will offer 6 Scholarships totaling $33,000- three named scholarships for $6,000 and 3 additional scholarships for $5,000. The 2022 Scholarship Application will be available online on January 3, 2022 at our littleitalyfoundation.org website and hardcopies of the scholarship application will be available at the Lodge entrance shortly thereafter. Please note the 2022 Scholarship Eligibility Requirements:
- The sponsor must have been a member in good standing of the Little Italy Lodge #2286 Order of Sons of Italy in America as of May 1, 2021.
- The applicant must be a member of the Little Italy Lodge, spouse of a member, child, grandchild, stepchild or stepgrandchild or ward of a member who is designated as legal guardian.
- The applicant must be a full-time student (defined as enrolled for at least 12 credits per semester or a lesser course load as prescribed by The Americans with Disabilities Act) in good standing with a grade point average (GPA) of a minimum of 2.5 on a grading scale of 4 (or equivalent). The applicant must have been accepted for enrollment at an accredited two-(Junior or Community College) or four year university or college located in the United States for the 2022-2023 academic year.
- The applicant is encouraged to file the FAFSA Form. The EFC, derived from this filing, will be a factor in the Program’s evaluation process. The Scholarship Evaluation Committee will only see the EFC amount derived from the FAFSA Form. The applicant has the option of not filing the FAFSA Form. If the applicant and/or the applicant’s family choose not to file the FAFSA Form, the area of financial need will receive NO CREDIT for financial need, which is one of the three factors considered during the application evaluation process. Those not filing the FAFSA Form must indicate so in writing on the application form.
- All awards are contingent on the verified accuracy of the information provided by the applicant and sponsor.
Donation Update: The Famiglia Anthony “Tony” Verdecchia Foundation Memorial has reached $2,500 from a number of generous donors. If you wish to remember Tony as per the family’s wishes, the Foundation welcomes your donation in his name to The Little Italy Scholarship Foundation. Every dollar donated in Tony’s name will go to the scholarship fund. We also want to thank Joan Petrella for her very generous donation to the Foundation in her beloved Fred’s name. We welcome any and all donations to our 2022 scholarship fund.
SAVE THE DATES: The Foundation Board of Directors has approved two fundraisers in the coming 2 years. Our first Scholarship Foundation event will be held in the St Leo’s School Hall on Sunday April 24, 2022 from 12:30-4:30pm. The event will be chaired by Tim Elliott and include delectable Italian wine and food and have a theme of Tour of Italy: Famiglia Influence. Sponsorships will be available February 15, 2022. Individual and Table Tickets will be available March 1, 2022 with a maximum capacity of 220 guests. The Foundation expects a sell out celebration! Where are your Italian roots? Each table will recognize one of Italy’s 21 regions. We plan for a memorable Foundation event that will also feature the celebration of St Leo’s 140th Campaign and unveiling the Recognition Banner.
In 2023, we will get back on schedule for our iconic and celebrated Taste of Italy which will be held on Sunday April 23, 2023 from 12:30-4:30pm in Little Italy. Co-chairs of that event will once again be Maureen Chandler and Nancy Barbieri Wolfe. A big Shout Out to both Maureen and Nancy for their tremendous leadership of our September ToI 2021 which netted an amazing $14,000 with 200 satisfied and generous guests. Mille Grazie.
Respectfully submitted,
Paul R Rao PhD