Who would have thought that the weather at our 19^th Winter Charity Ball would actually be considered to be "warm and balmy"?  On Friday, January 27^th, the New York Grand Lodge Foundation, Inc., Order Sons of Italy in America honored four wonderful Italian American role models. 

The program opened with the National and Italian Anthems beautifully sung by Italian American Tenor Jimmy Alleva.   Over 225 guests were entertained during the evening by singer and songwriter Giada Valenti whose beautiful voice filled the room with love and emotion.  Foundation President Thomas Lupo lauded the wonderful attributes of the honorees and the Charity Ball committee.

The 2012 Special Humanitarian Award was bestowed upon Linda Mangano, Editor in Chief of the Bethpage Tribune and the First Lady of Nassau County.  As the wife of Nassau County Executive, Edward Mangano, Linda is always on the go and even though she has many additional commitments and obligations as Nassau County’s First Lady …. her dedication to children and her community continues to serve as an inspiration to others.  It has been said that Linda is a "volunteer-aholic" and it is a nickname she proudly accepts.  Born and raised in Bethpage, New York, she serves as the President of the Bethpage Chamber of Commerce as well as a mentor and advisor for the Bethpage Chamber of Commerce Junior League.  In addition to her role as a publisher and community leader, she will admit that her favorite role is that of "mom" to her two sons Sal and Alex.  A proud Italian American woman, Linda Mangano has proven to be a role model for all women to emulate!

A Special Recognition Award was presented to Richard Castellano, a prominent member of the NYS Basketball Hall of Fame and the 2011 Russell Athletic/WBCA (Women’s Basketball Coaches Association) National High School Coach of the Year.  He has won 545 games in 32 seasons as head coach at Northport High School.  He has served as President of the Suffolk County Women's Basketball Coaches Association for over 20 years and has created numerous scholarship awards for female basketball players in Suffolk County.  Most recently, Coach Castellano has worked with the American Cancer Society to establish Coaches Versus Cancer basketball games in every school district in Suffolk County.  This program has raised over thousands of dollars for cancer research.  Rich Castellano is a model athlete and coach and epitomizes the rich Italian spirit of fair play and camaraderie!

Lastly, we had the pleasure of awarding Louis and Mary Carnesecca with a special Lifetime Achievement Award.  Coach "Lou" Carnesecca has led an extraordinary career as Head Basketball Coach at St. John’s University.  In May of 1992, he received one of the highest honors any coach can get as he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.  One of the longest serving head coaches in  men's  basketball history, Lou Carnesecca became a legend, known for his inspired sweaters and his winning ways.  During  his  24 seasons, Lou Carnesecca led every one of his teams to the postseason and amassed a remarkable  526-200  record;  even more  legendary  was  his  concern for his players; Lou's success was as much about teaching those players how to live, mentoring and  counseling them, as it was about the fundamentals of basketball.  Both Lou and Mary have earned numerous humanitarian awards for their philanthropic efforts and deservedly so!

Kudos were extended to Charity Ball Chairpersons Annette Lankewish and Madeline Matteucci along with the entire Winter Charity Ball and Journal committee … for producing such a wonderful event and souvenir journal. 

Many thanks again to our honorees and for everyone who attended this event.  Each of you helped to make this an unforgettable and elegant occasion.  We look forward to celebrating the 20^th Anniversary of the Winter Charity Ball in 2013!