It's been a busy time for the New York Grand Lodge during the months of May and June.  Seventeen representatives of the New York Grand Lodge, led by State President Joseph DiTrapani, attended the National Sons of Italy Foundation 2004 NELA gala on May 19th in Washington, D.C.  President George W. Bush and Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi were both in attendance at this event.  It was a wonderful evening and it certainly was a privilege to be in the same room with President Bush and Prime Minister Berlusconi ... and to hear them speaking of the strong alliance between both countries in the cause of freedom. 

On Sunday, June 6th, over 100 representatives of the New York Grand Lodge attended an unforgettable day in Albany at the New York Conference of Italian American Legislators led by Senator Carl Marcellino.  State President Joseph and First Lady Carol DiTrapani were honored by this prestigious committee of legislators for their commitment to the needs of the Italian American Community.  The Commission for Social Justice (CSJ) helped to plan and sponsor this event and they did a terrific job.  There were many interesting speakers throughout the day and a wonderful dinner to complete the event.  It was a proud day to be a member of the Order Sons of Italy in America.

The New York OSIA Grand Lodge convention was held at the Nevele Grande Hotel and Resort on Thursday, June 10th through Sunday, June 13th.  Over 550 delegates convened to discuss the direction of OSIA, to present special awards, to present monetary scholarships to 37 students, to donate money to charity ... to renew old friendships and to make many new ones.  The most prestigious award of the weekend was that of Bene Emeritus, which was bestowed upon Past Grand Venerable Joseph E. Fay.  The 2004 Literary Award was presented to Mario Fratti, an internationally acclaimed playwright and drama critic.  The Lady Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Award was presented to Esther Denaro Maltese, Ph.D., an administrator at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York.  The Family of the Year Award was presented to the "Spera Family" of Deer Park, Long Island.  The two Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro award recipients were Nettie Innella of Port Washington and Paul Ludwig of Suffern.  Over $75,000 was donated from the convention delegates to various charities such as the Cooley's Anemia Foundation, Breast Cancer, Alzheimer's, the Garibaldi Meucci Museum and the Commission for Social Justice ... just to name a few.  Keynote speakers for this weekend were State Senator Charles Schumer, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi and Supreme Court Justice Domenic Massaro.  It was a superb convention expertly chaired by State President Joseph J. DiTrapani.

On Saturday, June 19, 2004, OSIA celebrated its 99^th Anniversary at the founding site on Grand Street in Little Italy.  Over 500 guests were in attendance and Grand Street was renamed “Order Sons of Italy Way” to mark the site where our founders first met at 203 Grand Street on June 22, 2005.  It was a heartwarming day for all in attendance.  New York City Councilman Allen Gershon and the New York City Council’s Italian American Caucus facilitated the street renaming along with John Fratta, a member of the Lt. Joseph Petrosino Lodge in Little Italy.  National President Joseph Sciame lit a symbolic Flame of Liberty to honor OSIA members and their immigrant ancestors.  The eventful day included lunch at SPQR Restaurant, a mass at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral celebrated by Fr. Donald B. Licata and a concert performed by tenor Peter Buchi.  Many elected officials attended the event and all agreed it was a great beginning for a year of celebration.  To complete the event for the Grand Lodge of New York, State President Joseph DiTrapani bestowed the 2004 Lifetime Achievement award upon Armand Vella of the Columbus Lodge #2143, South Farmingdale, Long Island.

Most recently … on Thursday evening, June 24^th, I visited the Constantino Brumidi Lodge #2211 in Deer Park, Long Island.  At their invitation, I participated an event called “Operation Shoe Box”.  The purpose of this event is to encourage citizens to support our fighting men and women deployed overseas in these dangerous times.  As I arrived, both the Constantino Brumidi Lodge men and the women of the Ladies Auxiliary, along with children, grandchildren and community volunteers, were beginning to work feverishly at boxing, taping and weighing over 150 boxes of items they were mailing to various service men and women serving in Iraq.  This was their second “Operation Shoe Box” event and plans are underway for another one in September.  What a great feeling to be part of this outreach experience.  It really is something that everyone should be looking into.  I am planning to give details of “Operation Shoe Box” at a later date, but if you want information now, you can log on to www.operationshoebox.com.